CLUB RUGBY FINALS FEVER: MVP, Rookie of Year, breakout, danger players revealed
CLUB RUGBY FINALS FEVER: MVP, Rookie of the Year, breakout and danger players revealed here by colts, premier women and premier men captains ahead of the quarterfinals this weekend.
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Club rugby reaches its boiling point this weekend with sudden death semi-finals across Premier, Women’s, Colts and grade competitions.
There are plenty of Super Rugby, Wallaroos and Wallabies stars back in club colours to make it extra exciting while Bond University’s premier women and men have both reached the finals.
Brothers and Easts also have both their Colts and Hospital Cup teams in the finals.
So who were the Rookies of the Year, Most Valuable Players (MVP) breakout players and also the most dangerous players left in the finals?
We have asked the respective captains of the Colts 1, Women’s and Premier Grade rugby teams to find out. See what they said below.
PREMIER WOMEN
Elisha Godsiff (Bond University)
Who is rookie of the year? Georgia Grey. She started on the wing and is new to 15-a-side this year and is playing No. 10 for us.
Who is MVP of the season? Prop Eva Karpani. She has come in from the Wallaroos with a lot of experience and it has been great to have her there.
Who do you think had a breakout year? Our No. 6 Zoe Hanna has been really good in the contact areas and can run the ball.
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What is the key to success in the finals series? Making sure we play our game - that wide, expansive fast footy, but also concentrate on the contact as well.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? All the teams here in the finals have a danger player, and obviously coming up against Sunnybank it is their physical play and their forward pack, and they have some key halfbacks and No. 10s as well.
Brooke Savelio (UQ)
Who is rookie of the year? Amy Bryce at outside centre. She has pace to burn, is technical about the lines she runs and is gutsy for her size.
Who is MVP of the season? Nena Williamson. She plays lock and is one of the youngest in our team who is a real work horse. She gets around the field really well. You don’t hear much about her, but she is in every ruck, every play. She is crucial to our team.
What is the key to success in the finals series? We have worked really hard making sure we are an agile team. For us it is about trusting our processes and sticking to the basics. Obviously we are the underdogs, and it is about handling that pressure and making sure our execution is on point.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? Helenia Young who has speed to burn. We have to apply the pressure and takeaway her space.
Una Biau (GPS)
Who is rookie of the year? Amelia Brown. She has been outstanding for us after coming over from Souths. Hopefully she will eventually be in the Reds.
Who is MVP of the season? Helenia Young. She has finished the season with the Reds and has come back strongly for us, and Amelia Brown again and Emilya Byrne.
Who do you think had a breakout year? Amelia Brown, for her size, you would not believe the work she does for us.
What is the key to success in the finals series? We have worked hard and just picked up at the right time of the year. We have put players in difference positions and done well, and now it is one game at a time.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? Chanelle Kohika-Skipper and their centres.
CLUB RUGBY KEY PLAYERS, ROAD AHEAD
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Samantha Lingman (Sunnybank)
Who is rookie of the year? Erin McCornwell an Irish import. She has been a big asset to our backline and every time she touches the ball she is dangerous.
Who is MVP of the season: Ana Afuie (halves) She has been the heart of our team. It is very rare to see a player who puts 100 per cent in the full 70 minutes like she does.
Who do you think had a breakout year? She has been super consistent for the last couple of years, but this year No. 8 Luana Tongia has gone to a different level. You can always depend on her with her fierce defence and every time she gets the ball she is really dangerous.
What is the key to success in the finals series? Two things which have brought us to where we are today is playing for 70 minutes. There have been times when we have been down in the first half, but comeback in the second. We have a knack of playing the full 70 minutes and we play for each other.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? Eva Karpani at Bond and if we come up against GPS, it will be Helenia Young
COLTS 1
Sam Farrar (Easts)
Who is rookie of the year? It is hard to pinpoint one, but Archie Wilson (No. 10) has done a very good job. He has been in and out of the side with injuries and people coming in and out, but he has done a really good job at leading the team around the park.
Who is MVP of the season? Within our side you see a noticeable difference when Nick Bloomfield is on the field. He has been away for the 20s and we missed him in the middle part of the season, and he has strong carries, very technically correct in the scrum.
In the backline Gus Godwin has put a show on. He is a strong finisher, quick and nimble and his tackling has improved to the point where he is steady in the centres.
Who do you think had a breakout year? Alex Condon. I have played with him since I was 15 and he has really taken steps forward (at inside centre) and Alex Kerr has done a good jump coming straight out of school as well.
What is the key to success in the finals series? We changed our style of play compared to last year. A change in personnel meant we had to change our tactics a bit. So playing to that structure throughout the whole game has brought us success. When we go away from it, that is when we struggle a bit. We have to buy into the structure we have formed over the year.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? For University, I am nervous of the halfback (Tafito AhKi), his running game. If I have a good performance I back myself against him, but he is a good player.
Tanna Wilson (Brothers)
Who is rookie of the year? Jack Harley. He has progressed to be on the bench for the reggies. He has been an asset for us in the forward pack, really dominant on that edge and has made an impact for us.
Who is MVP of the season? Jack Condon is a weapon, handy over the ball and a workhorse. He is great.
Who do you think had a breakout year? Charlie Brosnan. He is another big fella in our forward pack who always has a big impact on the field. He has a great offloading ability, getting to the line and getting his arms free.
What is the key to success in the finals series? Sticking to the game plan. We have a lot of individual brilliance. It is just bringing that all together and gelling as a team which is the key to getting it done this year.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? The Souths winger is always carving up, Ryley Bierton.
