Captains Run with Samu Kerevi

Queensland has started the year with a bang, so it's definitely about time Reds Rugby Rules kicked off for 2019! After a narrow loss to the Highlanders away in NZ and after watching the QLD Women's team throttle Melbourne 112-0, the season is off to a good start.

And who better to catch up with at the start of the year than Samu Kerevi. It'd been a while since I caught up with him officially for Reds Rugby Rules and he seemed comfortable in his new role as captain, but also humble and aware of the hard work that's ahead for him and the Reds. It was great hearing his thoughts on where his team's at, their gruelling pre-season training camp, as well as his family, faith and what drives him.

(By the way, make sure you check out my 2017 interview with him, to learn even more about the him.)

Hey Samu, awesome to see you and catch up again.

Thanks for having me.

I’m so pumped for the season ahead for the Reds. How are you feeling after your first game of Super Rugby for 2019, against the Highlanders?

Yeah, a little bit sore, always happens after the first game. But I’m really proud of the boys efforts, they played extremely well. We worked hard to get to the position we were in, but unfortunately we just missed out on key moments of the game and you can’t do that against a quality team like the Highlanders, they’ll make you pay. So hopefully we’ll make amends for it this weekend, the boys have been working extremely hard ahead of the next game.

What’s one word that sums up the training camp that you and the team went through during pre-season?

Ahh.. (Laughs). Extremely, extremely, tough. Both physically and mentally tough. But if I was to sum it up in one word, it would probably be hell.

By the way, I love the new maroon jersey. How did you feel when you wore the 2019 jersey for the first time?

I loved it as well. I think the maroon jersey is awesome for us, especially with the history it holds. It’s up to us to add to it and the legacy that Queensland has held for more than 100 years. I guess that’s the exciting part for the young men playing in the jersey now. We have a legacy to uphold and we want to put that pressure on ourselves to represent the people each weekend. I guess that’s the hardest part of it all. But again, we’re pretty blessed to be able to do what we do and go out and play footy which is the game we love and have played since we were little kids. For me personally, the maroon jersey, I never thought I’d wear it. So to be wearing it now, it’s very special and I hold it close to my heart.

Since our last official interview, you’ve bounced back from a major injury [torn bicep]. What’s something you learnt during your rehab that you’ve taken into the new season?

It was a massive challenge for me and I always looked at it as a blessing in disguise. For me, it’s just trusting God’s plan for me and especially in those times of need when you want to be out there playing on the field and you want to be fit… it gives you a backseat and a look into your life. You can put effort into other areas that you might have missed playing the game, you’re away from family a lot, so being able to put more time into family, into self-growth, and especially my relationship with God, it’s always important to me. Understanding that he’s given me a gift so being able to do that to the best of my ability was something I was able to think about.

I also thought about my families future. The thing with rugby, it’s not promised. So definitely living life to the fullest in that regard and putting my best effort into that, and obviously in rehab, working hard to be fit so I can play really well for Queensland and high honours if it comes.

How good was it putting on the green and gold last year after your recovery?

Yeah. It was a massive surprise to me. I didn’t think I’d return to the field in 2018 after that bicep tear, I thought I’d miss the whole season because of the recovery time I was given. But like I said before, part of God’s plan… I came back for that New Zealand game and was blessed to be selected and came back pretty fit thanks to the Reds and Brinley, I’ve been working hard with him. It’s always special putting on the green and gold, representing your country. Always an honour to put on that jersey.

You’ve come from Rookie through to Reds captain. What’s something that’s kept you in good stead over the years?

Um, I think my family have kept me on my feet… and kept me grounded and constantly reminding me to put my trust in God. It’s a massive part of my life and something that I haven’t alway gotten right, but I know he’s gotten me through a lot of tough times and a lot of good times as well. I’m blessed to be able to do this as a job. God’s blessed me with these talents. I’ve got to do well in everything I do. If it’s playing for the Queensland Reds, if it’s serving others through this jersey, I think that’s a massive part of staying humble. A lot of things can come through rugby. A lot of good things and a lot of bad things that the world will offer you but you gotta understand that you’re representing people, not just yourself. You’re representing your family, the Queensland people, my family back in Fiji, that’s what’s always in the back of my mind when I’m training.

