Catching up with QLD Red and Country Lock Angus Blyth

The NRC season is full swing!

Last Sunday last week was an awesome day of rugby. I travelled down to Bond Uni to watch two games in a row. Brisbane City took out Sydney and right after that, our Queensland Country team beat the Canberra Vikings! It’s the first time I’ve ever witnessed two back to back NRC games live and to watch both of our teams win was even more special.

While preparing for next weekends game against Sydney, I caught up with Angus Blyth, a QLD Red and Country lock.

I’m also bringing back a new segment this week - see below for my “Rugby Rules” section that Angus helped me out with. This is for rugby fans who are still learning the finer points of the game.

Enjoy!

Hey Angus, thanks for taking the time to catch up.

[Angus:] No worries!

Congrats to you and the Country boys for a great win last weekend! I loved being there to watch it.

Yeah thanks. It’s pretty awesome, having our first win! Bit of a shaky start against Perth the week before, so we were happy to beat Canberra. 

Are you looking forward to playing in Sydney this coming weekend? (Sorry I can’t make it to that one…)

(Laughs.) That’s alright. I am looking forward to playing another away game! I think as a Country team, we almost play better away. We have a better schedule, everything timed for us, that sort of thing. We need to watch them and take them seriously… Hopefully we’ll be fine-tuning our defence and our attacking structures, it’ll be a good challenge.

One of the things I love asking people about is their rugby journey. How did you start playing the game?

So I grew up in a place called Kingscliff, which is in Northern New South Wales. That’s where I went to school up until year 10. I just played in a local rugby competition, pretty much lost every game through out the season. Luckily enough, I got offered a place at TSS, a Southport school in the Gold Coast. It’s a big rugby school down there. I went there after year 10 and played in the First XV for two years.

After that, I was lucky to get a development contract after school and came through the 20s program.. then NRC.. then I was lucky to get my first game with the Reds last year and I played another eight games this year.

What do you love most about being based here at Ballymore and playing for Queensland?

Admiring a painting in the hallway, a tribute to the 2011
Championship winning Reds

Being here at Ballymore, it’s such an old place, there’s a lot of history here, looking at the paintings and cool photos and stuff of the winning teams, the greats… And it’s close to home, only an hour and a half away. I’m also studying down at Bond, I got the rugby scholarship down there, it’s easy to drive down when I’m free and do my one class a week for that semester.

I just love the Queensland whether, it’s nice and warm, it’s never really rainy or cold like Canberra - it’s only an hour or so down to the beach, you can go there for a swim or a surf… I love Queensland, it’s home.

How good is it having your brother Wilson around, as a part of the Reds development squad?

Yeah I’m pretty excited about that, he’s pretty excited as well. Me and my brother are really close, we get along really well. He always tries to one up me, everything he does (laughs), so he’s always trying to beat me in something. So once he gets here and starts training and eventually training full-time with me up in the main squad, he’ll be really competitive. It’ll be good to have him here, we can always move in together and do the same thing as the Smith brothers. I’m really looking forward to him coming along.

What are your thoughts on next years Reds season and with that, what would your message be to Reds supporters coming into next year?

Could the current Reds players be future champions?

I’m really looking forward to next season. A lot of the young guys coming through the main squad, like Isaac Lucas, Harry Wilson and Fraser, they’re all playing well. It’s gonna be another big year. We’ve been saying we’re a young side for a few years now so now that everyones come through the ageing process.. the bleeding process, to Super Rugby, we should get some results. This year, we fell short by one try for a one try or something for a few games, you know, that Chiefs game where we were edging within seconds and meters… we could have won that game. I think that added experience of an extra year will help us get over that winning line. And for the supporters, keep hanging around, I’m sure there’s good things coming in the future here at Ballymore.

Angus, thank you very much for your time, all the best for the rest of the NRC season, I’m supporting you all the way.

Awesome. Not a problem Tommy. Thanks for interviewing me, it’s been awesome.

Rugby Rules

This is a new segment, where I ask a player to explain a rule, or an aspect of the game. Today, I asked Angus to explain scrums to fans, like my mum, who don’t understand all of the rules of the game. Enjoy…

Angus Blythe on Scrums

A scrum happens when a person drops the ball forward… Instead of just handing it over, they pack a scrum to contest the possession change. Whoever knocks it on, the other person has the feed and they put the ball in to the middle of the scrum. So it’s 8 players, or the forwards, (numbers 1-8). The front row are the fat guys, or another word would be strong (laughs) or massive. But the short, strong guys (numbers 1-3), they’re the wall at the front, they cop all the force. The second row is the tallest players on the field (4-5), almost all of the time. They provide most of the power. And then you have the back row, which is 6, 7 and 8, also called the flankers. Their job is to stabilise the scrum and release the ball out the back and make the first tackle in defence.

