Battle for the hospital cup BY SAM PHILLIPS On March 22, nine teams kicked their seasons off in the opening round of Queensland Premier Rugby for 2014. Five months later, just two teams remain in the hunt for the Hospital Cup, after Sunnybank overturned a 19 point half time deficit in last week’s preliminary final to edge GPS and advance to this Sunday’s grand-final against University of Queensland. Queensland Premier Rugby’s grand-final will feature seven St.George Queensland Reds players on Sunday afternoon. Tim Buchanan, David McDuling, Curtis Browning and Scott Gale will all suit up for minor premiers UQ, with Greg Holmes, Jake Schatz, and Liam Gill set to pull on the green jersey for their beloved Dragons. “It feels good to be here,” University head coach Mick Heenan said. “Us and Sunnybank have been the best two teams in the competition all season so I think we’re set for a great game. “You just have to look at Sunnybank’s second half last Sunday to know there will be no hint of complacency from our boys. “When you’re going up against three or four Wallabies it’s always going to be tough and the result can really go either way.” Sunnybank head coach Rod Seib shared Heenan’s sentiment. “We’re very pleased to be here on the back of our work ethic, training standards and work in games,” Seib said. “We have crawled back into the competition after starting slow and you just have to look at Sunday’s match to see evidence of that. “To come out in the second half and play like we did, it was just great to see the commitment from the boys.” Sunnybank’s 28-0 second half against GPS was a message to University that they have what it takes to down the minor premiers, if they weren’t already aware. Through their work at set piece time and efficient game management by Jake McIntyre and Henry Taefu, Sunnybank kept Jeeps inside their own half and took an ineluctable grip on the match. The performances of Reds stalwarts Holmes and Gill were typical of the standards the Dragons have set through 2014. “They were incredibly important for us,” Seib said. “Gilly is a world-class player and there aren’t too many guys that you can say that about at club rugby level. “Not only in his breakdown work but in his ability to take the ball to the line, be strong through contact and make the right decisions set an example for the rest of the boys.” The presence of Gill will be a focal point for the Red Heavies, who rely on efficient work at the breakdown as the first step in launching their poisonous attack. 6 v
Premier Rugby Weekly Program Grand-Final
To see the actual publication please follow the link above