When I’m training hard and it’s hurting, I know my "why" and that’s my faith, above all. And my family and all the people I represent with the jersey. That’s what’s kept me in stead since I was a rookie.

You can only go so far with talent, hard work is required. That’s something I learnt along the way and hopefully it’ll take me for years from here.

Thanks for making the time to catch up. Always a pleasure.

No thank you for having me, it’s always a pleasure to be interviewed by you brother. Hope to see you at the home games coming up!

2018 Wash-up with QRU President David Codey

This week I was fortunate enough to catch up with president of the Queensland Rugby Union, David Codey, a former Reds player and also Wallabies captain. We had a great chat about Queensland rugby and he also reluctantly answered some questions about his own playing career!

It was great to hear his perspective and some of the great reasons for Queensland fans to be excited about the upcoming season.

Hi David, how are you?

Very well Tom. How are you?

Doing good, thanks. Thank you for taking time to chat at the end of the season. I’d love to ask you some questions about Queensland rugby, before talking about your own playing days.

That sounds good. Queensland rugby’s good. I don’t know about my playing days, people haven’t got memories that long.

How do you think 2018 has gone, from your perspective and the QRU’s?

I think it’s gone pretty well Tom. Like in any sporting organisation, we would have liked it to have gone better and would have liked to have had more wins this year. But I think the platform has been set for 2019.

Were you happy with the Reds season overall?

Hmmm. Yes, but as I said before, we would have liked to have won more games. But in saying that, there were a number of successful aspects to the season. We’ve got a number of new Wallabies out of the Reds cohort, which is very important. We’ve also seen one of our youngest ever players, Jordan Petaia go on the tour and he could play this weekend. He was at school the year before last. So the Reds program has shown that we can develop good players, we just need to be able to beat some of the better teams in Super Rugby.

I’m very excited about the 2019 Reds season. What’s something that makes you excited about next year?

There’s a few things Tom that I’m excited about for next year. A couple are to do with the coaching, the assistant coaches that we brought in for Brad Thorne. Obviously Brad’s going to be in his second season as head coach and I think he learnt a lot in the 2018 season. He admits that and we’ve had discussions with Brad about that. But bringing in Peter Ryan, who’s acknowledged as one of the best defence coaches in Australia in both Rugby League and Rugby Union. He’s also a different character to Brad, so we think that personality will be good. He’s a bit of a larakin. A very hard worker, but has a bit more of a relaxed attitude. The other exciting appointment is Jim Mackay, who’s our attack coach. He was in that position when we won the Super Rugby title back in 2011. I think the combination of those three could do something very special.

Also, the side was relatively young last year, they’ve had a year of experience, many of them in Super Rugby for the first time, so hopefully that lays the ground work for those key games where [last seasons] we just lost our way a little bit and didn’t know how to finish them off. Hopefully it means the difference between two or three of those games that we could have won last season.

We are hoping that with this combination of player experience and coaching, we might just be able to get this win rate up. It’s all about the win rate.

How did you end up playing in Queensland yourself?

I was a Sydney boy. So I started playing there and then I moved to a town called Orange, west of Sydney. I played for New South Wales Country and was captain there. NSW Country used to play Sydney every year and then they picked the New South Wales [State] team out of that and I was lucky to get picked. Then I got to play a test for Australia for me soon after, which was a great milestone for me. I wanted to leave Orange and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to go back to Sydney. I’d been to Brisbane a few times and Andrew Slack, who was the Queensland Reds captain at the time asked me to come up and have a look. That was in 1984 Tom, which was a long while ago and I’ve been here ever since.

