GCDRU 2020: War of words erupts as Helensvale-Griffith Grand Final rematch washed out
Retired Gold Coast Eagles coach Jason North has returned to the club’s first grade team in their hour of need but in a vastly different position to the one he left.
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Retired Gold Coast Eagles coach Jason North has returned to the club’s first grade team in their hour of need but in a vastly different position to the one he left.
The 49-year-old stepped away from coaching the club in 2019 but made his shock return on Saturday to start in the Eagles’ front row as a player.
Shallow front row depth at the club forced coach Jai Johnson to put out an SOS to North, who helped lead the Eagles club rebirth in 2009.
After a 20 minute stint in last week’s trial against PBC, North played 50 minutes in the club’s win over Bond Pirates on Saturday.
“I’m feeling a bit sore today,” he admitted.
“It’s been a couple of years since I last played first grade rugby, which was probably back in 2015.
“What’s brought me back is to help the club out.
“Jai has been searching hard for players to cover the front row so just for the next couple of weeks I’m there to make up the numbers.
“I wasn’t expecting to start on Saturday.”
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North said the chance to share a celebratory beer with the old and new faces in the Eagles side had made the bumps and bruises worth it.
He surprised even himself with how well his body has recovered from a mammoth shift.
It was almost the perfect return to the Gold Coast’s top flight of rugby but for one missing ingredient.
“It would have been nice to get a meat pie,” North said.
“For me I was just trying to make sure my teammates didn’t look like fools by me playing alongside them.
“I had to really stand up and put my body on the line so no-one would think they’d be better off without me.”
North will continue on in First Grade until his services are no longer required, which he hopes will prove the case in a few weeks time.
Earlier
A war of words has erupted in Gold Coast rugby after Saturday’s rainfall washed out the highly anticipated Grand Final rematch between Griffith Uni Colleges and Helensvale.
Hosts Griffith were the only club on the Coast to have been washed out, sparking whispers they had cancelled the fixture because they “weren’t ready” for the defending champions.
Helensvale skipper Scott Stokes took to social media to stoke the embers of the Gold Coast’s hottest new rivalry.
“Wow can’t hide forever,” Stokes commented on the announcement that Knights fields had been washed out.
“The Death (Star) squad doesn’t like to get wet and dirty I’m guessing?”
Knights captain Jaye Paton countered: “I heard they found someone watering our field all morning? You (Stokes) fit the description, if you don’t want to play just let us know.”
Paton told the Bulletin the Knights home ground had been “pretty much underwater” but the Gold Coast Bulletin photographer assigned to cover the game rejected that description.
“Not that I saw,” the photographer said.
“It didn’t appear that bad – the other ground I went to (Surfers Paradise vs Palm Beach Currumbin, which did go ahead) was really slushy but it was about the same.
“I didn’t see it to be any worse (than the Knights ground).”
Stokes said his Helensvale team were filthy at calling the match a draw because of weather.
“A lot of players are dirty,” he said.
“We thought we could have played through it.
“We wanted to play but it takes two to tango, and if they weren’t willing to play we can’t force them.
“The offer was made to swap home games and we’d play them at Helensvale but they said no, so the decision was made to split points instead.
“I don’t know if they were trying dodge us, I just think they weren’t quite up to it yet.”
Paton denied that.
“They can talk all they want,” he said.
“Our field was pretty much underwater so there’s nothing really to say – we’re ready to play.
“We’re all disappointed it didn’t happen because we’ve been building towards this for 12 months.
“I don’t know if you’d call it a redemption game but that’s the team we want to beat more than anyone.
“We tried to organise a midweek game and they said no, so we split the points.
“I guess two points for them is better than zero.”
The drama has added spice to the September 12 rematch at Helensvale, in Round Eight.
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