Huppatz the hero as Bulldogs secure title
TEACHERS West towering second rower Hugh Huppatz ran riot at Mike Carney Toyota Park producing a grand final hat-trick as the club sealed a fifth-straight Townsville District Rugby Union first grade premiership.
It also capped off a secondstraight undefeated season for the side who were infallible in the 42-12 decider win over Army.
The Bulldogs went into the grand final with a game plan to match Army in the middle of the field, with their sizeable forward pack working overtime to win the battle of the ruck.
And it was their men on the edges who benefited from the hard yakka as they ran in six tries to two.
“The boys were fairly clinical, our forwards really took it to the Army boys,” Teachers West coach Terry Sheills said.
“It was an area we thought we were down on a bit (in the major semi-final). There was heavy contact and strong ruck work from both sides, it was a good, tough battle.”
The win cemented the Bulldogs’ dynasty in Townsville rugby, with five straight first-grade premierships as well as premierships in second grade and women’s.
It is no mean feat for a club to maintain a winning run like that especially in regional centres like Townsville where the playing roster can be
A MONTH of bad luck caught up with the Townsville Heat, who had their dream of a championship threepeat ended at the hands of Gold Coast on the weekend.
Playing in the Queensland Basketball League semi-finals at Carrara Indoor Stadium on the Gold Coast, the reigning champions were no match for the Rollers, who advanced to come quite transient. Sheills puts it down to the players’ commitment off the field. Their commitment to the sport, to the club and to each other.
“They all train hard and they work hard for each other and that was evident (in the grand final),” he said.
“We talk about it in our group, they are all self-driven. They work hard on setting the standard for themselves and for each other.
“I think it is definitely the driving force of their success. They decide at the start of the year how much work they are doing. They come to the first training session and they are all already in peak fitness. They go to the gym in their time, they rehab their injuries well, and they put in the work.”
The premiership win was also the perfect send-off for a host of Bulldogs players who will not return to the Townsville rugby fields in 2020, including speedy centre Josh Lamb and captain Tom Vinson.
Lamb is expected to head to the UK, while Vinson will be moving closer to family in Toowoomba next season. The Bulldogs captain said the win over Army was the perfect way to cap off his time with the Townsville club.
“It was a bit of an emotional moment. I just wanted to finish off what has been a good year for the club,” he said.
Army were far from overawed by the experience of the grand final in what has been the club’s inaugural year in the competition.