Bears duo ready for blast from the past
BURLEIGH bulldozers Josh Ailaomai and Luke Page are all fired up to crush their former club Illawarra in the interstate challenge tomorrow.
Ailaomai, 25, switched to the Cutters from Sydney Roosters affiliate Newtown in 2014 before landing at Burleigh last year.
Having played every Queensland Cup game this season, he is hungry to deliver the Bears the status of national champions.
“I love playing against old teams because it motivates me to play even harder,” he said.
“I like the club, but I like Burleigh more.”
Despite the Cutters boasting more NRL experience including 140-game veteran Josh McCrone, Ailaomai believes they can “get the chocolates” at ANZ Stadium.
“I don’t want to be arrogant … but I reckon we have got a good team,” he said. “If our team plays at our best then I reckon no one can beat us on the day.”
Ailaomai said there was a “good vibe” around the Bears camp as they prepared for the opportunity to play in the spotlight of NRL grand final day.
“It will be exciting because my family will get to see me play on TV,” he said, referring to immediate and extended family in New Zealand.
Page agreed the experience would be unforgettable.
“I have never been to an NRL grand final in my life,” he said.
“We only had about 6000 people at the (Queensland Cup final) so I think we might have triple that at the end of our game … so I’m really excited.”
The Brisbane-born prop’s ties with the Cutters are even more recent than Ailaomai, having spent the second half of last season there after a mid-season transfer from Canberra feeder Mounties.
He noted Illawarra had a vastly different squad to the one he played with – a roster overhaul that has worked equally well for the Bears.
Among the few familiar faces are mentor Jason Demetriou, who coached Page in the 2014 Queensland Residents side.
Page has also played alongside “smart” hooker McCrone and halfback Drew Hutchison, the man touted as Benji Marshall’s NRL successor at the Dragons.
Hutchison kicked the matchwinning field goal in the NSW Cup final last Sunday and is likely to be a prime target, along with McCrone, for Burleigh’s big pack.
“If we take them two out of the game it probably doesn’t leave much for someone else to take over,” Page said.
“If we can get at them we might tire them out and they probably won’t have as big a role.”