Bond University Queensland Country coaches and squad announced for 2017 National Rugby Championship
The Queensland Rugby Union today announced the Bond University Queensland Country squad and coaching staff for the 2017 National Rugby Championship.
Sixteen players have been selected from Queensland Premier Rugby, with all nine clubs represented.
The squad was announced ahead of the first round of Queensland Premier Rugby finals, with seven Queensland Country players in action this Sunday as Sunnybank and Wests clash in the minor semi-final, while University of Queensland and GPS will go head-to-head in the major semi-final.
The squad features 14 players with Super Rugby experience and 21 returning Queensland Country players from last season, with the addition of a number of new talented players including scrumhalf Tate McDermott (University of Queensland), who in just his first year out of school has already represented the Australian Men’s Sevens side. Bond University’s Tai Ford will receive his first NRC call-up at the age of 27.
Three capped Test players have been named, including Wallabies allocated players Stephen Moore and Eto Nabuli, along with veteran lock Rob Simmons.
Five Australian U20s representatives have also been named in the squad, including flyhalf Hamish Stewart and young lock Harry Hockings, who will join the Reds in 2018.
The Country squad features 35 players in total, 13 of which have ties to Queensland’s country regions.
Former World Cup-winning All Black Brad Thorn has been named head coach of the side for the first time and will be joined by former Queensland and Wallabies winger Paul Carozza as an assistant coach after the pair struck a successful coaching partnership with the victorious Queensland’s U20s side earlier this year.
Thorn and Carozza coached the Queensland U20s to their second-straight undefeated Super U20s Championship title earlier this season, and with six players from that Queensland side in the Country squad, the coaches hope to implement some of the same cultural elements that underpinned the 20s campaign.
Head coach Thorn said: “We’ve put together a strong squad that has a mix of professional players and individuals who have performed in club Rugby throughout the season.
“There is also a good balance of experience as well as exciting young players who have emerged from our U20s pathway.
“We instilled a culture based on hard work, remaining humble and playing as a team, a collective unit, throughout the Super U20s Championship, and Paul and I will look to bring some of those cultural elements through to the Country program.
“We want to continue to build and develop the next generation of players in Queensland and represent the Queensland Country community in the process.
“We’re excited to take matches to regional centers once again, and hosting our first home game at Noosa Dolphins, one of the strongest clubs in country Rugby throughout the state, will be a special occasion.”
The first Queensland Country home game in Round 2 will see the annual Andy Purcell Cup match between Country and Brisbane City take place at Noosa Dolphins Rugby Club on the Sunshine Coast.
The country will also host two matches at Bond University on the Gold Coast, taking on the Melbourne Rising and NSW Country, before hosting Perth Spirit at North Ipswich Reserve in their fourth and final home game.
For more information, got to www.redsrugby.com.au.
| 2017 Bond University Queensland Country squad | ||||
| Name | Age | Club | Representative Honours | Country Background |
| PROPS | ||||
| Sef Fa’agase | 26 | Reds/University of Queensland | Queensland Country Heelers (2009), ARU National Academy (2012), Reds A (2013-2014), Brisbane City NRC (2014), Queensland Reds (2015-), Queensland Country NRC (2015-2016), Wallaby XV (2016) | Beaudesert Warriors Junior, Gold Coast Breakers, Queensland Country Heelers representative |
| Richie Asiata | 21 | Easts | Queensland Schoolboys (2013, 2014), Australian Schoolboys (2014), Queensland U20s (2016), Australian U20s (2016), Queensland Country NRC (2016), Queensland Premier Rugby President’s XV (2017) | |
| Taniela Tupou | 21 | Reds/Brothers | Queensland Country NRC (2015-2016), Queensland U20s (2016), Queensland Reds (2016-), Wallabies development player (2016) | |
| Kirwan Sanday | 26 | Reds/Easts | Australian Barbarians (2014), Reds A (2014), Fiji Warriors, Queensland Country NRC (2014, 2016), Queensland Reds (2017) | |
| Fred Burke | 28 | GPS | Queensland Country NRC (2014, 2015), Crusaders Academy (2013), Canterbury ‘B’ ITM Cup (2012), Crusaders U21s (2010), Crusaders U20s (2009), Crusaders U19s (2008) | |
| HOOKERS | ||||
| Alex Mafi | 20 | Reds/Bond University | Queensland Schoolboys (2012-2014), Australian Schoolboys (2013-2014), Queensland U20s (2015, 2016), Queensland Country NRC (2015, 2016), Queensland Reds (2017) | Mount Isa, Gold Coast |
| Alex Casey | 26 | Souths | Queensland U15s (2007), Queensland Schoolboys (2008), Brisbane City U19 team (2010), Brisbane City NRC (2015) Queensland Country NRC (2016), Queensland Premier Rugby President’s XV (2017) | |
| Efi Ma’afu | 19 | GPS | Queensland Schoolboys (2015), Australian Schoolboys (2015), Queensland U20s (2016, 2017), Australian U20s (2017) | |