What are some of the differences between when you played and today?

We used to win more Tom in my day, than they do now. I’m not sure if that’s because we were a better team, or if it’s the competition. We used to play New Zealand sides, not as often as they do now, but we used to play New Zealand and touring sides.

We were fortunate to have some outstanding players in key positions. Queensland and Australian Rugby has always been strongest when if a world fifteen has been picked, or twenty-three as it is now, we used to always have half a dozen players in there. And usually half of those would be from Queensland. I think it says a lot that when they pick a world twenty-three now and perhaps only David Pocock would be selected and currently there would be no Queenslanders selected. Now that might change, with the Taniela Toupou’s, who’ve really set the world on fire.

Can I tell a story… We had a guy called Scott Johnson, he used to be a Sydney boy, but now he’s the director of professional development in Scotland. He went over there a number of years ago. He wants to come home, so we were having a chat to him about the prospect of coming home. (Nothing’s has eventuated there.) But Scott was out here watching a game when the Reds played the Rebels at Suncorp Stadium.

So I’m sitting next to Scott - by the way, he’s a back, so he knows nothing about scrums. Nothing at all, just like most backs. He was watching the game, we won two scrum penalties in a row, from Taniela’s great work at tight-head prop. 

The Rebels half-back got the ball. Taniela hit him with one of the hardest tackles I’ve ever seen, right in front of us and drove him back five meters. He hit the ground and he helped him up as they do these days.

Scott Johnson leaned across to me and said “you have signed this bloke forever haven’t you?”

And then you’ve got Jordan Petaia. He could be anything. We just don’t know. He can play anywhere. He can play 13, he can play 14, he can play 15. He’s a pretty special talent.

That’s a very long-winded answer to your question. (Laughs)

Looking back on your playing days, what stands out as your greatest rugby memory?

Well, I think playing your first test, you always treasure that moment. Unfortunately, we lost and I didn’t play that well and I didn’t think I was every going to play another test after that.

My greatest memory is I was a member of a “Grand-Slam” touring side in 1984 that went to the UK and played England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.  We were the only Australian side to win that, it’s been tried on ten occasions now. It was a great achievement against all the odds and friendships that were forged within that group will last forever. We used to have ten year reunions of that ’84 Grand-Slam. But because we’re getting older, our manager is getting ill and someone past away, our physio, we decided, instead of 10 years, we have it every year now. So that’s one of my greatest memories.

What do you see for the future of Queensland rugby overall?

As an organisation, in terms of Queensland rugby, we have set a goal of winning the Super Rugby title within three years. Now people will think you’re mad, so please don’t publicise that too much. They might want to lock me away for saying that, because we’ve got a long way to go from where we finished in 2018. Our view is, unless you’re really going to be challenging for a title within that timeframe, all the work that’s going in now, I won’t say it’s wasted, but could be put to better effect.

We want to build every year. We need to recruit a few more players. We need to work on a few areas and I think you’ll see a big improvement in 2019.

And you’ll be there, hey?

For sure!

Thanks David for your time. Thanks also for all you do for Queensland rugby. I’m looking forward to a great year ahead.

Thank you Tom. Thank you for letting me have this chat with you and thank you for not making the questions too difficult.

Talking that Talk with Bobby Tuttle

It's been a while since I last caught up with Bobby Tuttle (his real name is James, but nobody calls him that around here). We had a good chat about the Country NRC season so far and he shared his excitement about next years Reds season!!

[By the way, don't miss the NRC semi-final this week, Queensland Country are set to play the Western Force on Sunday at 2pm! It'll be at their home field, which is Bond Uni at the Gold Coast and live on Fox Sports.]

Thanks to the Bobby and the team for the shirt, I'll definitely be wearing in at the game on Sunday!

Hi Bobby. It’s been a while since we last caught up for Reds Rugby Rules. A lot’s happened since then!

