Oxford soon to become the new home for one of Oldmacs finest

The opening stages of the 2016 BLK Queensland Premier Rugby season have seen Sunnybank welcome some new and fresh faces into their Premier side, including a number of colts who have risen through the ranks.

The forward pack however features a number of well weathered Dragons, including loose forward George Blomfield, who has been one of the unsung heroes of Sunnybank Rugby Club since his first season at the Dragons in 2010.

A regular in the Premier starting XV throughout his time at the club, Goerge is now entering his seventh season with the Dragons.

“After playing my first season in 2010 at Sunnybank, I quickly worked out that I didn’t want to play anywhere else,” Blomfield said.

The professional environment and home-game atmosphere at Sunnybank are just two of the reasons why Blomfield loves playing for the Dragons. The Sunnybank number one oval, or Oldmac Oval as it is more commonly known, has become a second home to Bloomfield over the years.

“It’s a special feeling running out onto that field. It’s always good to score in the corner in front of the member’s area too.”

The environment at Sunnybank pushes every player to try and achieve their full potential and creates an encouraging yet competitive atmosphere throughout the club. The number of professional players and young aspiring players at the club continue to grow. It’s this environment that keeps stalwarts like Blomfield on his toes and keeps pushing him to compete at his best.

“I love that playing Premier Rugby is a high performance environment where you have to test yourself against the opposition as an individual and as a team,” he said.

The industrious flaker has always strived to achieve his best as well as gain valuable experiences along the way. Towards the end of 2011, Blomfield moved to London to play a season of Northern Hemisphere Rugby for Westcombe Park in the England National two competition. Wanting to travel, Blomfield saw Rugby as an avenue to broaden his horizons and experience different cultures.

Many of his close friends and fondest memories have come from his days of playing Rugby in England. However when home called, Blomfield moved back to Queensland and immediately sought out to pull on the Sunnybank jersey once again.

Since his return from England, Blomfield has been apart of the Premier squad at Sunnybank. The determined attitude of Blomfield has seen him become a role model and leadership figure around Sunnybank. His attitude on and off the field has helped shape some of the culture of the Club and won him the respect of his peers.

2016 has already proved to be a break through year for Blomfield, with some magnificent performances on the field. With experience and success behind him, Blomfield will take the 2016 season in his stride and help his team in their bid to lift the Hospital Cup at the end of the season.

However Blomfield always has a bigger picture in mind.

Following the 2016 Premier Rugby season, Blomfield will head back overseas to England where he will study a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at Oxford University. He will spend a year completing the course and playing Rugby for the renowned Oxford University Rugby Football Club.

A major aspiration and goal for Blomfield will be to play in the famous derby match between Oxford University and Cambridge University, which is played at Twickenham Stadium each year.

“I see this as the pinnacle of the amateur game, it would be incredible to be a part of it,” said Bloomfield.

In his typical cheeky yet infectious manner, Blomfield has already stated that if David Pocock was to be part of the Oxford Rugby team, that he would be holding down the number seven jersey while Pocock would be forced to play Number 8. Once his second stint in England is over, the Sunnybank stalwart hopes to return to Australia to play for his beloved Dragons in 2018.

Every club has their own stalwarts and older players to mentor the younger generation coming through. Blomfield has taken on this role and has become an integral part the Sunnybank Rugby Club.