| Stephen Moore (Wallabies allocated player) |
34 | Reds/University of Queensland | Queensland Reds (2003-2008, 2017-), Australian Wallabies (2005-), Rugby World Cup (2007, 2011, 2015), Queensland Country (2016) | From Rockhampton |
| LOCKS | ||||
| Izack Rodda | 20 | Reds/Easts | Queensland Schoolboys (2014), Australian Schoolboys (2014), Queensland U20s (2016), Australian U20s (2016), Queensland Country NRC (2016), Queensland Reds (2017-) | |
| Rob Simmons | 28 | Reds/Sunnybank | Queensland Schoolboys (2006), Australian Schoolboys (2006), Australian U19s (2007), Australian U20s (2008), Queensland (2009-), Australian Wallabies (2010-), Rugby World Cup (2011, 2015), Queensland Country (2016) | From Theodore in Central Queensland |
| Philip Potgieter | 22 | University of Queensland | Queensland Schoolboys (2012), Australian A Schoolboys (2012) Queensland U20s (2014-2015), Queensland Country (2015), Australian Barbarians (2015, 2016) | From Toowoomba, went to high school at Toowoomba Grammar School, South Toowoomba Kookaburras Junior |
| Harry Hockings | 18 | University of Queensland | Australian U20s (2017), Queensland U20s (2017), Queensland Schoolboys (2015), | From Bowen, Northern Queensland. |
| BACKROW | ||||
| Angus Scott-Young | 20 | University of Queensland | Queensland U16s (2013), Queensland U20s (2015, 2016, 2017), Australian U20s (2016, 2017), Queensland Country NRC (2016) | |
| Liam Wright | 19 | Easts | Queensland U20s (2016, 2017), Australian U20s (2016, 2017), Queensland Country NRC (2016) | |
| Caleb Timu | 23 | Reds/Souths | Queensland U16s (2010), Queensland Schoolboys (2011), Australian Schoolboys (2011), Broncos U20s (2013), Queensland Reds (2016-) | |
| Ted Postal | 26 | Brothers | Queensland U16s (2007), Queensland Schoolboys (2008-2009), Australian Schoolboys (2009), Australian U20s (2011), Western Force (2011), Narbonne (2013-2015), Queensland Country NRC (2016) | Originally from Townsville |
| Fraser McReight | 18 | Brothers | Australian Schoolboys (2016), Queensland Schoolboys (2016), Queensland Sevens (2016), Queensland U20s (2017) | Originally from the Sunshine Coast |
| Tainui Ford | 26 | Bond University | Waikato U16s, Queensland Premier Rugby President’s XV (2017) | Gold Coast |
| Tyrone Pritchard | 21 | Easts | Emerald Rams, NQ Cowboys U20s | Emerald Rams in Central Highlands competition |
| SCRUMHALVES | ||||
| James Tuttle | 21 | Reds/GPS | Queensland U20s (2014- 2016), Australian U20s (2015, 2016), Queensland Schoolboys (2013), Queensland Country (2014-), Queensland Reds (2015-) | |
| Tate McDermott | 18 | University of Queensland | Queensland U20s squad (2017), Australian Sevens (2017), Queensland Premier Rugby President’s XV (2017) | Born in Bundaberg, grew up on the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore Swans junior, Sunshine Coast Grammar Frist XV |
| Scott Malolua | 24 | Souths | Queensland Country NRC (2015-) | |
| FLYHALVES | ||||
| Hamish Stewart | 19 | Bond University | Queensland Schoolboys (2015), Australian Schoolboys Barbarians (2015), Queensland U20s (2017), Australian U20s (2017), Queensland Reds (2017-) | From Toowoomba, attended high school at Toowoomba Grammar School, Toowoomba Bears Junior |
| Teti Tela | 26 | Souths | Queensland Country (2015) | |
| CENTRES | ||||
| Duncan Paia’aua | 22 | Reds/Norths | Queensland U16s (2011), Broncos U20s (2013-2014), Queensland U20s (2015), Australian U20s (2015), Queensland Reds (2015-), Queensland Country NRC (2014,2015, 2016) | Central Queensland |
| Patrick James | 22 | Brothers | Queensland U20s (2014-2015), Brisbane City NRC (2015, 2016), Queensland Premier Rugby President’s XV (2017) | |
| Conor Chittenden | 24 | Norths | Queensland Premier Rugby President’s XV (2017) | |
| OUTSIDE BACKS | ||||
| Campbell Magnay | 20 | Reds/GPS | Queensland Schoolboys (2013), Australian Schoolboys (2013), Queensland Country NRC (2014-), Queensland Reds (2015-), Queensland U20s (2015, 2016), Australian U20s (2015, 2016) | |
| Izaia Perese | 20 | Reds/Easts | Queensland U16s (2013), Queensland Schoolboys (2014), Australian Schoolboys (2014), Queensland U20s (2015), Reds Elite Development Squad (2015), Queensland Country NRC (2015-), Wallabies development player (2016), Queensland Reds (2016-), Australian U20s (2017) | |
| Eto Nabuli (Wallabies allocated player) | 29 | Reds/GPS | Penrith Panthers (2014), St.George Dragons (2015), Fiji Rugby League (2014, 2015), Queensland Reds (2016-), Queensland Country NRC (2016) | |
| Jock Campbell | University of Queensland | |||
| Filipo Daugunu | 22 | Wests | ||
| Byron Hutchinson | 27 | Wests | Perth Spirit (2015-2016) | |
| Veresa Mataitini | 26 | Norths | Queensland A (2013), Queensland Premier Rugby President’s XV (2017) | |
2017 Bond University Queensland Country Team Staff
Head Coach: Brad Thorn (QRU)
Assistant Coach: Paul Carozza (QRU)
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Sean Yoshiura (QRU)
Team Manager: Nico Andrade (QRU)
Physiotherapist: Gina Nelson (QRU)
Team Doctor: Peter Stickler (GPS)
Video Analyst: Michael Todd (QRU)
Media Manager: Brendan Hertel (QRU)
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