Basically, 8 guys push alongside the other 8 guys, if you have the “feed” you have the advantage. There’s a lot of different rules about collapsing, and binding early, which is a whole other episode (laughs). But basically, whoever has the dominance in the scrum gets a penalty if it collapses.

A while ago, it used to be pretty messy and 8 guys would almost run into each other… but now it’s a lot safer, to stop people getting injured in their necks and backs and stuff… the ref calls “crouch, bind, set” and it’s a lot safer now. Basically, the scrum gives the backs more space to do their thing. There’s less defenders and gaps to play into.

I enjoy scrums - it’s a hard position being a second rower, having your head between two front rowers… It’s a lot of hard work, but it pays off when you get a dominant scrum.

Do you expect to have the dominant scrum this weekend?

[Angus:] We should do.

Tune in to watch Queensland Country play Sydney on Saturday at 12pm.

After that, Brisbane City play Canberra (also away) at 2pm! Free to watch at www.rugby.com.au!!

Captain Fraser McCreight and Brandon Paenga-Amosa: Ready to Attack

Brandon (old photo) before he cut his hair...

NRC is off already and our two teams (Brisbane City and Queensland Country) have both had close games in week 1. As we get to week 2… people keep asking which team I support, Country or City. As a Reds blogger, I am supporting the teams that come out of Queensland. :-D

Brisbane City's Ready to Attack

This week, I’m focusing on Brisbane City and am grateful to both Fraser and Brandon for answering some of my questions for them!

Last year, I caught up with Fraser about his rugby journey (click here to catch up and read it) and earlier this year about the Wallabies Under-20 World Cup campaign. Here I asked him a few questions from his perspective as City Captain!

I also caught up with Brandon (you can call him B… or BPA, if you like) about his journey since our last catch-up when he was brand new to Queensland. I also asked him what he thought of the new rules that are being trialed in the NRC. Enjoy!

Fraser (another old photo) during his first NRC season last year

Catching up with Brisbane City Captain - Fraser McCreight

You came off towards the end of the game on Sunday. What was your injury and are you ok?

Yeah, I just got hit on the hip and was just a cork... it was so painful! (Laughs.) But it’s good now and can’t wait to rip in for a bit more game time this weekend.

How did you find captaining your first seniors game?

It was an unreal experience. It was a different game than usual, as Fiji play with such freedom and there isn’t much time to speak to the ref. So you just have to try and do the best you can when you get the chance.

As expected, the Fijian attack was good. Is defence something you’re looking to improve after your first game?

Our defence we thought was very good. Especially our scramble D (defence). Obviously we can improve, but our focus this week was more about our attack and capitalising once we have gone into our green zone, something we failed to do against Fiji. 

What are you looking forward to most about the NRC season?

I’m looking forward to the annual derby clash between Country and City . I haven’t played that game really and now I know a lot more boys because of the Reds and I can’t wait to match up against some of my good Brothers [club] mates. It’s going to be a good night in Gladstone as well!

Will these Under-20s Wallabies friendships be in jeopardy during the NRC?

Brandon Paenga-Amosa tells Brisbane City and Queensland Fans to Get Ready

Hey B, Great to catch up again. Thanks for making time for our second Reds Rugby Rules interview!

That’s all good bro. It’s a pleasure. You’re a legend, all the boys and even the girls love hanging around you. It’s an honour to be interviewed by you.

It’s week 2 of the NRC already! How are you feeling?

Yeah, I’m feeling really good. It’s good I get a break this week, I wasn’t named in the 23. But I know the boys are gonna do the job. Last week was amazing to be a part of, the boys really turned up. I feel like we got the victory, but in the end rugby’s rugby.

I’m really enjoying the comp so far, the boys are awesome, especially the City boys. Such a good vibe.

Big weekend for City AND Queensland Country fans coming up! What’s one thing your team is focusing on ahead of the game against Sydney!

Yeah, good question bro. So this week, I guess for us as City, we pride ourselves on our physicality… Queensland does in general. You know, running hard, putting big shots on and being very physical when it comes to the scrum, line-outs and mauls etcetera. So that’s one area we definitely want to focus on. I know us and Country will be bringing that.

I love how the NRC is also a testing ground for the Reds season next year. I know your focused on this week, but are you looking forward to next years Reds season?

Yeah definitely. I actually can’t wait. It’s gonna be a good season for us. We’ve been talking about a young squad and developing, but I think next years gonna be a year when we start delivering. A lot of the young boys in the squad are starting to step up and I actually cannot wait to see that. To see what we’ve been working hard for. Not every games gonna be perfect, but I know that we will get results next year.