First of all, congrats to you and the Queensland Country squad on making it to the semi-finals.

Thanks Tom!

What’s been the biggest challenge of this years NRC competition?

The biggest challenge this year… I think having a shorter prep time. We only had a couple of weeks to get going. We’re pretty lucky with the start we had, we were three wins in a row before our first loss against the Force. And I think the teams this year are a lot more competitive. There’s a lot more depth in each side. So that’s made for a lot harder competition each week and it’s also made better viewing for the fans. That’s obviously the goal as well - making it enjoyable for the fans to watch.

What’s been your favourite moment playing for Country this season?

I think probably when we had our first game down in Canberra at the start of the season and it was pretty much a grand final rematch of last year. Playing against the same side at the same stadium, with a strong win against a really good Canberra side - so probably the way we started the season. Also, how well we’ve gelled together and our away trips have been really fun and enjoyable. It’s been good to see the side grow and grow, as players individually and as a squad collectively as well. 

I enjoyed supporting the Reds this year. How do you think the side has grown and are you excited about 2019?

Very, very, very excited. The sides grown massively. There are a few guys that hadn’t played a Super Rugby game at the start of the year that have played 10+ games and it builds confidence individually for the players and it also built confidence as a group.

New coaching staff, new playing kit, back to the Maroon which is exciting! And though I’ve got a holiday coming up, I can’t wait to get back in here in 4-5 weeks and get going again. So yeah, really really excited.

What are your personal goals in 2019?

Yeah, just to continue to develop as a footy player and you know, drive standards around the club here. So I’m really excited to help the whole squad grow. Obviously for myself, I want to continue to play consistent footy and get back to a level where I think I should be as well as be able help some of the younger guys coming through, as well as learn some things off the older guys as well.

How did you end up with the nickname Bobby?

Bobby has been with me since I was about 6. Obviously, for James, which is my real name, a nickname for James is Jim and my uncles used to call me “Jimbob”. From Jimbob, it went to Bob, so either Bob or Bobby. I asked my Dad last year if I could legally change my name to Bob and he said no, even though he doesn’t call me James. So that’s all I get called, but I can’t change it legally.

That’s all people around the club call me. It’s a bit weird when someone calls me James!

Good luck to you and all of the team against the Force this weekend.

Thanks Tom.

You know I’ll be there!

Thank you very much. We’ll look out for you and hopefully we’ll get the win for you!

View this post on Instagram

Great to have one of #QLDCountry’s biggest supporters, @tomhamiltonreds, down at training last night ahead of the boys’ semi-final clash with the Force on Sunday at @bondunirugby. #RedsFamily #RugbyFamily #CountryRoad #QLDCvFOR

A post shared by Queensland Reds (@redsrugby) on Oct 18, 2018 at 3:44pm PDT

Brisbane City (and Brothers) Flanker: Fraser McReight

Right on the heels of Brisbane City's win over Queensland Country, I was able to catch up with Fraser McCreight, an up and coming player who has made a splash City Slickers this year! He is a proud Brothers rugby club player and certainly someone Queensland and Australian rugby fans should keep an eye out for!

This weekend, they're playing away against the NSW Country Eagles, Saturday 3pm, while Queensland Country are playing at home, at Bond Uni at 3pm on Sunday!

I hope all of my readers tune in for some NRC action this week, as it's crunch time for the competition. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading my conversation with one of Queensland's rising stars!

Hi Fraser,

First of all, congrats to you and your team for the win over the weekend. I imagine you’re proud of your teams effort?

Thank you. Yeah, 100%. I was in Country actually last year… I got picked for them, but I had surgery in the second or third round, so unfortunately I missed the series. But you know, it was a different feeling, in City, coming over and getting the win. Last week, it was awesome getting the win. I’ve got a lot of good mates from Brothers over in Country, it was good to get one over them. You can’t beat it!

