Finals dream comes true for Old Boy

EFFORT gets reward.

They are three simple words that North Ward coach Scott O’neill has reminded his troops every step of the way this season.

But for star centre Sam Bradley they take on a new meaning.

The former Country Heelers representative has had to fight tooth and nail this season to make it on to the field every week.

After taking a year out to travel the far reaches of Australia last season, the Kiwi rugby star was set for a big season with the Old Boys.

But it was brought undone before it started.

A serious knee injury ruled him out for six weeks, before the centre entered a week-byweek battle to be fit enough to take the field.

But as he faces an epic encounter with Charters Towers Bulls in the Townsville District Rugby Union minor semifinal, nothing could keep him out of the action.

“Anything can happen, it is knockout semi. While we all look at Teachers as the team to beat, every game from here can potentially be our last game,” he said.

“We have beaten (Bulls) twice this season already so we know we can do it, the belief is pretty high.”

It is a fairytale finals inclusion for the Charters Towers side, who have not featured in the crunch time of the competition for more than two decades. But that does not mean the Old Boys are ready to take it easy on the Bulls, instead keen to flex their own muscle and rise to the club’s first grand final appearance since 2005.

The Old Boys have worked as a unit and Bradley expects that to be much the same at Mike Carney Toyota Park tomorrow.

“We had a good session on Thursday, we just went over a few things that we were looking to brush up on,” he said.

“It was more of a morale training, you don’t have a big hard hit out on the Thursday before the game.

“There are 15 blokes out there that are going to get us through this final. We don’t have the big individual names that other teams do, we are a working-class team.”

Meanwhile TDRU newcomers Army will have a major point to prove when they meet competition heavyweights Teachers West in today’s major semi-final.

TDRU SEMI-FINALS MIKE CARNEY TOYOTA PARK

Today: 5.45pm,

West v Army

Tomorrow: 5.10pm, North Ward v Charters Towers Teachers