What do you think of the new rules being trialed for NRC? And do you think they’ll affect you much in your position?

With the scrum rule… I love being able to put my head onto the other hookers shoulder and use that to help my props win the bind. Definitely it helps me a lot and us hookers are still trying to find a way to help our props when it comes to binding on to the other pack… we’re not used to it, but the rules to rugby are always changing so we’ve just gotta adapt. 

In terms of the other rules - the 50:22, honestly, I really do like that. It doesn’t affect me, it’s more for the wingers and the fullbacks to worry about. Obviously, when I’m out there and my lungs are dying, it sucks (laughs) but in terms of watching it, I definitely agree it will speed the game up. I know our kickers will get better and start getting those, so that we can get attacking line-outs going towards our try-line.

What do you enjoy the most about playing as hooker?

I haven’t been in the position for a very long time. One thing I hated about being a hooker, I hated scrummaging, this is when I was down in Sydney… I hated getting cauliflower ears… I also hated that I had to throw because I sucked at throwing.. I still stuck a bit at throwing now, I’m still learning. But I think, being up in Queensland, it’s changed my perspective my whole perspective on things. Here at the Reds, we pride ourselves on our scrum and I’ve fallen in love with scrummaging. 

Obviously sometimes I wish I could be standing out wide, chucking chips over the top, catching it and scoring tries, or putting grubbers through for myself.. Or kicking the winning field goals… but I guess God had a different plan for me (laughs). I’m unlucky with my genetics. Nah, I love playing hooker.

Brandon with some of his team-mates

I’ve seen you practice your throwing quite a few times, I don’t think you suck at throwing… What’s been the highlight of your last 2 seasons with the Reds?

A big highlight for me was actually playing for the Reds, my debut down in Melbourne against the Rebels. That was probably the biggest for me. All the club players know it’s hard to crack Super. The amount of time we put in and still a lot of us fall short, it’s hard to crack it. So yeah, playing for the Reds was a dream come true for me, literally. Also, debuting for the Wallabies, I really enjoyed that, having my family there.

Honestly, I couldn’t put it down to one moment… but the biggest thing I love about rugby is how much we get to travel, how much of the world we get to see. We’ve travelled to Argentina, different parts of South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, for me going back, home and seeing all the fam in New Zealand was special.

And finally... what’s your message to Reds and Brisbane City fans, ahead of this Sunday’s game?

I guess the biggest message I could say is get ready, Brisbane City, Queensland, we’re about to tear it up. And that’s not just City, that’s Country as well.

Thanks BPA for your time. I’ll be watching this weekend!

Thank you, my brother. Thank you for actually spending time. Thank you for coming out and interviewing players, we love it, we love this stuff. We appreciate you and I’m speaking on behalf of all the players, the boys and the girls. We love you so much.

Brisbane City play against Sydney this Sunday at Bond University at 1pm.

We're ready!

QLD Country are playing the Canberra Vikings at 3pm at the same location!

Catching up with Queensland Country Captain Angus Scott-Young

Angus Scott-Young has been putting in the hard yards with the Reds and in the NRC with Queensland Country for a few years now. I’d been keen to catch up with him for some time and was glad we were able to sit down and catch up. Since we organised our interview, it was announced that he was chosen as Captain of this years QLD Country squad!

Congrats to Angus and also to everyone else that was selected to be a part of both the Queensland Country and the Brisbane City squads!! I’m looking forward to an exciting season.

[NRC update: Brisbane City have their first local game this Saturday at 3pm, down at GPS in Ashgrove. Our Country side are playing over in Perth, but you can watch that game and all other games live for free, at www.rugby.com.au.)

I hope you enjoy reading my conversation with Angus!

Hey Angus, thanks for taking time to sit down and chat. First of all, congrats to you and the UQ squad on your premiership win this year. No doubt you will be hungry for more success with Queensland Country.

Yeah of course. It’s pretty cool winning with Uni. I remember watching them throughout the season, they were like 7th or 8th, I think at one point. I was obviously off with the Reds… I was pretty keen to get back and play. I had a few health concerns, I don’t know if you know, I was in hospital for a couple of days. I had a bit of pneumonia which isn’t the best thing to have. I was in hospital for the Easts game, I was watching and cheering in my bed… then I got out 2 days before the Uni-Jeeps game and I was running waters. I wasn’t the best water runner cos I was kind of struggling to breath (laughs). But I got a bit better during the week and got 20 minutes at the back end of the final.. but it was awesome to win. But yeah like you said with the NRC… coming second last year doesn’t really sit well with me, so hopefully we can do one better this year.

We planned to catch up last week and so it was cool to hear, just a few days ago that you were given the captaincy. How are you feeling about that?

