I love watching the Reds train at Ballymore each week and catching up with them afterwards. You can often tell they have their fans on their minds while they prepare for each game. This week was no different! I had a great chat with Reds five-eighth Bryce Hegarty who shared his excitement about where his team is at. You could sense his focus and drive to continue to make this team great.
The Reds have a home game tonight (Friday) at Suncorp at 7:30pm! Make sure you tune in, or come down and support!
Hey Bryce, thanks heaps for making time to catch up after training. How are you this morning?
No worries at all. I’m excited! And training was good. A good captains run this morning and I’m really looking forward to our chat.
The Reds are playing the Sunwolves this Friday and you’ll be playing against a few old friends. How much are you looking forward to this weeks game?
Very excited. Yep, I know a few guys in their team, obviously I’ve played in Japan for Ricoh over there. I loved my time in Japan… The Sunwolves are a very good team, you know they’ve had some great results and they play a very exciting brand of rugby. So we’ve got to make sure we’re on and playing our game. I’m very excited to play against them.
Can you tell us about the South African tour? What were some of the highlights, on and off the field?
Certainly. It was a good tour of South Africa. Results wise, it was good to get a win in the second week [against the Sharks] in Durban. I think it’d been 15 years since the Reds have won over there, so that was very exciting. How we started in that game was great, we put them under pressure the whole game which is what we’re all about and what we’ve been building at this club and focusing on. Obviously we want to take that into this week and the remaining rounds.
Off the field... it’s an amazing country, South Africa, very different to Australia I suppose. I found the weather was quite similar to Brisbane in Durban I guess and a few of us boys, the keen golfers, got out and had a game of golf. We played in Durban Country Club, which is a great course. We had a lot of fun there and we bonded really well as a team over there. You know the typical larrikins have their jokes on tour and there's a lot of fun stuff that happens. But I think it’s important for a group like this, everyone becomes really close on tours like that. You’re with each other for two weeks straight, so you kind of have no choice. My roomy was Higgers for most of it, we get on very well. So it was good fun.
Who’s the biggest larrikin for sure?
Ah Taniela probably. He’s a funny man.
Reds fans are excited you’ve landed in Brisbane! Can you tell us a bit about your rugby journey and how you ended up here?
Yeah definitely, I’m excited to be back in Brisbane, I grew up in Samford. I went to school in Marist, Ashgrove. I loved my time in Brisbane, I always wanted to come back and play for Queensland. I started when I went down to play for the Melbourne Rebels when I was 19, then I went to the New South Wales Waratahs. Unfortunately I missed my first year there because I did my ACL in my knee, but I was there two more years, I enjoyed my time there. I made my way up North to the great state of Queensland, I’m settled in here now and enjoying my time here and I’m looking forward to the future of this club. I think it’s very exciting what we have coming through. I’m really excited to be a part of it.
Things have really been clicking with you and Tait (McDermott), with you in number 10 and Tait at halfback (number 9). What are your thoughts on your partnership? Also, for my readers still learning about the game, how would you explain the partnership between half-back and fly-half and its importance?
Tate and I are really enjoying playing with each other. Yeah it’s a partnership and as you’re probably aware, combinations take time to build. Tate and I have gelled together quite well. One of the youngest half pairings in the competition. He’s so enthusiastic and keen to learn all the time and we’ve spent a lot of time together working on our game, because you can see in the games we’re improving each week. Our time together on the field’s super important because we’re controlling the team in a lot of ways.
Generally speaking, the half-back (number 9s) and the five-eighth (number 10) are the conductors of the game. They control the game as much as they can. As much as you can, you try to be smart with all your calls, your try to direct your team around the park where they need to go, you try to be really loud, in terms of your directions and then it’s up to the rest of the team to execute the plays. The best way to think about it is they’re kind of like the conductors of the orchestra.
What inspired you to play rugby early on?
I was always encouraged by my parents to play rugby, my Dad played Rugby League and I played League as well. Then going to Marist Ashgrove, a very big Rugby Union school, I got into Union there. I played with Nick Frisby who was obviously a Red as well, we’ve got a good friendship. I really loved my time playing rugby at that school and making the mates I have. That’s one of the things I love most about Rugby, you become mates with so many people from such diverse backgrounds and that’s something I’ve loved and enjoyed the most about the game.
What’s your number one piece of advice to young players, both girls and boys?
Number one piece of advice is just to keep training, keep practicing. And don’t let anyone tell you your not good enough, your not big enough, anything like that, because it’s all in your hands. If you want something bad enough, you’ll make the sacrifices that you need to, to get it. There’s always gonna be people that say, you know, negative people and my best advice is just to focus on yourself and do the best you can be whether you’re a boy or a girl.
What’s your favourite thing to do outside of rugby?
Um, I love playing golf. I love doing that as much as I can, I find that’s a really good release - from playing rugby. I love going to the beach, I always love getting out there. I love going to the Sunshine Coast, whether it’s Noosa, or Sunshine beach, or Caloundra, hanging out with my partner and our Gold Retriever… that’s always good fun.
What’s your message to Reds fans ahead of tonight’s game?
We’re doing everything we can and we’re really excited for the next seven rounds, because we’ve got such a good opportunity to play in the finals this year and keep improving. And I know we’re training very hard here, we’re looking to improve every week, and you know, we want the best, we’re players that want to be our best and do the best we can, and we’re challenged to firstly make the finals, play in the finals, and as we go in there, take each week as it is. So yes we’re challenged to win, because that’s what every team here wants to do.
Thanks Bryce for your time today. I will be right behind you and the team this Friday!
Thanks so much. Thanks for interviewing me Tom. And anytime you want to have a chat, I’m always here, whether it’s about rugby or anything.
Thanks for having me, and I look forward to seeing you again soon!
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