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If I had been able to catch up with Brad Thorn over the weekend, say, in a restaurant in Brisbane, I would have said something like, “Brad, I’ve been a Brumbies fan since day one, but I have never seen them play as badly as they did on Friday night”.
“You have a magnificent forward pack and that’s what it was down to,” I would have probably added, and then, “On Friday night I saw a group of blokes who obviously respect their coach to the point that they would follow their structures and their game plan to the letter”.
As a former coach, that would have left a lump in my throat because that is what we live for: the validation that your plan can work and that the blokes will follow you. You feel sorry for Brad that he can’t play a game or two for the Reds because you know that they would follow him into the trenches and take no prisoners.
I watched him on TV at full-time in the National Rugby Championship final last year and he appeared really hesitant to get in the middle and take credit, and his face showed that kind of pride only a coach who has won a grand final can understand.
It is the time for the players to go nuts and celebrate and for the coach to stand back and bask in it, letting it all happen and knowing that there is time later on, in the sanctuary of the shed to let it all out.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
I was at the game on Friday night as a guest of my boss, who is always a little wary of me giving it to him when the Brumbies dominate the Reds. Even though the Reds essentially butchered three tries in the first 20 over on the left flank and a fourth on the right, they never gave in. They stuck to the plan. I mean, who scores two tries to nil and still loses?
The other telling factor was that Dan McKellar started emptying his bench not long after half-time. What’s that all about? My beloved Brumbies just could not get into the game, and the penalty count is testament to it, even if I do have a personal view that Angus is a touch whistle-happy.
I have been a Brumbies fan since they started in 1996 when coincidentally I first moved to Canberra, and although I now live in Brisbane I cannot bring myself to change – you can take the boy out of Canberra and all that.
But If I were a passionate Queenslander, I would not abandon the Reds, and they are my second team. Despite living in Sydney most of my life, being passionate about the best tugby club in the world, Norths, I am not and never will be a Waratahs fan. It’s just the way it is. I’m a big fan of Jeeps in Brisbane, though, and my boy plays there.
(AAP Image/Hamish Blair)
It was a real shame that there were only about 11,500 people at Suncorp on Friday night, and you can understand it given what the Queensland Rugby Union has put its fans through in recent times. I go past there everyday on my way home from the office and there have been many Reds games in past years where I didn’t bother stopping in.
It was a beautiful night for rugby, with the weather not too hot and the ground in great shape. I do like going to games at Suncorp, and it’s only a short taxi ride home to Red Hill, which is close to our favourite Italian Restaurant, La Pinsa. If you live in Brisbane, you owe to yourself to try David’s fine Roman cuisine.
I went to a dinner at Tattersalls in Brisbane a couple of years ago when the guest speakers were then current Queensland coach Richard Graham and new boy Brad Thorn. There was no doubt in my mind that night that Richard was a dead man walking and Brad was being groomed, and why not?
So, Queenslanders, if you didn’t see a major ray of hope in that result last Friday night, you are not paying attention. I get why a lot of you gave up your memberships, but I would really encourage you to get back behind your team.
I’m a bit worried about the Brums, though.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.