Yeah it’s pretty cool. I’ve played with Country for four years now and I was always the young guy that followed the orders, now I guess it’s a bit of a different challenge to be the guy telling everyone else what to do. I’m still kind of finding my feet because I was a captain of under-12s, that was probably the last time. Ever since then, I’ve just been doing my job. But it’s a good group of guys, they make it pretty easy. So hopefully we can get some good performances out there. 

What does the NRC mean to you and your teammates, especially in the lead up to the Reds season next year?

Yeah. For me, I’ve always seen NRC as a place to test yourself in a different sort of arena. Cos with Super, you get pretty nervous when you’re out there and as a young guy, I was pretty focused on just doing my job, I wasn’t as focused on expansive game playing and pushing my skills and that sort of stuff.

NRC is a place to develop those skills. And relating to the previous question… Hopefully I can develop my leadership skills and that can shine through to the Reds season and I can take more initiative in that sort of arena.

I’m looking forward to getting my Reds membership for next season. In the mean time, I’m excited about the NRC games, especially the local ones we will see this year.

Yeah, we’ve got a few. Next weekend is the double header down at Bond [Sunday 8th September]. Have you heard about that one?

City will play first [at 1pm] and we’re playing second [at 3pm]. How good will that be? A big day in the sun… I’m excited for that one.

Me too! I hope you don’t mind if we talk about your rugby journey.

Yeah of course, all good.

What was it like watching your dad play for the Reds and for the Wallabies while you were growing up?

So my Dad’s career was more in his prime in the early 90s and I was born in ’97. So his career was sort of coming to an end when I was born. Obviously, growing up I watched a lot of his games when I was younger though.

One of the ones I remember quite profoundly was when I was around 8 or 10 years old and he was going on an Ex-Wallabies legends tour and they played against the South African Barbarians team or something, over in Durban. So I went over with my family and my brother and I were ball-boys which was pretty cool. That was my earliest memory of being actively involved.

How old were you when you played your first game?

I actually used to play soccer when I was young ‘cause Mum thought it would be good to keep the foot skills up. I was probably 6 when I started soccer. My first footy game, I was probably at 8, down at Brothers, right near my house. It was still touch back then. I think my first game of tackle was under-9. That’s when I started to really enjoy it, ‘cause I was pretty much bigger than everyone else. So I was a pretty good player, everyone would just give me the ball and I’d run through some people.

What clubs did you play for before you came to UQ?

Yeah, I played at Brothers for probably 4 years. Then I moved across to Easts, because all my school mates were at the Eastside, I went to Churchie eventually. Then I stopped playing club to focus on school footy. Then getting out of school, I started down at UQ. I started studying there, I got a scholarship, so I was just started doing everything over there.

Are you excited about the rule changes coming up? Also, in particular... can you talk about the 50:22 rule? (Some of my readers, like my Mum, are clueless about rugby, so feel free to start from the beginning.)

Yeah it’s pretty cool, the new rules. The 50:22… Apparently, if you’re behind the 50 meter line and you kick it out, you get the line-out. It’s gotta bounce, but if it goes out inside the other 22… you get to throw it in. And the same with the opposite - if you’re inside the 22 and if you kick it out past the 50 meter line, you get the throw as well. It’s pretty cool… changes the game up a bit. Apparently it will impact the game by making more free-flowing footy because they’ll have one more person back to cover the kick. So that will affect the defensive structures of teams.

And also, if you’re held up over the line when trying to score, it’s a drop-out, instead of a 5 meter scrum, which I think’s pretty good. ‘Cause there’s a lot of time when they just keep getting held up, keep scrummaging, keep getting held up and it’s like you’re defending all day. Drop-outs are pretty cool, it reminds me a bit of League, which could be pretty fun.

With the 50-22 - if a team masters that and does it really well, I can see that being a massive weapon.

Thanks for that. I think the NRC is going to be fun, especially with these new rules being trialed.

Yeah, it will be exciting and makes it fresh again!

Thanks Angus for taking time to chat today! All the best over in Perth, this weekend. I’ll be watching online!

Perfect. Thanks very much. Thanks for having a chat with me!

Catching up with the Brother: Harry Wilson (Club Finals Week Interview)

In case you’ve been living under a rock in Queensland rugby land… this weekend is the Premier grade club final. This Sunday afternoon, I’ll be at Ballymore stadium watching Brothers go head to head against arch-rival UQ, (or “Uni” as we normally call them.)

It’s gonna be a big game. There are Reds players on both sides, so it’s set to be an exciting one. In the lead-up, I paid a visit to one of the clubs and Harry Wilson of Brothers was nice enough to sit down for an interview! I did ask him about next years Super Rugby season and the NRC. But overall... this is the week to find out who will hold the hospital cup on Sunday night! All the best to both teams!

