2009 Brisbane Club Competition

[RugbyReg]

Oops. A copycat thread but, hell, why not?

Not too much to talk about yet.

Zane Hilton (from Uni) is now the Brothers coach (taking over from Paul Mills).

Mick Heenan (from GPS) has gone to Uni, with Jimmy Holbeck as an off sider.

Matt Pini is now coach at GPS.

Sunnybank still the team to watch. I expect Gold Coast to be more of a presence next year. And then Easts and Uni as well.

Hopefully we'll have plenty more updates to provide.

 

[Lindommer]

Is Zane Hilton the Nudgee ZH? Didn't he play Aus Schoolboys and then 21s some five or six years ago? If he's the same one, what's he been doing since?

 

[RugbyReg]

I think it is. Pretty sure he played at Brothers, when Hardman wasn't. I think he's (was?) a Development Officer at the QRU. Apparently a decent coach.

 

[TOCC]

Ben Gollings will be playing for the Gold Coast next year as well

 

[spectator]

With all stars on deck Sunnybank will be pretty formidable but up to seven or eight will be missing during S14. Add to that the departure of Ben Gollings and I am thinking they may have a bit of a struggle.

Will Crofty be running around for Brothers? If so, they will be hard to toss as they are a relatively young team, as are the premiers Easts. Their problem will be the loss of Matt Brandon to UK rugby, although Andrew Walker is still there.

 

[spectator]

I wonder if the new S14 guys like the Fainga'a brokers, Byrne, Weekes etc.. will go to local clubs, and who. That may have a bearing on things at the pointy end of the season?

 

[Sully]

Ben Gollings will be playing for the Gold Coast next year as well

Nice pick up for us.

 

[TOCC]

Sunnybank have a impressive list of young up and coming Reds in there side:
Greg Holmes, Dayna Edwards, Rob Simmons, Ben Lucas, Charlie Fetoai, Brando Va?aulu, Digby Ioane

They have lost Rodney Blake, Ole Avei, Liam Bibo and Ben Golling in recent years but they have more then enough depth to cover those players.

Interesting developments out at Sunnybank as well, since completing there new club house and main field they are now looking at building a 200sqm gym with more developments to follow. Also they have made boosted support for the Browns Plains Dragons Junior Rugby Club(run by SBRU) by giving a grant towards boosting school awareness and participation in the West Logan area.

 

[RugbyReg]

Three of the QR Reds' new forward pack recruits for 2009 have opted to play their Premier Rugby with the University club next season.

Prop Laurie Weeks, lock Adam Byrnes and former Highlanders No 8 Ezra Taylor will make the Red Heavies even heavier in 2009 and the prospect has delighted new coach Mick Heenan.

?Laurie comes to us with big wraps from his previous club and he had a great year with the Sydney Uni premiership side in 2008," Heenan said.

?Adam brings size and a hard edge to the forward pack. He is very aggressive, as is Ezra, and both will help us establish a culture built around aggression at the ball.?

All three players cited better opportunities as the motivation for their move to Brisbane.

?I felt that I had a better chance of achieving my goals in Queensland through the Reds and I was impressed with their set-up,? said Byrnes, who has made the move north from Sydney after a stint in Europe.

?I was equally impressed with the facilities at University and their strong history which helped me decide which premier club to play for.?

For Weeks, it was a natural decision to play for Uni next season.

?Having played for Sydney University I was familiar with the environment and the structure as they are pretty similar to one another,? he said.
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good signings. I reckon they will get a bit of club game time too.

 

[formeropenside]

Depending on what happens/ had happened to Herman Hunt (I suspect an injury) Uni next season could field a front row of Hunt, Hanson and Weekes. Thats up there, although not quite the Lillicrap - Nucifora - McIntyre front row UQ fielded the late 80's - early 90's.

 

[TOCC]

i think i remember reading somewhere that the Fainga'a brothers have joined Souths

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Ben Gollings will be playing for the Gold Coast next year as well

Hoo yaa

 

[spectator]

Uni may well surprise with the addition of the three new Reds.

 

[TOCC]

Clubs new signings

UNI Laurie Weeks, Adam Byrnes and Ezra Taylor

Souths Saia Fainga'a, Anthony Fainga'a, Jack Kennedy

 

[spectator]

If these new Reds get decent game time in the club comp it could make things interesting. I thought Souths looked ok last year but their star, Cooper, rarely got on. With him and the three new signings, Souths will be pretty impressive.

Uni were a huge disappointment last year and ther new signings will only improve things, although I hear Gillespie, the former OZ schoolboy and U19 has gone to Brothers.

Pretty hard to pick a top four to be honest.

 

[TOCC]

Souths have lost a few players but should still have a good team next year

I expect sunnybank to be strong again, they have arguably the best junior development in brisbane

 

[RugbyReg]

Powerful and athletic lock Utu Maninoa from New Zealand?s famous Ponsonby club in Auckland has joined Norths for the 2009 rugby season.

Ponsonby has won the past five successive Gallagher Shield Premierships, with Maninoa having an outstanding season in 2008, culminating in the club's Player of the Year award.

"We are delighted to have ?Junior? (Utu) join us for 2009," said Norths Head Coach Chris Roche.

"He is an invaluable addition to our playing ranks and strengthens our forwards considerably.

"We are sprinkling our playing ranks with players that are used to sustained success, who will provide leadership to those with talent but not necessarily the experience that is so often valuable in tight situations," Roche said.

Roche said while Norths had made tremendous progress, especially during 2008, "we recognise that we must continually strengthen our playing squad, and Junior is a key component of a number of new initiatives we will be introducing in 2009?.

 

[spectator]

Any truth to the rumour that Will Genia has gone to Norths?

 

[TOCC]

^^ dont know

on the Easts rugby website, they claim to be the largest rugby club in the southern hemisphere with 55 junior sides and 10 senior sides.. they arent the largest are they?

http://www.eaststigers.com/

 

[formeropenside]

Any truth to the rumour that Will Genia has gone to Norths?

Still says Wests on his QRU profile.