Pain turns to gain for Edmond
FOR years, Josh Edmond watched on painfully as his childhood club battled.
The winger first pulled on a Nerang jersey in 1997 as a fouryear-old. That year the Bulls took a clean sweep of all three senior premierships.
In 2010, he made his Bulls first-grade debut in a season in which they placed third.
But in the six years he tried his hand at Queensland Premier Rugby club Sunnybank, he saw things at Glennon Park “fizzle out”.
“I would always go down to the club because I lived locally the whole time and it was hard seeing the boys struggle so much, like pretty much playing two games of rugby (every weekend) just because they didn’t have the numbers,” Edmond reflected.
“When I finished up trying to play premier rugby, there was only one club I was going to play for.”
He returned last year to be part of the outfit that won the second-grade title to all but secure their return to the top tier.
The 26-year-old captains Nerang these days. The club have more than held their own on return to first grade, going mightily close to toppling frontrunners Helensvale and Surfers Paradise.
They’ll have their second shot at the Hogs today.
“The last time we played them we scored three tries to one … but they kicked 15 points in penalties, so our biggest goal will be to cut down on penalties,” Edmond said.
He believes the side’s 40-0 Round 2 loss to reigning champions Griffith University Colleges “opened everyone’s eyes,” sparking them to lift their game.
And with a reasonable grip on fourth place at this stage, they have it all to play for in the coming months.
“Last year we finished fourth in second grade and ended up taking out the title so as long as you’re in the top four at the end of the year anything can happen,” Edmond said.