Hey Harry, thanks for coming in early and making time to catch up. First of all, congrats to you and the whole team for making the finals this weekend. 

Thank you for having me here. I’ve been looking forward to this. Yeah, it’s awesome for the team going so far and being selected for the Prem-grade final. It’s a huge honour playing in the hospital cup final and hopefully we get the win

How excited are you and the team?

I think only three boys in our team have ever been in a Hospital Cup final. Yeah, there’s been a big turnover since 2016. I can’t really say how excited we are. For a fair few boys, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be in this type of thing. Obviously, you hope to be in a few, but you never know with your footy career…

There’s so much history behind Brothers too. You kind of feel that a Premiership at Brothers means a lot more than just for a playing group - it’s for the Old Boys, for the young kids, your playing for the whole club rather than just yourselves.

What’s one or two things your team will have to do to beat Uni on Sunday?

Well, I think we’re a very good attacking team, so we can score a lot of points. So I think our defence will be our main focus. I know Tate McDermott, he’s the Reds number 9, he’s very quick and “steppy” so if we can shut him down in front of the ruck, we’ll shut down a lot of their front-foot ball and also the other one’s probably Jock Cambell. That’s probably their two big threats.

On the kick returns, hopefully we can have a straight line, not let them through and I’m sure that if we can shut down those two players and we’ll go a long way to shutting down their team.  Obviously the forwards… we’ll have to step up and “equal” their forward pack. There’s a few Reds representatives in there as well.

Have you been thinking about next season with the Reds?

Yeah definitely. That’s kind of in the back of your mind. You try not to think about it, but it’s hard not to, when every day you’re preparing for the final and NRC, but the big goal at the end is I guess to play for the Reds next year and have a very successfully season with the Reds. So hopefully a win this weekend and a good season with NRC and I guess [Brisbane] City too, will give the Reds a lot of confidence for next season.

Will you be playing again for Country next season?

Yeah. Of course… Yeah. The better results for Queensland Rugby, the better it is for everyone…

But when it’s Country versus City in the NRC…

Oh, I hate them that week. (Laughs). It’s like at the moment at Ballymore, with Tate, Jock, Hockings and Korczyk, getting away from them because it’s Brothers vs UQ. You’re not gonna be mates this week.

With Fraser McCreight and Harry right before training

What are you looking forward to most about NRC?

I guess it’s kind of a level up of club footy, so I guess it’s a chance to prove yourself at that level… last year I got to play a fair bit of it, but I didn’t get to start much, so hopefully this year I’ll get to start at number 8 and show my ability to everyone. Obviously you get to play with a lot of Reds players and try and build some combinations. Just another chance to get better at footy leading into pre-season with the Reds and next years season.

And then next year, you’ll want to do Scott Higgenbotham proud?

Yeah definitely. Obviously it’s known that I kind of want to take his spot and I guess he’s always been one of my favourite players growing up, so I guess to try and play like him and have as much impact as he had on the Reds would be great, but yeah probably need to just focus on getting there first and if I get the opportunity to try and be in his spot, that would be awesome.

Well I’m cheering you on. I think you’ve got all the potential you need to do that.

Cheers Tommy.

How long have you played for Brothers rugby club?

I moved to Brisbane from Gunnedah [in New South Wales] when I was 10. So my first year at Brothers was Under-11s. So I’ve played all through Juniors here and then my first year of Seniors was last year. So I probably would have been here about 10 years altogether.

What do you love most about playing for Brothers?

I guess it’s probably not as much pressure as other footy. It’s more.. get down here, play with your mates and have fun. Some people don’t really enjoy going out with their club, it’s a bit of a chore. I know with Brothers, it’s something I find so special. I know with Fraser. myself, every time we get to a chance to play for Brothers, we make the most of it. You play with some of your best mates you went to school with and everyone stays around and has a few beers together which is awesome. That’s probably one of the best things about club footy.

Who’s the biggest joker on your team?

That’s a good one. Since it’s club footy, we’ve got a few jokers. But definitely Ryan Smith, he’s a big tall second rower. He makes training quite fun, especially in line-outs when it’s just forwards together, he likes any chance to muck around, he’ll take the opportunity and give us a good laugh.

Thanks for your time Harry. I’m looking forward to seeing both teams on Sunday and watching a great game!

Cheers Tommy. Enjoyed it a lot too.

Brothers go head to head against UQ this Sunday, 3:05pm at Ballymore Stadium.

