Bond Pirates Team of the Decade selections revealed
The best players to pull on the colours of the Bond Pirates this decade have been honoured by Gold Coast Bulletin rugby writer Nic Darveniza.
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It seems only fair to grade the Bond Pirates club on a bell curve.
The 2010s have been a decade of downright misery for a club more used to playing semi-finals than watching them from the sidelines.
That misery was punctuated by a glorious 2015 season, when the Pirates rediscovered their winning identity.
Spurred on by one of the most exciting backlines the competition has seen this decade, the Pirates triumphed over adversity to fight their way into the Big Dance.
Double knockout wins as underdogs had the club riding high but few teams would have been better than the 2015 Gold Coast Eagles, who won their third consecutive Premiership that season.
It was the most promising year of the decade but it quickly passed as player turnover crippled attempts to capitalise on the foundations laid.
Nailing down consistency in playing style and personnel will go a long way to helping the Pirates catch up to the pack, who have accelerated towards the new decade with purpose.
Club officials are confident the overall growth in the competition will extend to the Pirates as well.
Stability in the playing roster will see the core of the 2019 side return, with a year’s more experience and hunger under their belt.
The addition of a Friday night third-grade side, the brainchild of Lincoln Matehaere Sr, will go some way to bringing back the old club culture.
Bond Pirates Team of the Decade
1. Ben Louisson
The former Pirates colt returned from a decade abroad to claim his place in the Pirates first grade team in 2015. The 6’3, 130kg prop will play on in 2020 despite turning 40.
2. Jaques Puren
The South African hooker played just one season this decade but could not be left out of the team. A Schalk Brits clone, Puren is arguably the finest skipper the Pirates have ever had.
3. Sam Webb
Webb captained the Pirates to their most successful season this decade. A good club man and powerfully built, Webb has tough to budge at scrum-time.
4. Matthew Peel
Peel was the first ever Pirates junior and played all the way through the club. Peel would have played around 1000 games in the club’s colours despite playing Colts with the Gold Coast Breakers.
5. Simon Rezzo
Rezzo, Peel and Webb are all graduates from the Pirates 2004 premiership-winning Colts side. Rezzo went the furthest of the group, representing Croatia in international rugby.
6. Bradley Plant
Technically a Number Eight, Plant was simply too good to leave out of the back-row. Plant’s versatility often saw him line up in the inside backs, which was a daunting sight for opposition players.
7. Callum McKensie
McKensie last played for the Pirates in 2013 but will return in 2020 after several years playing in New Zealand rugby’s second division. The former Bond University ace is big, mobile and impossible to remove from the breakdown.
8. Tai Ford
Ford is as devoted a Bond Pirate as they come, taking every available opportunity to return to the club to play, train or help out. Ford. Club officials say Ford will be welcomed back with open arms upon completion of a four-year suspension for performance enhancing drugs.
9. Ed Hendry
The scrumhalf has made a home for himself at the Pirates after moving to the Coast from England in 2014. Hendry boasts a smooth cocktail of speed and skills, garnished with an even quicker wit.
10. Greg Bannister
Bannister only played one season for the Pirates but made a lasting impression, guiding the team into the Grand Final for the only time this decade. Bannister claimed the competition’s best back honours in 2015.
11. Michael Burke
Burke’s loyalty to the club cannot be questioned, as attempts to poach the flyer from more successful clubs were batted away. A true fullback, Burke slots onto the wing of the team of the decade.
12. Cayden Matehaere
The Matehaere family is the heart and soul of the Pirates club, with Cayden an especially talented member of the 10-player clan. Stints with Brisbane’s Nudgee College and the Melbourne Rebels have honed sharp playmaking skills.
13. Timmy Collins
Collins only stood 172-odd centimetres tall but could beat anyone with his speed, sidestepping or arsenal of skills. The Wellington-born Maori talent represented Queensland Country Heelers as well as the Pirates.
14. Tom Sly
A talented rugby league prospect recruited to the club by the Matehaere family, Tom Sly set the 2017 first grade competition alight, averaging two tries per game. Teammates rated him as one of the fastest players Gold Coast rugby had seen over the decade.
15. Damien Timms (C)
Often the smallest man on the field, Timms was a try-saving machine. Few can recall ever seeing the fullback miss a tackle and his brash confidence inspired players to match him. One of the Pirates’ most beloved characters.
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