I’ve played ‘how many’ games of football with Michael Wood, or Harry Wilson, you see them in the game and you can rub their head in the dirt and get one over them. It’s great!

What’s your highlight from this years NRC season so far and also, how is it different from club rugby?

Highlight… Um, it’s a bit hard to point out one. I think coming off two tough losses was pretty hard, so I’m gonna say the first win we had, against the Sydney Rays. We played some really good footy. I came off the bench, but I got around 55 minutes and I think I played some of my best footy. And obviously, getting the win over Country was awesome.

The way it changes from club rugby… just the skill level. It’s faster and a lot more physical. You get a lot less smaller chances of say getting a turn-over at the breakdown, so you’ve got to be a bit more clinical in what you do.

Speaking of club rugby, I visited your club Brothers a few weeks back and had an amazing time. How long have you played for Brothers and what’s something great you like about the club?

It’s my second year out of school, so I’ve played 2 years. My because my brother went there and it’s a good family club. One of the best things I like about Brothers is that through out all of the grades, sixth grade down to first grade, Colts four down to Colts, we all wear the exact same jersey, socks and kit. That’s something special. I don’t think there’s any other club in Brisbane that does that - same sponsors aswell. We’re really tight, we can bind together and get great success. We had eight out of nine teams in the grand final.

It’s a great culture down there and it’s improving.

What’s your favourite position to play?

Number seven, open-side flanker. It’s fun. You get to roam around the field and have a bit of freedom and just play some good footy I suppose. It’s tiring though.

For all my readers that are non-rugby-experts... what’s the role of the flanker/number 7 position?

Um, so typically, number 7 is on the open side of a scrum, so they hit the first breakdown. In basic terms, they’re just a work-horse that hit breakdowns and do a lot of a work around the field. So, a lot of carries and just a lot of tackles. They’re the work-horse of the team.

What inspired you to play rugby... and what’s your rugby journey been since then?

I think Mum and Dad, I’ve gotta thank them. I was a bit of a loose cannon when I was younger. I was just crazy and had too much energy, so Mum and Dad put me in rugby union.  I just enjoyed the game too much, I loved it. I just kept playing, because you’ve got to love the game if you want to play it professionally. Obviously the end goal is the Wallabies and Super-Rugby, but I’ve got a way to go there… So I’ve just got to keep improving my game and get stronger.

That’s funny, I was going to ask what your rugby-related goals are from here!

Yeah. So obviously, win the NRC title with the Brisbane City team. Next year, win Brothers Premier grade and make it nine from nine teams in the finals… and make a Super Rugby team and go from there with the Wallabies. So that’s the end goal!

Thanks for your time... good luck against the Sydney Country this weekend!

Thanks mate, I appreciate it. Any time, I’ll take time to answer your questions. I love it - and I love a truely good Reds fan that loves his footy. Keep cheering. We’re gonna fill those stands and get another premiership soon. We need all the support we can get. Up the Reds aye!

For the Love Of It: An Interview with Reds/QLD Country Scrum-half Tate McDermott

The NRC is heating up! Queensland Country are at the top of table, even after a close loss to the Western Force on Sunday and Brisbane City are coming off two big wins. So the annual City Vs Country is set to be a fun one! I’ll be there, at the Wests Bulldogs Club, Saturday at 3pm.

And during the lead up, I was lucky enough to catch up with Tate McDermott, Queensland Country scrum-half and of course now an up and coming Reds player! I hope you enjoy reading our chat!

Tough game over the weekend, but you guys have played extremely well this season.  How do you feel about the NRC season so far overall?

Yeah, it was a tough loss over the weekend. But we started the season well and you know, we kind of picked up from where we left off last year. We’ve had a few good wins, over Fiji, the Canberra Vikings and the Melbourne Rising. We started well, to be in the position we’re in now, on top I believe.

How much are you looking forward to this weekends game?

