How is this for St Joseph Nudgee College’s greatest ever First XV rugby side?

With the start of the GPS rugby competition just around the corner, we look into St Joseph Nudgee College’s greatest ever list of players and come up with a First XV rugby side almost without peer.

St Joseph’s Nudgee College would field such a powerful GPS rugby dream team that dual international Kevin Ryan and a number of Wallabies would have to be excluded from the starting XV.

Indeed Nudgee’s reserves list would be the envy of most schoolboy college’s starting XV.

Sports writer Andrew Dawson looked into one of world rugby’s great sporting nurseries to come up with 15 names who would do the college proud.

Former Australian captain Mark Loane in action for Australia in 1981.

How could Ryan or Sean McMahon, Joe Tomane or Richard Brown possibly not start? And what about ex-Queensland State of Origin player Will Chambers?

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Ryan missed the cut because of a backrow of Mark Loane, Dallas O’Neill and Rocky Elson and supporting locks Duncan Hall and Hugh McMeniman.

Tony D'Arcy earing his Nudgee College jersey and holding the Firsts jumper of his late son, Christopher.

There is no room either for Mick Veivers who played rugby league for Australia when you have the great Tony D’Arcy and Glenn Panoho are your disposal in the front row.

If there is star power in the forwards, then what about the backs?

The decorated Paul McLean would be the link between his forwards and backs at fly-half, supported by Adrian Hose at halfback.

Hose was a member of the 1960-61 Nudgee premiership winning teams and formed one of, if not the best, halfback-backrow combinations at GPS level with O’Neill.

Inside centre would be Elton Flatley, a long-serving Queensland No.10 but too good to omit from the side.

At outside centre is Dennis Flannery, a 15-Test veteran for the Australian rugby league team.

Flannery would inch past Chambers and Paul Twist for the No.13 jersey.

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Ross Hanley and Des McGovern, who like Flannery is another league treasure from the 1940s and 1950s, would do a job on the wings but John Fogerty, part of a golden era for Brothers in the 1940s, would be yet another unlucky omission.

Nudgee old boy Elton Flatley on the move.

At the back of the side is James O’Connor at fullback.

It is a powerhouse group when the likes of Antonio Kaufusi, Nemani Nadolo, Fogarty and Junior Pelesasa also miss the cut.

Paul McLean Brothers and Nudgee rugby great with his old jersey

What do you think?

Prop: Tony D’Arcy

Hooker: Sean Hardman

Prop: Glenn Panoho

Lock: Hugh McMeniman

Lock: Duncan Hall

Flanker: Dallas O’Neill

Flanker: Rocky Elsom

No.8: Mark Loane (captain)

Halfback: Adrian Hose

Fly-half: Paul McLean (vice-captain)

Wing: Ross Hanley

Inside centre: Elton Flatley

Outside centre: Dennis Flannery

Wing: Des McGovern

Fullback: James O’Connor

Reserves:

Kevin Ryan

Mick Veivers

Sean McMahon

Richard Brown

Peter Twist

Joe Tomane

Will Chambers

Peter Hewat

Footnote: Andrew Dawson will be covering the GPS rugby competition once its starts on August 8 online for The Courier-Mail each Saturday evening. He will also be covering the GPS football competition which starts this weekend.