Queensland Reds centre Isaac Henry simply called it the “happiest I’ve been on a rugby field in 15 months.”
Watching Henry’s strong 40 minutes for Wests last Saturday brought a smile to the face of every Bulldogs fan at Sylvan Road.
He threw the last pass for two tries and ran a strong inside line off a Moses Sorovi pass to score his own five-pointer.
The 46-29 win by the Bulldogs ended Easts’ unbeaten run and highlighted again how many clubs are in the hunt for the StoreLocal Hospital Cup.
Henry’s rehab from the ruptured patella tendon he suffered for the Reds in March last year has been diligent to get the 15-game Reds representative back in top shape.
“There was just a good feeling of confidence out there. To be honest, it’s the happiest I’ve been on a rugby field in 15 months,” Henry said.
“I don’t play outside centre that often but it felt comfortable. I’ve got a good understanding with ‘Mo’ over a long time and he just delivered the perfect pass (for the try).
“You can feel the team gelling and it’s nice to be a part of that at the Bulldogs.”
The third-placed Bulldogs are surging. That’s five straight wins heading into Saturday afternoon’s clash against the University of Queensland at St Lucia.
In all, 10 Reds squad players will be playing Hospital Cup.
Souths will be stiffened in the backrow with Seru Uru and John Bryant on board for the visit to Courtney Field where Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and flyer Will McCulloch will play for hosts Norths.
Leaders Easts host Bond University, who will have George Blake in the front-row.
At Ashgrove, GPS will be up against the Jude Gibbs-guided Brothers outfit.
INCREDIBLE STREAK FOR PADUA COLLEGE COHORT
Towering lock Will Ross savoured more than a First XV premiership with Padua College last Saturday.
The tough 24-19 victory over a spirited Marist College Ashgrove completed an astonishing run of eight premierships over eight school years.
More than that, there’s not a loss in there for Ross from Year Five to completing back-to-back First XV premierships at Banyo.
It’s an achievement shared with classy flyhalf Damon Humphrys. Others who have contributed so richly over the long haul include Nate Clark, Harry Verra, Jacob Grant, Billy Atchison, Brooklyn Faalafi, Joel Whelan and Jarah Chaseling.
“As a team, we were very tight. We were a team of very close mates who got closer and closer so we always felt the cohesion in the way we played,” Ross said.
“We went back into a room at Banyo after the match for some food and a few speeches. It was pretty emotional because it was all of us together and we know that’s not going to be the case again rugby-wise.”
As ever, Ross did his bit. He won the lineout for the rolling maul try scored by standout hooker Harry Walsh. He gobbled kick-off receptions and tackled stoutly.
Marist College Ashgrove pushed hard just as they did in Year Eight when an angled kick from Humphrys got a much younger version of this Padua cohort home on the buzzer.
Ross hasn’t stopped growing either. He’s inched from 1.98m to 2m between the 2024 and 2025 First XV titles.
Ross is one of the most exciting teenage talents in Australian rugby and will complete the season with Brothers Colts.
In February, he signed a three-year development deal to continue his rise at the Queensland Reds in collaboration with Rugby Australia through the National Youth Retention Strategy.
“I’m learning heaps with the Reds Academy, new stuff around the set piece and everything about the game,” Ross enthused.
QUILPIE FUNDRAISING DAY ON THE MAP FOR REDS DUO
Reds duo Liam Wright and Massimo De Lutiis are heading to Quilpie for the Elders Western Queensland Community Day on Thursday, July 3.
The free event at Bulloo Park aims to support a district still recovering from the April rains that led to major flooding.
Wright and De Lutiis will get into the “BBQ, Boots and Backing The West” mood by running a rugby clinic for local youngsters and joining a speakers’ panel.
There’ll be the obligatory Country Music flavour with guest James Blundell and his guitar. Wright and De Lutiis on back-up vocals in unconfirmed.
