An Awesome Conversation with Queenslands Kalani Thomas

Last week, for my final interview of the year, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Reds halfback, Kalani Thomas. At 21 years old, Kalani has more than proven he’s one of Queensland’s rising stars. We got to chat about many things, including his rugby journey, his thoughts on where the Reds are at and what it was like winning the Super Rugby AU final in 2021. (He was just 19 at the time!)

I enjoyed catching up with the hard-working halfback and I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading our conversation! 

Hey Kalani, thanks heaps for making time to catch up!

The last few Reds international games were super exciting for me. How did you find playing in the overseas games recently?

For the Tonga game and the Wales game, I was actually injured, so I didn't play those games. I had a stress fracture that I got during the season, but I played through until we finished against a Chiefs, when we lost. Then I went for scans the following week and found out there was a crack in my foot. So I missed those games, but I was a part of the Panasonic game.

It was cool getting to Japan and experiencing a different culture… and it was great to connect with the new club players that came in. It was cool to get the win too. They came out firing, they were “up” for that game. It was just awesome to be on tour and be amongst the boys, get the win and bring the shield back home.

What did you love most about Japan?

The food was awesome. Especially the convenience stores over there, you can go there anytime, get fried chicken... sandwiches, it’s awesome. The food over there was one of my favourite things and it's also so cheap. And just the respect that the Japanese show. You walk the streets and there's no rubbish, which is crazy for a big city like that, Tokyo especially. 

What was it like going through rehab? And what did you learn from the experience?

It was tough. That was my first proper injury that I've had throughout my footy career. So I was out for three months, which is nothing compared to an ACL injury, or something like that. So it was different experience for me. I thought it was going to be pretty cool, having time off footy, but it was actually frustrating mentally, especially a month into my rehab. When I got the cast off, I was walking fine and all I wanted to do was get back on the footy field, because I thought I was sweet. But just having that awareness and discipline to keep up your rehab, especially when you go home, you got to do all those little exercises, just to get you on the front foot, which is something that I hadn't had to do yet.

Even keeping up with my injury prevention, I would say doing the exercises today just helps keep me from getting injured again. And it was something that I enjoyed. It was good process, just to learn and do something else that was pretty tough.

This is Red Rugby Rules, so I’d love to ask about the 2024 Super Rugby season. How do you feel like the team progressed? Also, how are you feeling about how things are tracking leading to next year?

I think we started off well. We played the Tahs round one, beat them, then went down to magic round in Melbourne and just lost to the Hurricanes in the extra time. Then we came back to Suncorp and played the Chiefs and we ended up winning. So it was a bit of a good start for us, to be able to go toe to toe with the Kiwi teams. But then we sort of hit a flat patch in the middle of the season. We had three losses, one to Moana, the Brumbies and Force, on the trot, which wasn't the best. And then we ended up going into our buy round, which I think was a big refresher for the boys, because we came back and we had three Kiwi teams. So we had the Highlanders, which was a good game at Suncorp, where I think it was 31 - nil. Then we just lost to the Blues the following week, when they scored on full time…

And then we went over to the ‘Saders and beat them over in Christchurch. That was probably one of the best feelings I've had since the Super Rugby AU final in 2021! It was pretty cool. But then to make the quarterfinals and lose to the Chiefs for the second year in a row, that was pretty tough… just the way we played in that first half and getting a hiding like that in the quarter final, we know we're so much better and I think that's brought us in good stead for the 2025 season. We just need to keep at it, especially in the quarter finals, when the pressures on. But I know the boys and Kiss and the coaches are super excited. We're getting a lot of new boys coming from the Rebels and so I think next year will be awesome.

Obviously the 2021 Super Rugby final was a great experience for all of us Reds fans. What were your highlights from that experience?

I think the crowd was a big part of the environment. I think there were 42,000 people at the game and I was a just young 18-19, year old. Playing in front of a crowd like that, those are things that you dream of and to get the win in the fashion that we did, with O'Connor scoring that last try on the final play, you dream of those moments, winning on the final play and the celebrations afterwards. I remember that like it was yesterday, especially that feeling. There's not many times where you get to replicate that feeling outside of footy. So it was awesome.

I love hearing about people's rugby journeys. How old were you when you first started playing and what inspired you to play?

Well, I was one of those kids that always had a ball in my hand. I was real energetic - I couldn't keep still. And my dad, he always watched the footy, so I must have gravitated towards rugby. I started footy when I was four or five, at the Springfield Hawks and I've just been playing ever since then. I went to school at Ipswich Grammar in grade eight, I moved there through a scholarship and that opened my pathway to the Reds. If I’d stayed at the school I was at previously, which was Springfield Anglican, they were in the second division. They weren't in the GPS system, which is “div one” and playing at IGS, just opened so many doors. It got me into the Reds pathway. And then I was just lucky enough to make the Academy. Then I had one year in Academy with the Reds and then I was In the top squad in 2021, which was my first season.

What are your goals for the future, both in rugby, and also personally?

