Crockett’s shot at glory
LAST HURRAH: Veteran relishing another chance for premiership with Rangers
IN 2011, Tom Crockett was coaxed out of retirement to play a key role in Toowoomba Rangers’ bold Risdon Cup campaign.
Rangers defied their underdog tag during that year’s finals series to battle through to the grand final where they eventually went down to a red-hot USQ outfit.
Two years later, Crockett is still at it with Rangers and playing some of the best football of his Downs Rugby days in his second-year as player-coach.
Tomorrow, the 35-year-old Fitness Works co-operator continues what will probably be his last season in a front-line role at the club when Rangers tackle Goondiwindi in a do-or-die semi-final.
For Crockett and his surviving 2011 troops, this season’s finals series is shaping as a case of deja vu. Minor premiers Toowoomba Bears, emerging Dalby and defending title-holder Goondiwindi have stamped themselves as this year’s premiership heavyweights.
Rangers enter the final weeks of the competition as distinct outsiders but tomorrow they plan to start feeding off that tag.
“We came from exactly the same position in 2011,” Crockett said this week.
“Our first season goal was to make the finals and now each game is a bonus for us.
“The other three teams have been the form sides of the year, but at the end of the day it’s about 15 on 15 players and we’ll give it our best shot.”
Crockett’s decision to play on this season has proved timely for Rangers who have been ravaged by player loss through serious injuries, including his close friend and class five-eighth Eoin Carey.
“I’ve definitely enjoyed my decision to play on,” Crockett said.
“There is a great camaraderie at the club and one of the things I’ve tried to instil into our A graders is there is more to our roles there than just playing. It’s not about take, take all the time, but also giving back to our supporters, juniors and the community and I think they are doing a good job of that.”