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Opinion
The talk of pathways is hot right now in Australian rugby, and with the return of many club competitions following the long weekend and the end of Super Rugby Pacific campaigns for all Aussie teams, young prospects were given the opportunity to go up against seasoned professionals.
Some exciting talent rose to the top over the past weekend, and with that comes opportunities for higher honour claims.
Hamish Muir – Fullback (Norths Rugby Union Club)
It’s been a tough few seasons for Norths. With the Hospital Cup as competitive as it is, wins have been hard to come by for the Eagles over the last few seasons, with them often out enthused by stronger opposition.
That’s not at all to say that there isn’t talent in the club and they haven’t been competitive; truth is that it is a case of long term growth for the men out of North Brisbane.
With that in mind, 2023 has already been a huge year of growth: while the wins have been few and they still sit near the bottom of the ladder, the competitiveness and performance of this team against stronger sides has not gone unnoticed, with them pushing Easts all the way in this weekend just gone away from home, plus strong attacking performances against the likes of Souths, GPS, Bond Uni and more.
A strong competitive side is emerging, and it’ll be great to watch it start to string together wins as it grows. One exciting prospect (despite not playing this weekend) is young fullback Hamish Muir.
Coming up through Villanova College, Norths colts program and the Reds Academy, Muir has looked promising up in top grade, showing capabilities above his age.
Hamish Muir in action for Norths (Photo by Stephen Tremain)
He has the makings of both a strong sevens and fifteens player, having made it into the QLD U18s squads for both forms of the game. Even more impressively, he captained the Sevens side. A versatile option at Fullback and Wing, he has a lot of growth to do before picking up a professional contract, but there is a lot to like with this kid!
Luke Gersekowski – Loose Forward (Northern Suburbs Rugby Club)
Sticking with exciting prospects doing well, Northern Suburbs have plenty of them down in the Shute Shield. Following a win at North Sydney Oval over a determined Western Sydney outfit, the Shoreman sit at the top an extremely congested ladder, albeit by a slim margin.
One of their best new arrivals is exciting loose forward from the Tuggeranong Vikings, Luke Gersekowski. A former Australian Schoolboys captain, Gersekowski has featured heavily in the Brumbies Runners, the Vikings titles wins, and was an inclusion in the final 2019 NRC squad for the Canberra Vikings. Also learning some of his craft alongside Super Rugby player Will Miller, Norths were quick to snap him up for a title challenge.
It’s easy to see why: he currently leads the tackle count in the Shute Shield with a whopping 151 tackles in eleven rounds of the regular season. While a physical and fast, agile game, he also brings the rugby smarts that seem to be the major concern for our Super Rugby sides right now.
April Downey – Fullback (Gungahlin Eagles Rugby Club)
Finishing off in the Captial, it is important to recognise how big a year it has been for the growth of Women’s Rugby.
Following the on-field success of the Super W and an exciting Pacific Four series coming up, it’s also encouraging to see the Brumbies officially launch a new Women’s Senior Academy, hoping to capitalise on the momentum the Brumbies Women showed in their domestic season.
Truth be told, there’s a lot of great talent in the Canberra competition, and one great talent is Gungahlin code hopper April Downey. Playing at Fullback for the Eagles, she also jumps between the Canberra Raiders and Sevens Rugby: let it not be said that she doesn’t keep busy!
The Eagles haven’t had a huge amount of success in 2023, but Downey herself has had a breakout year, being the second highest point scorer in the competition, being selected in the Rising Stars team in the 2023 AON Next Gen Sevens Series, and earning a place in the inaugural Brumbies Senior Academy.
Expect it won’t be long before we see her running around in Brumbies colours, or indeed, in Wallaroo gold.
Who are the club players that you think are deserving of higher honours? Let us know in the comments!
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.