Should be good aye! I’m really excited. That’s where I made my debut last year, against them. That was up at my home on the Sunny Coast, up at Noosa. We’ll be going up against some of the boys we’ve been playing and training with all year. Ideally we’ll put a cricket score on them, but it’ll be a close game. It’ll be a really tough game and I’m really excited for it, we all are.

How long have you played rugby and what drew you to play the game?

So I guess I’ve been playing since I was four. I started at a little school on the Coast called Matthew Flinders. That’s where I attended school for the first eight years of my life and then I moved across to Sunny Coast Grammar. But I guess I really fell in love with the game, in the early years, you know, winning the Bledisloe and winning those world cups early on. I always loved watching them play and I always wanted to be where they were. I’m pretty lucky standing where I am today with the Reds. I just love the game!

What’s your favourite memory with the Reds this year?

Um, I’m gonna say my favourite memory would be my starting debut against the Sunwolves, in the last game of the year. It was good to get a win. Other memories would be my debut against the Rebels. They’d probably been my two.

Are you looking forward to the upcoming Super Rugby season?

Yeah, definitely. While we only won five games last year, we certainly built a platform that we can really work on next year. We’re putting hard work in and Thorny has a plan and we’re looking forward to that and what we can achieve next year. So hopefully we can make you and the rest of Queensland proud.

Banter with the Brothers: Catching up with CEO Matt Kaye and Lawson Creighton

This week Reds Rugby Rules is putting the spotlight on one of the great clubs in Queensland: Brothers Rugby Club. Earlier this week I sat down with the club’s CEO Matt Kaye, who answered a few of my questions about the club. Then later on in the evening, down at Ballymore, I caught up with Lawson Creighton after Brisbane City training! We talked about Brothers (his rugby club!), the NRC, and other important things.

Brothers Rugby Club: known as "The Family Club" in Brisbane

Thanks to Matt and and Lawson for taking time to catch up! I loved spending time at Brothers.

Brothers had a long and proud history in Australia. Established in 1905, it is the oldest rugby club in Brisbane.
(Note the big picture of the great John Eales, wearing his Brothers uniform.)

Matt Kaye, Club CEO 

The Brothers Premier Grade team had a few wins and quite a few close losses this season. How do you think the team is going to go next year?

We think we’re going to improve. We’ve appointed a new coach in Rob Seib, he’s the Queensland Country coach for the NRC. We’ve got a good group of young players who will be back again for the club. Se we’re working hard again to have a better performance in 2019, a bit of a fresh start and a little bit of a rebuild I suppose, with the new head coach. But we’re excited about the new season and refocusing on our skills and our play and what we do.

Loved seeing all the displays and hearing some of Brothers history

I read about the Brothers Rugby Club Strategic Plan 2018 - 2022. How did this come about and how is it progressing?

Every 4 years we relook at our strategic plan I guess, to ensure that we’re staying ahead of the game, I suppose. For us, it’s about continuing to grow and to get better at the things that we do. So one of the key objectives is to provide better facilities. So we are in a master plan at the moment, which will be a rebuild of the training centers and the club house and repairing the fields as well. 

Hopefully in 3-4 years time, this place will be completely different and it will be up to a high standard when not only the community and the junior players that we have, but also the international teams can train here. We had the Wallabies train here last year which was great and we hope to be able to have other teams train here as well.

The “Brothers Way”,  Club Culture Behaviour Guidelines are a great initiative, how long has it been in place?

That’s a good question. That was developed by the players. So 3-4 years ago, we ran a leadership program for a number of our senior players and they helped develop the framework behind what they want the club to achieve, in behaviour and culture and in terms of what’s acceptable and not acceptable. We’ve really changed our culture over that period of time and there’s not as many, I hate to say it, “dickheads” around. You know, those clubs that don’t have those people, probably build a really strong knit. It is player driven, but it’s also top driven, from the board and the management staff as well. We want to live those values as much as we can.

How does the future look for the Brothers junior competition supporting “grass roots” rugby?

