SHEARERS RECRUIT HOLDS KEY
AS the Shearers continue their club rebuild and search for consistency on the field, a former Queensland Cup halfback has joined their cause at the perfect time.
Connor Toia has moved to Ormeau from the Burleigh Bears mid-season, bringing 33 games of experience in the state league and a point to prove.
He now forms a spine at the club which features former Mudgeeraba five-eighth Jack Rogers and NRL champion hooker Issac Luke to guide a relatively raw A-grade outfit.
Shearers coach Stuart Wilkins said the addition of Toia was a crucial one for the side, given their relative lack of squad depth in what is their first campaign back in the Rugby League Gold Coast competition.
He said a 30 minute passage in last week’s 46-18 defeat to Burleigh in which they clawed back from a 24-0 halftime deficit showed to him there was ability in his squad to work with. Now it was a matter of turning that half-an-hour period into an 80 minute dogfight, and
Toia’s inclusion was pivotal to that vision.
“He’s been a handy pick up, although he’s only been there the last week or so. When you get a player like Connor, he hasn’t played with these players pretty much so we’re try to get some cohesion going,” Wilkins said.
“The organisational and set up skills he brings to the club are really good. That’s the sort of player we need to drive us forward and consolidate and work off Issac Luke.
“I’ve got some quality footballers there, some of the players are playing exceptionally and I’m really happy with the way they’re going.
“Coen Rankmore is going really well, Dylan Pelo is playing really well … it’s about learning to play A-grade.”
Wild weather could yet call off round six, with Wilkins confirming his side have been unable to train all week with the Ormeau fields underwater. Thus far only the A-grade games have not been cancelled, with a decision to be made on Saturday afternoon as to whether all games can be played at one venue.
However if the Shearers are to take the field against Southport on Sunday, Wilkins has demanded greater resilience from his men off the ball, with only Helensvale conceding more points this season.
“To be perfectly honest we probably lack three or four players with depth. We played against the really good sides and it shows we don’t have the depth of the other clubs at this stage,” he said.
“I could do with two more middles … we’re working on it, and that’s all part of the process of coming back into the competition.”