What is the point of a game like this when no one is playing
Brothers braced for tough battle with Sydney Uni
March 11, 2010 - 2:07pm
Story by: QRU
Sydney Uni players celebrate winning the 2009 Shute Shield Grand Final
Interstate club Rugby supremacy will be on the line on Saturday when Queensland Premier Rugby champions Brothers meet Shute Shield premiers Sydney University in the Australian Club Championship at Crosby Park in Brisbane (kickoff 3:30pm).
The Championship pits the Queensland and NSW club Rugby premiers against each other and last year was won by Brisbane’s Easts in a thrilling 38-31 come-from-behind win over the Students.
That win broke the stranglehold Sydney Uni had previously enjoyed - winning the trophy each year since the concept was revived for 2007, with wins over Wests 36-5 and Sunnybank 24-0.
The responsibility of retaining the trophy now sits with the Brethren and coach Zane Hilton said it was a challenge they relish.
“(The Australian Club Championship) is definitely something special and for some guys it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Hilton said.
“That in itself adds a little bit more meaning, as well as that Sydney Uni and Brothers have both had long histories within it.”
Brothers have succeeded just three times in their seven attempts: beating Randwick 45-22 and 10-6 in 1974 and 1985 respectively, and Manly 25-14 in 1984.
As opposed to Easts, who had some tough practice games in the lead up to their clash, Brothers enter the game slightly underdone in their preparation having not yet played a trial.
But Hilton, who has named eight starters from their 26-19 Grand Final victory over Souths, said the side selected was more than capable of winning.
“(The Australian Club Championship) is different to any other game you play. It’s funny that you play it at the beginning of the season and play it with different teams from last year, but at the same time we’ve retained quite a few of those players from last year,” he said.
“Our boys have played together for a long time and they enjoy the opportunity to play together as well. They really relish it. There’s no doubt we will be a little bit rusty, but hopefully those old combinations kick in at the back end of the second half.”
While the Students will have many of their representative stars on Investec Bank Super 14 duty, Hilton said they would still be putting out an experienced team that is capable of causing plenty of headaches, especially at set-piece.
“They’re obviously missing a lot of their representative players, which they have a lot of, but it’s important to remember that the players who are coming up to play us are the guys that in a sense have gotten them to the grand-final the last five years.
“These are the guys who are the stalwarts of the club that step aside when the representative players come back at the end of the season, but at the same time, they are the one who got them there.
“There’s no doubt they will try to dominate us at set-piece. It is very much the backbone of the way they play. From our perspective, we’re looking to try to hold them in that area and then see how we can go around the field.”
Hilton has made rising star and Reds’ Wider Training Squad member Dallan Murphy captain for the game as a reward for his work both on and off the field.
“Attitudinally and the character he shows around the club off the field is very typical of a Brothers captain. And on the field his leadership is outstanding,” Hilton said.
With the Reds game against the Force scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Suncorp Stadium, Hilton has urged rugby supporters to head to Crosby Park and take advantage of their newly renovated “Crossbar” and “Can Bar”, while watching a high quality game of rugby.
Brothers:
1. Adam Bennie
2. Andrew Coady
3. Adrian Dixon
4. Marcus Slade
5. Trent Jones
6. Simon Price
7. Andrew Shaw
8. Ben McCormack
9. Sam Grasso
10. Dallan Murphy (c)
11. Paul Doneley
12. Nathanuel Gendle
13. James Harvey
14. Anthony Pyers
15. Damon Murphy
16. Tom Sayer
17. Peter Haig
18. Dave Gornal
19. Ally McLay
20. Chris Ferraro
21. Blair Hart
22. Patrick McGill
Sydney University:
1 Alasdair King
2 Thomas Coolican
3 Patrick Ryan
4 Samuel Carter
5 David McDuling
6 Hugh Hawkins
7 Joshua Ellice Flint
8 Adam Campbell
9 Mathew Schwager
10 Joshua Dillon
11 Thomas Tombleson
12 Toby L'Estrange
13 Tom Kingston
14 Robert O'Reilly
15 Justin Bosilkovski
16 Danny Farrell
17 Duncan Hardy
18 James McMahon
19 Anthony Pohlen
20 James Helliwell
21 Greg Jeloudev
22 Peter Playford
23 Scott Cameron
24 Nathan Charles