Yeah. Very good. I think there’s a bit of a decline across traditional rugby, in terms of 15-a-side for juniors. But we continue to grow a lot of our external programs.

We’ve got around 350 Sevens players starting in a couple of weeks time after the holidays, we’ve got a girls Sevens program, we’ve got a girls touch football program, which has 846 registered now, playing touch football for the club. So, from a community and a grass-roots point of view, we’re in excess of over two and a half thousand people playing at the club, across “little bros”… If you were here earlier this morning, you would have seen me coaching our three, four and five year old players, through to our Premier grade and our International players. So we’re really excited to continue to grow “non-traditional rugby”, but also the 15-a-side game through our juniors as well. And we’re putting a lot more emphasis on our program development and our coach education, for juniors, over the next 12-18 months. Make better people, make better skills, I suppose.

The “Family Club” motto, based around community values seems to be great concept, do you feel it has boosted the clubs livelihood?

Matt is very happy that his club won the "Doughty Shield"
this year - awarded to the club that does the best across

all grades (based on points accumulation).

It’s a motto that we’ve accepted, because we do cater for everyone. Whether that means we’re including everyone… I think we do. We’re trying to do that with everything we do, we’re trying to be better communicators and respect everyone that’s a part of the club. I think the family value in the club is much bigger than we even realise ourselves. The way we engage with the community from a family point of view… we want to be more than just the local rugby club that people want to come to. We want to be a club that’s known for being accepting, family orientated with a good culture, that sort of thing.

What is your own rugby journey and what led you to do what you’re doing now here at Brothers?

Interesting journey, I think Tom. I’m from Queanbeyan, down near Canberra. I played for the Brumbies B teams, I didn’t make the Brumbies side, back in the day of the 1999-2001 team when they were extremely strong and winning titles. I had 3 knee reconstructions and retired at the age of 22. So, I was very young when I retired and was lucky to get a position at the Brumbies as a development officer and then worked my way through to an academy manager, coach education, before getting an opportunity to coach professionally in Japan for four years.  I originally went there with the CEO of the Melbourne Rebels , Baden Stephenson. Then I stayed there for a few years coaching, before returning to Australia. Then I was lucky enough to get the position of head coach and general manager at Brothers here in the 2011 season, after they played a grand final. I did that from 2012 to 2013. I’ve stopped coaching the Premier team, but I’m full-time just running the club and all aspects of it, from sponsorship, to functions and events, to overseeing the rugby program, and the Brothers Touch association. I also coach a junior under-10s team and a girls sevens team. It’s a Rugby Club, but it’s also a community business looking to provide something back for the community.

Out on the field. Matt told me these are the posts that used to be used at Ballymore.

One of the legends... and one of six Wallabies Captains that have come from Brothers (including John Eales)

Catching up with Lawson Creighton

Lawson's been loving training at Ballmore Stadium.

One great player that represents Brothers is now back in action with Brisbane City. He's just bounced back from an injury and had a few good runs against the Sydney Rays last Saturday. I hope you enjoy reading our interview and getting to know a rising player in Brisbane!

Congrats to you and your team on a great win over the weekend!

It was really good to get back into the winning circle. Obviously, two bad losses, the one in Fiji was pretty bad, but to see it back in the winning circle was good and it's my first game back from an ankle injury. It was good to be on the field again, finally.

What’s been a highlight from the NRC season so far?

I think, just being around some of the big name players, just being able to train with them and to take little things out of their games. Coming into my first year in this sort of professional squad, even just training here is pretty big for me.

What’s your rugby journey? How old were you when you started playing?