For rugby, definitely, I have a the biggest belief that the boys here and the team that we have, the coaches that we have, can win the championship. Although, I feel like you wouldn't show up if you didn't believe that. That’s probably my number one goal for rugby. And personally… It's probably just to be more present or more, yeah, more happy, I guess. I feel like footy can be a stressful time sometimes, especially with the pressure and the outside noise. So it's good that I have a sports psychologist, where I can just talk to her through things and just get stuff off my chest. That's probably one personal goal, just to stay present.

What's your favourite post game feed? 

There's a Maccas that’s right up the road from my house. So I stop there on the way home and I love that. That's the truth. So my go to meal is, 24 nuggets and a large Quarter Pounder meal with large fries and just a water. That's pretty much it. I'm real basic.

Thanks Kalani for making time. I’m cheering you and all the team on into 2025. Keep training hard, I’m with you all the way!

Sweet brother, all good. Thank you!

Can You Even Lift Bro? A Conversation with Massimo De Lutiis

Today, I had a great chat with Queensland Prop Massimo De Lutiis. (He has an Italian name by the way!) In between his field and gym training, we had a catch up about his rugby journey, his experiences with the Reds so far as well as his approach to training during his rehab journey this year.

Massimo’s season Super Rugby with the Reds this year was cut short when he suffered a serious quad injury, but he turned it into a positive by working on what he could during his downtime. Soon after recovering, he broke the teams bench press record! (Check out a video of that lift here.) During his games against the Wildknights and the international fixtures against Wales and Tonga, Massimo has shown he is a player to watch next year and beyond!

I hope you enjoy reading our conversation as much as I enjoyed having it!

Hey Massimo, thanks for taking time to catch up in the middle of a busy training schedule.

No worries, it’s good meeting you.

Do people call you Mass?

Yeah, all the boys call me Mass. Obviously it’s short for Massimo, but sort of has that double meaning, I like it, it's pretty good.

How's all the running going during preseason?

Yeah, coming back from that quad injury definitely was tough, especially with all the running, but I think the heat at the moment is what's getting the big boys tired quicker. But that's really good, I think that's obviously what the preseason's for, earning that fitness and obviously we’ll just keep on running, just getting the k’s in the legs.

What do you love the most about playing for the Queensland Reds?

I just love the culture here. All the boys are so inclusive and I think just the crowd as well, they're really supportive. All the staff here really know their stuff, they’re really knowledgeable and they’re just great at coaching.

Can you tell us about your rugby journey? How old were you when you started playing and what inspired you to play?

Yeah, it's a pretty good story actually.

I started in grade six and started in the D team. And to be fair, I did want to quit. I was really upset. I was like, “I’m not good at this”. I was, like, a terrible player and I wasn't a very sporty kid at all. I was very closed in, on my own all the time. I wasn't, like, any bit athletic. But yeah, after my first training, I got put in the D's, I went home and I was like, "Dad, I want to quit, I don't do this anymore". But he said, "just keep pushing through... just don't stop". "Just keep doing no matter what team, you just keep going". And so I slowly made my way up through the ranks for the year. The next year, I was in the C team, then the B team and then the A's and then the First XV. And I remember that year I wanted to make that team, I locked myself in the basement, put my moved my bed, spent all my money a gym set, worked out, like, every day, I didn't see any friends or anything. And then I shot up in size and got a little bit more athletic and thenI made the First XV that year. And I thought to myself, that really just shows, no matter what you work at, you can get there. After that, I made the development teams and then Aussie under 20s and then this, then Aussie A's. Considering where I came from, it was just crazy.

What's your favourite post game meal?

Wow, that's tough. I love sushi, but if I'm really like hanging for a feed, it's probably either pizza or like a mixed kebab snack pack I reckon, with chips and all that. I love that, probably mixed snack pack a little more. They're good. 

You suffered a pretty major injury earlier this year. What was your approach during rehab?

Yeah, well, I had obviously had that quad injury. I think, I talked to Hayley [the team sports psychologist] and she really helped me out. I feel like looking back, I probably could have gotten more ahead and thought “what's the next job now”? It took me a while, one or two weeks, to be like, “oh, this actually has happened”. I was really a bit down in the dumps for a little while, but yeah, all the boys got around me and so then I started to focus on what's next, get my core stronger, or like that bench press.

That's pretty much the outcome of what that injury did. I did, bench like, four times a week and got that little goal for myself.

You've been overseas to play with the Reds, in both Japan and Tonga. What was your favourite travelling experience?

Tonga was good, I really loved it. I really enjoyed the weather there was really nice. But I'm gonna say Japan came out on top just… All the crowds, they're especially interactive. They just do stuff really different over there. Everything's like, really convenient and rugby-wise, they're really big on rugby over there. So is Tonga as well. But yeah, I really enjoyed Japan.

Thanks for taking time to catch up. There's lots happening and cheering you on all the way through to the 2025 season.

Love that. That was good. Good we could do this, thanks Tom.