http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/news/brumbies-ready-to-honour-mackay/2009/04/08/1238870024564.html said:
Brumbies ready to honour Mackay
April 8, 2009 - 4:16PM
Win, lose or draw, Brumbies captain Stephen Hoiles says Saturday's Super 14 clash with the Stormers in Canberra will be about celebrating the life of Shawn Mackay.
The Brumbies trained for the first time on Wednesday since learning of Mackay's death on Monday.
As a tribute to Mackay, the players will wear black arm bands for the rest of the season, while there will also be a minute's applause at this Saturday's match.
Mackay, 26, died in a Durban hospital as a result of complications stemming from injuries he sustained when he was hit by a car following the Brumbies' loss to the Sharks in South Africa almost two weeks ago.
Hoiles, who knew Mackay since their primary school days in Sydney's eastern suburbs, said the squad was still reeling from the shock of losing a mate.
"Everyone's doing it pretty tough, which is understandable," he said.
"I've been thinking about it a fair bit, they're the tough times ... and that will continue for a long, long time."
Hoiles and Mackay played for the first XV at Sydney's Waverley College and Hoiles was Mackay's at Randwick club as well as at the Brumbies.
Brumbies coach Andy Friend said earlier in the week that it would be understandable if some of the players did not feel up to playing against the Stormers.
But Hoiles said the players would want to play the Canberra Stadium match.
"This group's got an enormous amount of character, and my gut feeling is that after speaking to a few guys, that everyone really wants to play."
"That's what we do, we play football."
"And I think just the fact that it's something to focus on ... and to put in a good performance for the whole community that's been affected from this I think will be a pretty special thing.
"Win, lose or draw, I think they're going to do everyone really proud this weekend."
Hoiles was back in Canberra with a number of other injured members of the squad when Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan told him of Mackay's death on Monday.
"I got told it was pretty critical, and then about an hour later that it was getting very serious.
"And then he just called me into his office and he didn't have to say anything. As soon as he called me in I knew just by looking at his face that something serious had happened."
Hoiles said he felt for the members of the squad who were in South Africa when Mackay was hit by a car in the early hours of the morning, as he and other players were returning to the team hotel after a night out.
"From a selfish point of view, I'm quite glad I wasn't there to see what happened and see how it happened.
"We've all lost the same mate and we're all going to be hurting as much, but I really feel for the guys that were there and had to go through it."
The team came together on Thursday for a weights session and training run, and to go through some footage of the Stormers, but their minds are unlikely to stray too far from thoughts of their mate whose life was cut short.
"He was quite a recognisable bloke, a big tall fella with his big smile and his blond hair standing out in the pub."
"He could have been in Japan or Italy on a six figure salary, but he chose to come to Canberra to start a new life and find an extended family, and that one decision sums him up."
AAP