Well, I started playing rugby back in high school. I went to Padua College in Kedron and I started playing then. I mostly played league when I was in younger. I finished school, I played a year of colts at Norths, on Shaw Road. Then a couple of the boys left there, I was thinking about going back to league and all my mates from school stopped playing, so I didn't know what to do. My older brother played for Brothers, so when I talked to him, I went over to Brothers. My last year of Colts there, we got done by Uni, that sucked. I've got a couple of Premier grade caps at Brothers now which is really good. This year, I didn't play a lot, I've been in the Reds academy and was lucky enough to play for the Australian Under-20s and went over to France in June, which was an unreal trip. That's where I did my ankle, in the very last game.

It's been pretty wild, this year especially. I've just been a club rugby player and loving it, but this years been massive.

What do you love most about Brothers rugby club?

I think it's a pretty unique culture. Everyone gets around each other, they all mingle... during training, the Colts will train with the Premier grade stuff like that, so you get around a lot of circles and you get to know a lot of people. It's a really good culture and I don't think I'll leave any time soon.

What’s your favourite position to play?

It's a tough one. I play a bit of five-eigth and a bit of full-back. I think I prefer playing at 10 (five-eighth) but I also like the freedom of playing at full-back where you don't have worry about everything. Full-back's isn't as much pressure and you can just enjoy it.

Some of my readers might still be learning about the game of rugby. Can you explain what the five-eigth does in your own words?

I think they just control the team and directs the team around of the field. In a game of rugby, if you've got a good 10 that can direct a team and lead a team, I think you've got a very good chance of winning. So it's a very key role in the team.

What else do you like to do in your spare time, besides rugby?

I think just a Sunday roast at Mum or Dads joint's pretty good, when I get out with my mates it's a pretty good time as well. I wouldn't say working, but I'm an electrician, I'm doing my apprenticeship, so getting that knocked over which is good. So yeah. Overall, just hanging out with mates and a Sunday roast, can't beat that.

Thanks Lawson for taking time to catch up. I’ll continue to cheer you and your team on this season.

Perfect. Thanks Tommy! Up the Brothers.

A Conversations with Queensland Country Captain: Duncan Paia'aua

NRC is well and truely underway. Two weeks into the season, I got to catch up with Queensland Country captain Duncan Paia’aua. His team beat the Canberra Vikings in round one and came through to beat the Melbourne Rising in a close game last weekend.

The team has been travelling a fair amount. They are playing in Mackay this weekend and I am looking forward to their next game close to home at Bond Uni, next Saturday (22nd Septemeber). To check out where all of this seasons games are for Brisbane City and Queensland Country, check out the drawer here and see if there's a game near you.

Duncan Paia’aua - Representing Queensland Country

2 wins in 2 weeks. As Captain, you must be happy with how the NRC season has kicked off.

Yeah. Obviously, we’ve had two wins in a row, against two tough teams. Canberra was a good outfit and Melbourne really tested us, but the boys really showed some fight in the first two weeks and got two wins. So very happy.

Anyone that knows me knows I love the NRC. What do you love most about this competition?

What I like is getting out to communities that we don’t really get to go to with Super Rugby. Last week we're heading to Townsville and this week we get to go to Mackay and take the game to towns that don’t really get to see footy. That’s what I really love about the NRC at the moment.

I know it’s a long way off, but how do you feel things are building towards the next Reds season?

Yeah, good. The NRC is a good way to keep playing some footy. There’s a lot of us in both squads, in City and Country. It’s a chance for us to build some connections and partnerships. Hopefully that builds into the pre-season coming up and a really good 2019 season.

What’s been your career highlight since our last (official) interview?

Probably winning the NRC last year. We had a really fun season, we had a really good team and to finish it off with a premiership was really up there in my career highlights I think.

What do you think your team will need to do to defend the championship?

Obviously, just do our basics right I guess. We have really good attacking players, players that can score points. But I think the things that’s gonna win the NRC is defence. That’s the big key, especially against teams like Fiji and those types of teams that like to throw it around. Defence is gonna win those games. We know we’ve got it within us, but defence is key.

Thanks for your time Duncan. All the best this weekend up in Mackay.

Thank you very much!