It's Club Finals Time! Ruan Smith and GPS are Rearing to Go

With another exciting round of club finals coming up, I decided to head down to GPS Rugby Club in Ashgrove, ahead of their Premier grade knock-out game against Uni this weekend. (If you're interested in looking at my Jeeps club profile, from this time last year, click here.)

They went down to Brothers last week, but they have another chance at making the finals, this Sunday (11th August)… and the winner of that game will progress to the finals the week after, against Brothers! 

To mark the occasion, I wanted to try and catch up with GPS and Reds prop, Ruan Smith. Thanks Ruan for making some time, especially when you had a long drive back to the Sunny Coast ahead of you!

Hi Ruan,

How did training go with GPS tonight?

It went well Tommy, it went smooth. A lot of mistakes, we’ve been working on a few things, coming to this weekend, we want to change… but that’s why we’ve trained so we can fix the mistakes. We’ve got another run tomorrow night and we’ll smooth it out from there.

It’s do or die against Uni this weekend. What’s the mindset of the team this week?

Exactly that - I know it’s an old cliche… but we did there same last year, lost our first game and had to beat Uni again, so it’s the same team again. Whoever wants it more, like the old cliche goes. Hopefully Jeeps aye!

How’s JP at the moment?

JP had surgery on Tuesday morning. He’ll be out a few months. He had a tear in his knee tendon. So what they did is they went and cut it and had to let it bleed and heal properly. So he’ll be out for a while. But he’s recovering, hopefully good. He’s doing nothing... Eating, growing fat.

You’ve been back in Queensland now for around 2 seasons. What’s been your highlight, playing rugby here so far?

Mate, my highlight is just being back at my club, where it all began in 2011. This is the club that gave us the opportunity, this is where it all happened. So that’s my highlight, being back here at Jeeps.

You must be proud of the GPS boys season so far...

Oh, for sure. But all the hard work has to reflect in the next two games. If we don’t win anything, it doesn’t mean much does it. I’m proud of them doing well and I’m excited to be part of it now.

Are you looking forward to NRC starting back up?

I am mate, I am. I think the City team this year will be a lot of fun. Instead of focusing on being too professional and having a bit more fun and enjoying it.

Thanks for giving so much back to club rugby. I’m still very glad you and your brother are playing here in Queensland.

Awesome Tom. Always good to see you and always a pleasure my friend. Are you coming this weekend?

I’ll be there! [Sidenote once again for readers: Ballymore Stadium Sunday, August 11th, 3:05pm]

Perfect we’ll see you then. And hopefully in 2 weeks, you’ll get a picture with the trophy.

🙂

Alright, I’ve got to run back to the Coast to take care of JP, because he can’t do anything…

No problem. See you on Sunday at Ballymore!

It was also great to run into Bryce Hegarty, who's also pumped for this weeks game!

Wise Words from a Playing and Coaching Legend: Michael Hayes

This week, I have a special treat for all my Reds Rugby Rules readers, a great interview with experienced player and coach Michael Hayes. I met Michael last year while he was coaching the Queensland Women’s Super W. (Since Super W began last year, it’s been awesome following and catching up with the QLD Women’s XV team and watching Australian women’s rugby take off.) Interviewing Michael last year didn’t quite work out and now, he finds himself at Norths, the club I wanted to visit and profile next!

So this week doubles as a look back at last years Super W season and Part 2 of my Norths Rugby Club interview series (click here for Part 1.) Michael’s enthusiasm and passion for rugby is extremely contagious - plus he shares lots of wisdom and knowledge here for all rugby players and coaches.

I hope you enjoy reading one of my best interviews yet!

Hi Michael, we didn’t get a chance to do an interview last year, so I’m glad it’s finally happened! Happy to be catching up with you at Norths!

Yeah, absolutely mate.

If it’s ok, I’d like to back-track a little bit, to the Super W season last year. What is your best memory from Queensland’s 2018 season?

Do you know what, I’ll tell you what, one of my most treasured memories was when they kicked the penalty goal (New South Wales) to win the game. And it was purely because, it was the end of what I thought was an outstanding rugby campaign, for women’s rugby. I sat there and I saw the ball go through the posts and I went: Well there you go. Fair enough… we’ve lost a titanic game of rugby where I thought we were probably the better team and yet these girls are probably going to celebrate with each other. There’s the “agony and the ecstasy” and 20 minutes later, they were holding each other and hugging each other and I thought to myself “that’s special.” That’s my most treasured memory. I let out a big sigh and thought “that’s the end of a magnificent campaign.”

That’s an interesting answer. Especially for someone who’s cousin is Grace. [New South Wales captain.]

That’s right. Yeah I know Gracie really well. She’s at Scotts [College] and I was down there a couple of times last holidays because I did some stuff at Scott’s college - leadership stuff… and I had a great chance to catch up with Gracie then too.

