- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Opinion
Floyd Aubrey is the Indigenous talent that rugby league couldn’t woo and the pay-off will be a Queensland Reds debut when the time comes.
The silky mover from Murgon is still just 19 and the wisdom of keeping a stable family base in Queensland is a big part of his progression.
His mother Yvonne advised him to pursue a plumbing apprentice and stay close to “all the people who have his back” rather than get lost as a wide-eyed kid at an an NRL club in Sydney.
His mob of young relatives, Jaquon, Stephen, Derek, Harriet and Saffron, will all be at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night with his mum.
Reds rookie Floyd Aubrey (centre rear) with his mob (from left) Jaquon, mum Yvonne, Stephen, Derek, Harriet and Saffron at his GPS Rugby Club.
Only those at the Reds, his club GPS and his old schoolmates from Marist College Ashgrove know why there should be a huge fuss over young “Cookie.”
He is one of those players you stop on the sidelines and gawk at. That was definitely the case during his AIC Premiership days at Marist College Ashgrove where Wallabies John Eales and Daniel Herbert once prompted the same reaction.
Aubrey has a classic one-handed scoop and dash move that puts him a stride ahead of defenders. His sidestep has a bit of sizzle too. His mood is always to attack as he showed for GPS in 2021 when he was named Queensland’s Colt of the Year.
He doesn’t come in a big package but he’s courageous and has a footballer’s mind. He’s already in Australia’s Junior Wallabies squad.
He prefers to play fullback to pick the open spaces and defensive weaknesses in front of him. Should the Reds blood him from the bench against the Chiefs, he will almost certainly play on the wing to find his feet.
The-highly encouraging sign is that he is another Indigenous player in the Reds pathways so soon after Moses Sorovi, who made his mark after finding his way to Brisbane from Yam Island in the Torres Strait.
Floyd Aubrey of Queensland Reds (Photo by Brendan Hertel, QRU)
Not so many years ago, that canvas was blank.
You can’t be what you can’t see. For Aubrey that meant watching a lot of NRL on free-to-air TV as a kid.
The step, pass and speed of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Kalyn Ponga always caught his eye. Since becoming immersed at the Reds Academy and now the Reds, rugby role models fill his ambitions.
He loves the Indigenous jersey now worn more regularly by the Wallabies. It speaks to this proud youngster of the Wakka Wakka people.
Aubrey always sees chances on the field.
“I love fullback … there’s so much opportunity because all I see is space and gaps where you can either step or offload,” the quietly-spoken Aubrey said.
There is a sporting museum in Cherbourg, just a few kilometres from Murgon in Queensland’s South Burnett region. When he visited as a youngster he was told the spirits of Cherbourg’s great sportsmen are alongside him when he represents the town.
They are footballers, boxers, runners and one-off cricketers like famous fast bowler Eddie Gilbert, who once knocked the bat from the hands of Don Bradman at the Gabba.
“I want to do something with my footy, keep it going for sure,” Aubrey said.
Australian rugby has been catching up in recent years with the fostering of Indigenous talent. Mahalia Murphy scored five tries for the NSW Waratahs against the Melbourne Rebels in a Super W game in March and is a weapon for the Wallaroos.
Maurice Longbottom dazzled with his footwork at the Tokyo Olympics in men’s sevens. Kurtley Beale will be back at the Waratahs next year. He’s one player that Aubrey does want to meet as the natural attacker he is himself.
The talent ID in rural and regional areas has improved but far more resources can still be thrown at development.
Even when cash was short at the Queensland Rugby Union, the chiefs there made sure they kept up the award-winning Future Indigenous Leaders Program.
Youngsters like former Murgon State High student Ayana Murray, who graduated from the scheme, designed a previous Reds’ indigenous jersey.
Reds coach Brad Thorn was hoping he could give Aubrey a shot against the Chiefs.
“I’ve known him since he was 14 when my boys were playing at the same school. He’s a very talented young man,” Thorn said.