Named: Bond Uni coach Mick Heenan reveals ultimate Queensland Premier Rugby dream team

Mick Heenan has revealed his ultimate Queensland Premier Rugby dream after spending the past decade seeing some of the best in the state take to the field. He details why each earned their spot in his side here

Queensland Reds assistant coach and rugby union great Mick Heenan will join the Bond University ranks in 2024 as head coach of their Queensland Premier Rugby side.

With the dotted line signed and preseason on the horizon, Heenan has revealed his ultimate all-stars lineup from years past and present.

See who made the cut and why Heenan holds them high:

Queensland Reds prop Feao Fotuaika rehabs a foot injury at Palm Beach Currumbin Alleygators rugby club. Picture: QRU / Brendan Hertel

1. Feao Fotuaika

Club: Sunnybank

Fe toiled away in club footy for a few years before getting a run in NRC with Brisbane City and then being elevated to the Reds squad. He is a mountain of a man and I could never work out how he could last 80 mins every week in club footy while carrying so much weight - once he got into pro footy he slimmed down - probably not quite enough. Now plying his trade in France where size is more celebrated.

2. James Hanson

Club: UQ

In the period 2009-2012 Chib was absolutely dominant - he was the best player on the field almost every week in 2010 I reckon in a very good premiership side which lost just the one game all year.

Grassroots roar to life at Ballymore: (from left) GPS prop Fred Burke, Queensland women's Super W fullback Georgie Friedrichs and University winger Jock Campbell ready for three-match bill. Photo: Brendan Hertel, QRU

3. Fred Burke

Club: GPS

Fred was an old school prop and was the tighthead for GPS during the period they had a dominant scrum from around 2017-2020. We knew if we couldn’t cope with the scrum pressure from Freddy we might be in for a difficult day.

Queensland Premier Rugby grand final Uni v Sunnybank Ballymore. Uni Team Captain Tim Buchanan PICS MARC ROBERTSON.

4. Tim Buchanan

Club: UQ

Tim was a very consistent performer through UQ’s premiership years in 2010, 2012 (as the Tony Shaw medallist) and captained our premiership in 2014. Very skilful, tough - he was on the fringes of Super Rugby for a long time and got a couple of caps without ever cracking through to play consistently.

A sandy faced Seru Uru during a Wallabies Training session on Coogee Beach. Picture: John Appleyard

5. Seru Uru

Club: Easts-Wests

Seru absolutely dominated for Easts in 2020 and after he switched to Wests was the Tony Shaw medallist in their grand final win over Uni in 2022. His performance that day was outstanding - it is seared in my brain as he killed us.

GPS players Daniel Gorman and Michael Richards. University v GPS in the Club rugby grand final at Ballymore. Sunday August 19, 2018. (AAP image, John Gass)

6. Michael Richards

Club: GPS

Pencil has been a very consistent performer for GPS team that had a very successful decade. I would be shocked if he didn’t win 4-5 best and fairest awards at his club. He had an outstanding Grand Final in 2018.

ond University host Wests in Round 18 of the Queensland Premier Rugby competition. Bond Player No8 Josh Fuimaono Wests player No . Picture Mike Batterham

7. Josh Fuimaono

Club: Breakers-Bond

Josh was another on the fringes of pro rugby for a long time and played a number of years for the Breakers and Bond - he had a great 2015 when he won the Alec Evans medal for best player in QPR. Tough, physical and skilful - played a couple of seasons in Japan but certainly was capable of playing professionally for longer.

Izaia Perese (left) of the Reds is tackled by Jack Cornelsen (right) ( AAP Image/Darren England)

8. Jack Cornelsen

Club: UQ

Jack came into the UQ Premier Grade as a fairly young bloke and just got better and better. In his last two seasons he was absolutely dominant but didn’t necessarily fit the prototype for a backrower. He took his career to Japan where he has been dominating as part of the best team over there and is now a regular selection for the Japanese national team. I still shake my head that he was never given a Super Rugby opportunity. Very skilful, fast, good lineout operator, tough. Criminally underrated in Australia.

TGS1st XV head coach Scott Gale as the team train in preparation for the O'Callaghan Cup, Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

9. Scott Gale

Like a lot of players was thrown into professional rugby at a very early age and by the time he had developed his game the Super Rugby franchises had moved on. It was a shame because in my opinion he was a player who could have had a long Super Rugby career if the early part of his career had been managed better.

10. Ben Lucas

Club: Sunnybank

When I first started coaching in Premier Rugby Sunnybank were the team to beat. Ben Lucas had a big part to play in their premierships in 2007 and 2011. Moved a bit between halfback and five-eight but was most influential for Sunnybank at 10. From memory scored 35 points in one of the grand finals - extraordinary.

University 11. Kye Oates, University vs GPS, Premier Rugby grand final, Suncorp Stadium, Milton. Picture: Liam Kidston.

11. Kye Oates

Kye has been the best back in the competition for the past few years - another one who should be playing Super Rugby but is now in the Australian Sevens set up which is great for him

12. Pat James

Club: Brothers

Brothers stalwart and I was so pleased for him to make his debut for the Reds last year. A really awkward player to play against. He reads the game so well, has good skills and is a tall guy who can get offloads away which is always so difficult to defend. Good left foot too which is a great skill to have in your team.

13. Tasi Tasi

Tasi has been around a few different clubs and has made a massive difference to each of their performances when he has been on the paddock. Tough, physical, direct and skilful. Has been on the fringes of pro rugby for a long time.

Laloifi Junior (left) of Sunnybank tries to run past Matthew Gordon (right) (AAP Image/Regi Varghese)

14. Junior Laloifi

The “Ballymore kid” I see is still going around for Sunnybank this year. An exciting player at his best

France's wing Damian Penaud (L) runs with the ball past Australia's fullback Jock Campbell (R) (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU / AFP)

15. Jock Campbell

Wonderful advertisement for Premier Rugby in that he was an unheralded player coming out of TSS but played Colts and then grades footy for UQ before having breakout seasons in 2017/2018. He was picked up by the Reds on the back of those. Of course, most of his success is down to his own hard work but it is a reminder you don’t have to be a schoolboy superstar to make it to the top level

Honourable mentions:

Taniela Tupou and Rhys Van Nek who caused UQ all sorts of problems in Grand Finals in 2016 and 2020, and to Jack de Guingand, Pat Morrey, James Dalgleish and Harry Parker who had wonderful club careers and were the backbone of UQ for a long time.

Originally published as Named: Bond Uni coach Mick Heenan reveals ultimate Queensland Premier Rugby dream team