Mudcrabs claw way up
Northern Beaches in the mix as rugby season kicks off
IT has taken years of hard work but the Northern Beaches are primed to be the big movers in FNQ Rugby.
The Mudcrabs will kick off the condensed 2020 season at their Yorkeys Knob home on Thursday night with a new sense of optimism after several years of being towards the bottom of the A-grade ladder.
A long arduous rebuilding program is set to pay off as the club boasts healthy numbers across all three teams: A-grade, reserve grade and women’s.
So much so, that coach Russell Todd welcomed more than 60 players to training in their last session before kick-off.
“We’ve been rebuilding with a number of younger players, and with the addition of a few new faces, it’s looking really good,” Todd said.
Mudcrabs won the reserve grade title last year but its Agrade side finished at the bottom of the ladder.
It was common for players to back up and play both grades, but the club might have reached the light at the end of the tunnel.
Cam Scott will captain the side from the front-row, with exciting prospect Dharzell Roberts named at fullback.
Steering the ship at fly-half will be Ernest Suavai, who is back in Cairns after a stint with the Tuggeranong Vikings in Canberra, and Jacke McAnally at the base of the scrum.
They will face a Brothers side which struggled to attract numbers during the off-season, along with the departure of former coach Sven Schafer, who moved to the Mudcrabs to be their forwards coach.
Brothers flanker Jason Furze said the new-look side would expect a fast-paced young Mudcrabs outfit with the dangerous Suavai leading the charge.
“Ernest is a really good player, and they look like a young side so I think they’ll be looking to play pretty fast,” Furze said.
“The last few weeks of training, things have been pretty good.
“We’ve kept the core group together but there’s a lot of new faces.
“I’m not really sure how we’ll go - I’ll be able to tell you after (the game).”
Kick-off is at 8pm.