Colleges’ hospital pass
Late coaching drama adds to intrigue of GCRU grand final
COLLEGES are walking wounded to the point where even their coach is racing the clock for the Gold Coast District Rugby Union grand final tomorrow.
Graham Herlihy has been in and out of hospital since Sunday morning, when he was suddenly struck down by a severe bout of vertigo.
Herlihy has insisted he will defy the condition to be on hand for the decider at the Knights’ home in Ashmore and his players have no doubt their mentor will soldier on.
“I’d guarantee he will be there, 100 per cent,” club captain Shaun Cole said.
“Worst case, we have got (coaching co-ordinator) Paul Longman as well so he could take over but I would guarantee that Herls would be there.”
The veteran coach is not the only Knight battling, with star back Matthew Blair needing a cortisone injection to get through the side’s preliminary final against Helensvale after injuring the AC joint in his shoulder the week before.
“He’s a bit sore still but he’ll be right to go,” Cole confirmed.
Prop Josh Wood has served a one-match ban ahead of the decider but Colleges are unlikely to have further reinforcements after serious recent injuries to the likes of Connor Pritchard, Sepeti Junior Afu and Caleb Kingi.
Wood’s ban came as a result of an on-field scuffle with Surfers Paradise winger Diaz Sharrock two weeks ago.
Both were red carded and suspended for a match but the timing proved worse for Sharrock, with his team’s win that day in the grand final qualifier meaning he has been unable to serve his ban this weekend.
The Dolphins fought in vain at the judiciary, with club president Kim Gerry arguing Sharrock’s ban was harsher than Wood’s due to the respective games they’d miss.
“We think it’s a tough decision but we don’t make the rules,” he told the Bulletin.
Surfers, though, boast the two leading tryscorers through the regular season with flyers Karl Giles and Nicolas Pavlovski both crossing 17 times. The latter has added two to that tally in the finals series.
Herlihy conceded the Dolphins “deserve to be raging hot favourites”, having won 36 matches in a row.
“But there will be a game of footy and we will be competitive, I can assure you,” he said.
The final kicks off at 3pm.