She’ll be one of my interviewees for this blog soon!

Is she? Well, you give her my regards.

I’ve loved supporting the Women in the Super W campaigns. Travelling down for the final was fun, tough way to end though. Thanks for your role in the campaign!!

(Laughs) Do you know what? We loved having you as a part of the campaign too. It was able to put women’s rugby on another platform. It’s a really great step, the way we can promote the Queensland women and just women’s rugby in general.

As a result, you can see what the IRB’s done, they’re really getting behind women’s rugby, enormously. It’s got a huge platform now. So to have yourself as a part of getting women on that stage, it was wonderful as well mate.

Some of the women's team at Norths. A couple of them were injured,
but still showed up at training to support

And how did I feel about the loss? It’s just a game of sport at the end of the day. And with it, comes the agony and the ecstasy… and the lessons you learn from that are great character lessons that hold you in good stead, for life.

Queensland’s women’s rugby has benefitted from your 35 years of coaching experience. What brought you to Norths?

Mate, that’s very very kind of you to say that. What brought me to North was an opportunity to teach some girls, who’ve never picked up a ball in their life the opportunity to enjoy what I enjoy about rugby. Camaraderie, becoming part of a team, working collectively and giving the girls an opportunity to enjoy the social aspect of rugby too. Cos it’s such a great family. Kids, adults, men, women, it doesn’t matter, rivalries… we’re just a part of this huge international family, which I love with a passion, because mate… I’ve played overseas, my eldest sons about to go and play overseas… and if you’ve got a pair of boots, it’s a passport to the world, rugby. You can go anywhere mate, that’s the beauty of it. So you know what? It’s just another chance to give back, that’s why I took up the job at North.

What do you love the most about this great club?

I’m sort of only involved with the women. But it’s the fact that it’s given these girls a family outside there own families. There’s young girls, 17, 18, 35 year old women here and one of my gracious experiences from coaching at Super W was seeing the love for the game, amongst women. And I see the same thing here at Norths. So, it just gives them an extended family. That’s the beauty of seeing the girls as a part of Norths. 

I’d love to hear about your rugby journey. When did you start playing the game? Also, what led you to start coaching when you were 20 years of age?

Geez mate, you’ve done your homework! You are brilliant.

I grew up in rural New South Wales. My Dad was a rugby player, but we didn’t have rugby in our town… a little town called Crookwell and Goulburn was the nearest town. I was seven years old and my Dad said, “do you want to go and play rugby?” He said “I won’t even buy you a pair of boots, but you can play your first game in your riding boots - your RMs” (which are 3 sizes two big) and he said “if you like it, I’ll buy you a pair of boots”. So we drove from Crookwell to Goulburn. I played for Goulburn Norths, my very first team and I loved it.

My rugby journey… it’s amazing, on Facebook at the moment there’s this “10 photo” thing going and the photos I’m seeing come up are incredible. I was thinking “how am I gonna find 10 photos?” But the ones that people have sent me… I’ve played in Dublin, Argentina, in New South Wales Country, I’ve played in Brisbane, Sydney, I’ve toured New Zealand, I’ve played in Fiji…

To me, my rugby journey has been one of following a game that, like I said with the girls, has given me an extended family and I love what this game can do. I think it’s one of the greatest character builders available, for young boys and girls.

Michael coaching his squad at Norths Rugby Club, Wooloowin

In todays society, we lack this capacity to have a rite of passage and rugby gives kids a rite of passage. Because it’s one of the few games where, you’re gonna feel discomfort, you’re gonna feel pain, you’re gonna get hurt, but you know what, you’re doing it for 14 other people. And they’re doing the same for you. Now that’s a pretty special thing. If you’re prepared to put yourself in that position, to allow 14 other people in a game of sport, that’ll do it for me.

That’s what rugby does and I say that to a lot of other kids too. It’s one of the few sports where you can tackle someone that doesn’t have the ball, you can present and exert yourself in a way that young boys are struggling with these days. There’s not really an opportunity to be masculine anymore and rugby can do that for you. For women, it has that same quality where you can be part of a team whereby your sacrificing, sometimes your own well-being to allow people to have a game of sport. That’s why I love rugby.

It’s a fantastic rite of passage for young people, but also it’s so unbelievably character building. I love rugby.

And you know what? To me, sitting with you, is a humbling experience. Because, you’re also passionate about the game. And that’s what inspires me mate.

Mate that’s awesome, great words. What advice would you give young players coming through the ranks, particularly to women?

