Emus team up in South Qld squad
RUGBY UNION: When South Queensland runs out at the Queensland Country Championships this weekend there will be one club overwhelmingly represented.
Goondiwindi’s stellar campaign in the Risdon Cup has resulted in rep call-ups for seven of its players, with 10 Darling Downs players in total picked.
Spectators will no doubt be double-checking the team sheet, but anyone who has kept an eye on the Risdon Cup this season will not be shocked.
What may surprise some is the inclusion of Emus’ George Stacey, who started the season in B Grade before his talents earned him a promotion.
“We noticed he was pretty handy so he didn’t stick around in B Grade for too long,” Goondiwindi captain Jack Cook said.
Statistics also justify the Emus selections.
Goondiwindi fly-half Will Gilbert has notched more than 100 points thanks to his precision with the boot, while Cook stormed his way over the line for eight tries in seven games this season, the second-most in the competition.
The Emus soared into top spot this year with the rest
of the competition left playing catch-up with the leaders.
The chance to run out for South Queensland is just rewards for a Goondiwindi contingent that was left reeling from a grand final defeat in 2016.
“I think just looking at the list of results it has been a surprise but we (Goondiwindi) have got a pretty good team this year,” Cook said.
Just making it this far is reward enough for the Downs group, which heads into the state championships on the back of a gutsy win at the South Queensland Championships.
Now they have a chance to make it three in a row for South Queensland, which goes into the tournament in Bundaberg with a target on its back.
“It is hard to say without knowing how the other guys are going but we have won the last two so we have to take that confidence into the weekend,” Cook said.