Brumbies coach Dan McKellar proud of team’s resilience amid Canberra fire crisis

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar got a stark reminder of the bushfire on Canberra’s southern edge when he saw police knocking on doors in his suburb before he drove off to a winning start to the season.

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar. Picture: Getty Images

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Brumbies coach Dan McKellar saw police knocking on doors in his Canberra suburb to make sure residents had bushfire exit plans before he drove off to a winning start in Super Rugby.

The harsh reality of the worrying bushfire on Canberra’s southern edge was in the back of the mind for every coach, player and fan at GIO Stadium on Friday night.

“We’ve had players like Will Miller and the Lonergans (Ryan and Lachlan), staff and supporters living down that way so it’s in the forefront of our minds.” McKellar said.

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Brumbies coach Dan McKellar was full of praise for his players after snaring a win in their season opener against the Reds. Picture: Getty Images

A state of emergency exists with extreme temperatures to rise beyond 40C again on Saturday.

“You see the reality when you put up the garage door at home at 3.30pm and there are two police officers starting door knocks in your street,” said McKellar, who lives in the suburb of Chapman.

He went to work and a few hours later was proud that the Brumbies had given some joy to the community with a hard-won 27-24 result against the Queensland Reds.

“I thought the guys were very brave and in really good condition,” McKellar said. “We saw the fruits of that to come back (from 10 points down) against a good Reds team.”

The Brumbies and Reds honoured the bushfire victims with a moments silence before the Super Rugby clash in Canberra. Picture: Getty Images

McKellar had shrewdly assessed 20-year-old flyhalf Noah Lolesio earlier in the week when saying he was unfussed if a few errors accompanied his positive play.

He kicked one ball dead which came back for a Reds scrum and there was a handling error.

“Noah is a calm, composed kid and he’ll continue to get better and better,” McKellar said.

“Even the greats make mistakes and Noah has the ability to park them and get on with it. Yes, I was pleased with him.”

Skipper Allan Alaalatoa said he felt Lolesio played with a steady hand in the tight second half which reached 17-all with 23 minutes still to play.

“I really love how calm he is. I felt like it was someone with 50 Super games (experience) out there,” the new captain said.