Harry Holt (Souths)
Who is rookie of the year? Definitely Jake Kurbatoff. He’s definitely proved himself this year, he was a tall, lanky second rower but he has put on a bit of beef and he is a soldier. A workhorse.
Who is MVP of the season? Dominic Thygesen. He has been unlucky with injuries but when he is on the field he is unreal. I think most games he has played he is up there with the best on field. A dominant ball-carrier, a nightmare to tackle at training. Big go forward, front foot ball.
Who do you think had a breakout year? Lington Leli. He was out all last year. I didn’t know who he was, he played the first few games in Colts 2 and he was insane. The size of him. The worst to tackle at training. He has been unreal since being bumped up into Colts 1. He’s lovely to pack down against, get a bit of protection next to me. I can’t complain there.
What is the key to success in the finals series? It’s a different style of footy in finals so we have to keep the points ticking. We have had slow starts this year so the key is to play the 70 out, putting it together because once your behind it is hard to claw back.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? I’ve had big wraps on Will Cartwright (Brothers). He is dangerous around the ruck, you have to be switched on. He has a good kicking game and runs support lines well and he is one of those guys you have to target because he is a game changer.
Ronan Austin (UQ)
Who is rookie of the year? Siliva Leofa. He came from State High and he has played really well. He has been huge for us. He has stepped up and he has a deadly step and is rapid.
Who is MVP of the season? It’s a cool story but a guy who came from Colts 3 last season Patrick Sowerby. His workrate has been unreal and he gets through so much work each week. It’s a fair bit of work on the body, he gets up and keeps going and he has earned selection for representative honours.
Who do you think had a breakout year? A similar kind of story to Sowerby is our flanker Jordan Dick. He played Colts 3 and 4 last year and after joining the sevens program at the end of last year, he built his skills and fitness and he has been super consistent.
What is the key to success in the finals series? A mentality that we needed a result to go our way and we snuck in and it is an underdog mentality for every game. We know we can match it and believe we can repeat what we did last year and get to the grand final.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? Jack Homan if he wasn’t injured so Sam Farrar. A three year Colt, he is a great footballer.
HOSPITAL CUP
Josh Flook (Brothers)
Who is rookie of the year? Tim Ryan 100 per cent no doubt about it. He has had a very consistent year and he was rewarded playing with the Junior Wallabies. He goes 100 per cent and you see him tackle some of the big boys off the back fence so it’s great playing with him.
Who is MVP of the season? Bradley Hemopo (who played Shute Shield last year). He’s been the most consistent. It’s my first year getting to know him and he has had a very good season and should go well in the finals.
Who do you think had a breakout year? Hunter Lim or Robbie Mapa. Both stepped up to the plate playing premier grade and they both played very well.
What is the key to success in the finals series? Just playing consistent footy, every team has big names on the park so it will be who can do the little things well and the second and third efforts are huge. They go a long way to winning a game.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? Rhian Stowers, he is one of those boys who can create something out of nothing. Bond will look for him to break things open.
Tom Milosevic (Easts)
Who is rookie of the year? John Paul Tominiko. He’s been there for a number of years but he is getting more comfortable in that loose-head role and he is really taking a big leap forward in his preparation and understanding his role.
Who is MVP of the season? There’s been a couple, in the forwards Alex Smit had a really good year, he’s been great in the back row after making his starting debut this year where he was man of the match. Jake Pappin (fly half) settled in nicely and is building a nice partnership with Eli Pilz (halfback).
Who do you think had a breakout year? he hasn’t surprised me but it is Matthew Smit (inside centre). He is carrying really well, running good lines and standing up in defence. He has had a huge season.
What is the key to success in the finals series? Playing how we want to play. All the eggs are in one basket for Sunday this week.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? Hamish Robers (Bond winger). He has had a good season, the leading point scorer. He is rapid.
Connor Anderson (Wests)
Who is rookie of the year? Callum Smith (lock). He has been in and out of teams but this is his first year playing quite a bit of first grade. A lot of games.
Who is MVP of the season? Charlie Tupu in the centres. He has been our most consistent player. Every game he delivers.
Who was a surprise packet this year? Maile Ngauamo (prop) who came over from GPS. He had sort of been our reserve hooker but now he’s starting and he’s been really good for us. An awesome addition to the team, bringing aggression and physicality.
What is the key to success in the finals series? Focus on ourselves. We do our homework but everything this year has been about us. The games we have lost have been our own fault.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? Lawson Creighton. He’s got really good from at the moment, running the backline at Brothers. If he can unlock their outside backs they will be really good.
Lachlan Connors (Bond University)
Who is rookie of the year? New to the club is Rusiata Nasove from the Fijian Drua. He has absolutely torn up. So has Rhian Stowers who went away to play league for the Southport Tigers last season.
Who is MVP of the season? Rhian Stowers. Every time he touches the ball everyone goes all right is he about to make a break and do we support or chase him to the tryline. You can see teams are playing to shut him down. He has a lethal left boot too.
Who do you think had a breakout year/ any surprise packet players? Tyler Campbell, usually playing 12 filling in at 10. He has excelled at both positions. He has been solid, not a surprise.
Hamish Roberts as well on the wing. He is so quick.
What is the key to success in the finals series? As long as we can keep grinding out the games. Coming out and keeping intensity to begin the second half.
Who is the most dangerous player alive in these finals? We know Wests have a big forward pack but we aren’t trying to single anyone out.
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