Halfback Will Cartwright was catapulted from the Brothers bench to a Queensland Reds debut in four months because of his heroics in last year’s Australian Club Championship match.
You make the most of every showcase and this peak clash between the club premiers of Brisbane’s StoreLocal Hospital Cup and Sydney’s Shute Shield is exactly that.
Cartwright, 21, is delighted to have a rare second bite at the Australian Club Championship when Sydney club Easts venture to Crosby Park tomorrow.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred may have delayed the Australian Club Championship match by a week but it just highlights the energy in clubland to keep this storied fixture on the calendar.
For Cartwright, the energy for this match has just been magnified by the extra wait.
“It’s a fair bit to do with bragging rights whenever that Queensland-NSW rivalry comes into play,” Cartwright said.
“To beat a top Sydney club like Randwick gave the whole club a confidence heading into the 2024 season.
“It’s no different this year. We are up against a quality side in Easts, who broke a 55-year premiership drought to win in Sydney last year.
“There’s a lot of talk amongst the boys and around the club so we are definitely really keen for this one.”
Rewind to March, 2024. The Australian Club Championship was in the balance until super-sub Cartwright scooted over for the try that guaranteed a 25-18 win.
His speed caught the attention of Reds coaches. His versatility to play halfback and wing got them even more interested. He was brought in to make a dream debut against Wales and made further Reds appearances against Tonga and the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights.
On Saturday, Cartwright will be running the show in the halves with Harry Grant, a partnership melded in Colts with the Sunshine Coast Grammar product.
The Brethren tuned up with a trial against 2024 grand final adversaries Wests in Toowoomba recently.
While the result fell Wests way, Brothers coach Ben McCormack was upbeat with what the team got out of it.
“It was a good first hitout for the season and we created plenty of opportunities. Some more polish will come from that,” McCormack said.
“We’ll have nine or 10 guys backing up from our premiership side last year and the 2024 Australian Club Championship win.
“We had a proper celebration after beating Randwick. The boys know what the match against Easts means to them and the club.
“I think the experience of 2024 in this match and what it takes to win it goes a long way too. At this time of year, the match is going to be a bit of a scrap. It’s not going to be perfect so attitude and staying in the fight goes a long way.”
Forward Hamish Muller, who made his Reds debut against the Wild Knights in Japan last November, has returned to the club in top shape.
“Hamish has thickened up and has some man strength. He’s just a good footballer and he’ll be very good for us,” McCormack added.
Muller will play in the backrow.
Off the bench, former NRL weapon David Fusitu'a will come on as a winger. Now 30, Fusitu'a still has itchy feet for footy after more than a decade for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and Leeds Rhinos in England.
"It takes about two seconds to see that David is an athlete and a footballer," McCormack said.
"He played rugby as a young bloke. He's keen to have a crack. It's an exciting opportunity that's come about through an old boy connection."
The Easts side from Sydney includes some faces well known to Brisbane rugby fans, including winger Cooper Whiteside, who had a productive run with Wests.
The big day at Brothers deserves a crowd of more than 4000 fans with club rugby as the centrepiece of a great day hosted by Brothers.
Bond University will meet Sydney University for the Sukkar Cup in the Australian Women’s Club Championship match from 2.00pm.
The Brothers v Easts climax kicks off at 3.40pm (Qld time).
The full day kicks off with the Brothers women playing a trial against Brothers Sunshine Coast at 10:10am.
Toowoomba Bears have stepped up to play Brothers fifth grade from 11:35am.
The Country vs The Coast clash at 12:55am will feature the Roma Echidnas and Sunshine Coast Brothers with the players most likely to push closing time at the club to the limit.
BROTHERS: Seb Hanna, Ollie Harvey, Ben Dallecort, Henry Smith, Athen Waia-McGuiggan, Harry Grant, Will Cartwright, Brad Hemopo, Richard Clift, Hamish Muller, Will Wilson (c), Leo McCarthy, Tieli Samuels, Dom Fraser, Angus Lovelock. Reserves: Theo Fourie, Latu Talakai, Remi Sawtell, Ben Daniels, Noah Nielsen, Cooper Cameron, Oscar Varricchio, Jude Gibbs, Jake Sargood, David Fusitu'a
EASTS: R Cobb, J Heaven, R Lowrey, J Bokser, J Tougher Wells, C Booth, N Cross, G Gibson, B Dickens, J Bowen, C Whiteside, A McHenry, A Serfontein, J Cobb, C Bell. Reserves: Hayman, Sooaemalelagi, Taukipulu, Marolt, Simpson, Nicole, Bassingthwaighte, McMahon, Olver, Randle