Righto. My advice is this. Skills, skills, skills. And I’m reflecting upon my own journey. I was a country kid who always prided himself on his fitness, and you know, going to the gym. And I wish I spent more time, or as much time on the skill components, as I did in the gym. Because my boys who now play, have got more talent in their little finger, than I have.

As a Dad and a mentor to them, I would say to any aspiring rugby player now, I would say go and work on your skills because I see it’s an area that I feel is neglected these days.

And it’s fairly prolific when we see Wallabies and Super Rugby players unable to pass a certain side, or unable to chip kick… kicking’s a very important part of the game. Especially with this rushed defence. You’ve got to be able to put the ball in just behind. You know, strategic kicking…

So my advice is, go and work on your skills. The fitness will come, if you work on your skills, at high intensity, anyhow. The rest will follow.

Michael, thanks for your time, it’s been a pleasure.

Nah, it’s been my pleasure. Serendipity mate.

For more info on Norths Rugby Club, click here. And keep an ear out for Super W news as we get closer to 2020!

Club Rugby Rules! A Profile of the Great Norths Eagles

For all my first time readers, I'm glad you stopped by! This is where I cover all things Reds related. As every Queensland rugby fan should know, grassroots is where it's at!

Last week I had a lot of fun visiting Norths Rugby club and chatting to a number of the players and coaches. Located in Wooloowin, on Shaw Road, Norths is known as a great “family” club with a history that stretches back 90 years.

According to their website, their goal is to develop players and everyone involved in a “safe, challenging and enjoyable environment”. From my visits and conversations with players and coaches, it looks like they are achieving this!

I loved catching up with an old mate, Michael Hayes, (now the Eagles Women's XV coach) and Dane Zander, a talented up-and-coming prop, who is also the youngest player in the Premier squad! Dane's great interview is down below, and I'll post Michael's as "Part 2" next week!

Chatting to those guys and a bunch of other players and coaches, I got the impression that this really is a friendly, hard-working club. They are focused and yet as Hayesy puts it, a "family away from family". 

Enjoyed watching the mens Premier team train and meeting them afterwards

Watching the 3rd division mens team train (on the left) and the women's team (on the right)

Met some of the Women's Eagles players, after catching up with their coach Michael Hayes -
(his interview will be coming next week, you don't want to miss it!)

For my first Norths club interview, let's meet Dane Zander. A talented prop who is now the youngest player in the Norths Eagles Premier side! A nice, down to earth guy, I'm sure many people will enjoy meeting and perhaps even interviewing him in the future.

Hey Dane,

How are you feeling about your teams season so far?

Yeah, I’m feeling really good about the team. We’ve had a bit of a slow start to the season, but we’ve worked on a lot of things. We’ve had a few injuries as well, which has slowed us down a bit. But I feel like our teams looking really well coming into this weekend. I’m keen to rip in this weekend.

What was the focus of tonight’s training?

The focus of tonights training was getting all the little things right. We’ve been doing really well with our pick and drive, so with the forwards, we’ve been working really well on that. Kick-offs as well… we’ve been working hard on that too. Been looking good.

That’s the forwards. I don’t know what the backs have been doing. Passing the ball, doing nothing. (Laughs).

How does it feel being the youngest players in the squad?

It feels good. I get to learn off a lot of the older people that I’ve been playing with, like Jordan Tuapou - and Tonga Ma'afu’s been a really good help.

Being the youngest person’s good, because I get to take a lot of things in, learning from a lot of the guys with a lot experience. 

What do you love most about Norths rugby club?

The thing I love about Norths rugby club is it’s a big family club. Everyone’s welcome, there’s always an open door at Norths. It’s a fun club to be around, all the times of the year.

How long have you been playing Rugby Union?

I’ve been playing rugby union since I was probably 8 years old.. about 11 years.

What inspired you to play the game?

What inspired me to play the game was.. at school, one of my mates started playing the game and I just wanted to have a run around with them, meet knew people.. And yeah, blow some steam off in the weekend.

What’s your favourite thing about rugby?

My favourite things about rugby is playing with 15 of my mates every weekend and they’ll always have your back on the field.

How long have you played for Norths?

I’ve played at Norths since I was a Colt, so this’ll be my third or fourth year. I was at Albany Creek for my juniors, with all my mates and a few the guys I played with there have moved here.

Thanks for your time Dane. I’ll see you around, for sure.

No worries. It’s a pleasure talking Tom.

A few weeks back - I enjoyed watching a few teams from Norths play against Uni.
The third division team scored some great tries on their way to a win.

North's Women playing against the Uni Women's side

Sideline with some of the crew. Thanks for making sure I had a good spot to watch the game!

Hayesy. Make sure you check back next week for my great interview with this experienced player and coach.

Thanks to the Glen for arranging my visit and to Norths Rugby Club for having me!