Flashes of Brill-iance in top teen’s Super W lift-off for Queensland
Youngster Destiny Brill needed a special dispensation to play at just 16 but she made an upbeat start to her Super W career with the Queensland Reds.
Rugby
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A two-try burst of Brill-iance from a 16-year-old rookie has proven how quickly the next generation of Queensland Reds’ players is surging into the Super W ranks.
Destiny Brill sidestepped back into Year 12 maths and English at Marsden State High this week but last Saturday was all about the rugby lesson she gave the Melbourne Rebels at Suncorp Stadium.
From the ruckbase in centre field, the replacement halfback spotted a gap, stalled the Rebels’ defence with a show-and-go and ran 53m for her first try.
Another ruckbase dart made it a double in her 27 minutes on the field as the Reds ran riot with 16 tries in the 104-3 demolition.
The win was great for confidence but the Reds must take a quantum leap for Saturday afternoon’s showdown at Ballymore against the NSW Waratahs, the two-time Super W champions.
Credit for Brill’s rise is due in part to experienced halfback Cobie-Jane Morgan.
She is doing such a good job of guiding the next wave, she’s coaching herself out of her favourite role at No.9.
Morgan’s exuberance as a schoolteacher flows into mentoring rugby sevens and rugby league in a twin-code excellence program at Marsden State High.
Fullback Courtney Hodder was another standout against the Rebels with the young Aboriginal teenager’s speed and evasive footwork earning her three tries.
Outside centre Alana Elisaia made two big breaks in the opening 10 minutes with her sharp right-foot sidestep and No.8 Okeroa Manihera’s ball-running and unselfish passing were integral to several tries.
One of the sharpest tries involved inside centre Lavinia Gould, who looped neatly around Elisaia and threw the long ball for flanker Natassja Purontakanen’s try.
Prop Christina Sekona crashed over for the first try after halftime.
As a former basketballer, Sekona was always frustrated by the petty fouls called for barely touching an opponenton defence.
It took until she was 23 to really find rugby but it has been a perfect match for the rapid improver in the Reds’ ranks.
She relishes the physical stuff as a prop in the engine room and her sharp hand-eye co-ordination from her hoops days translates to some excellent ball-handling.
Taking the leap to Wallaroos selection last year was a huge honour for Sekona, 25, who is excited that she still has so much more potential to explore.
“I’ve so much still to learn about playing prop and know how much room for improvement I still have,” Sekona said.
“Basketball was always my sport from Grade 7 to 21 but anyone who plays knows the frustration when you get fouled for hardly touching someone.
“I love the contact in rugby.
“You can run straight into people and get away with it.”
Sekona’s style is more cultured than she makes it sound when she neatly latches onto a pass and thunders ahead.
Sekona admitted she was still so new to the code last year that she really didn’t set any goals for herself.
“I wasn’t expecting much in 2019 so I really didn’t set many goals,” Sekona said.
“I never thought I’d ever make an Australian team so to play against Japan and New Zealand for the Wallaroos were great moments.
“I played in the grand final we lost by three points (8-5) to NSW last season and making the final and winning is one of my big goals for this year.”
Sekona excelled as a tall forward for basketball’s South West Metro Pirates in Brisbane and was selected for the Queensland Under-18s.
Her early sporting hero was Opals icon and WNBA trailblazer Lauren Jackson and she daydreamed of a basketball scholarshipto an American college.
The birth of children Meleane, 8, and Elama, 7, created a break from sport but the rugby vibe grew watching partner Tui Nofoaiga play at Sunnybank.
“I fell in love with the game and the catch and pass skills of rugby have really been helped by my basketball background,” Sekona said.
“The family feel to being with the girls at the Reds just makes the whole experience enjoyable.”
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