Queensland Reds flyer Tim Ryan is to slot in at fullback for Brothers in Saturday’s Welsby Cup clash against Easts in the StoreLocal Hospital Cup.
The high-quality clash at Crosby Park has more than a trophy on the line because the winner will be a step closer to locking in a prized top two finish entering the finals.
Brothers coach Ben McCormack has given his backline a massive makeover since the last-start 29-26 loss to Bond University.
Reds winger Ryan’s inclusion at fullback will add thrust from the back in a position he filled in school days while speedster Will Cartwright and 2023 grand final finisher Robert Mapa are the new wingers.
Mapa has had a couple of runs in reserve grade to find his feet again since returning from his Major League Rugby season with Rugby Football Club Los Angeles.
In-form Ollie Harvey and David Fusitu’a, back from a knee niggle, will be big bodies in the centres with Henry Smith unavailable.
In the halves, Graham Urquhart and Harry Grant will team up again.
Up front, abrasive backrower Michael Wood is back after his mandatory game off for accumulating three yellow cards.
The Tigers are far more settled and a possible change at flyhalf dissolved mid-week when Lachie Kirk’s groin niggle again prevented him being considered.
The strong form of former Melbourne Rebels skipper Brad Wilkin in the 26-15 win over Souths shows how invested he is in helping the Tigers even though he is not eligible for the finals.
“It’s almost a new backline for us this week but the biggest thing is improving how we start,” McCormack said.
“We just can’t start playing at the 35-minute mark each week. It’s like we are coming out and watching the opposition to gauge the standard.
“That’s where we have fallen down recently (in losses to Bond and Wests) because a good second half is not enough.
"Ollie Harvey certainly did all he could in our last game. He played on the wing that day but he was breaking tackles, coming in for a pick-and-drive try and just finding work."
McCormack warned that the Tigers’ disciplined style posed a challenge.
“Easts play a very specific way. They play for territory and they don’t miss their 5m maul opportunities,” McCormack said.
“Easts are going really well and they will be a good test for us.”
Easts coach Simon Craig suggested Brothers’ DNA was well established too.
“They like to carry really hard through the middle and go wide. If we stop them there and get our line speed right in defence we’ll challenge them,” Craig said.
The Welsby Cup has been a fixture in club rugby since the 1930s. It is up for grabs when the two leading clubs after the first round next meet.
Seven of the nine Premier Rugby clubs have won it over the past 14 years. The Brethren collected it last year but the Tigers not since 2011.
The trophy is named after Thomas Welsby, a businessman, politician and sportsman who played in Queensland’s first intercolonial rugby team against NSW in 1882.
He served as President of the Queensland Rugby Union for a decade from 1929 after aiding in the revival of the code after the 10-year hiatus following World War One.
“The Welsby Cup is definitely a trophy we want to win along the way. We know it’s meaning,” McCormack said.
“We want to win everything we can. The minor premiership, the Hospital Cup, the Welsby Cup…they are all still up for grabs.”
Easts (56 points) head Wests (55) and Brothers (53) with three rounds to play but with Wests having played an extra game.
Fourth-placed Bond University (37) are in the box seat to take fourth spot in the semi-finals with a game in hand over fifth-placed Souths (35).
On Saturday, Bond are away to Sunnybank, Souths host University of Queensland and GPS will be at home against Wests for the Hammond-Taylor Shield game.
