It’s been a whirlwind 12 months since rookie Frankie Goldsbrough skipped out early from Schoolies week to jump into his first Queensland Reds training sessions as a 17-year-old.
Fast forward and the blond-haired back is thrilled to be getting a crack in the starting side for Sunday’s trial against the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium.
In Japan, he will partner former Churchie school mate Dre Pakeho in the centres against a Wild Knights side laced with experience.
The Reds are backing youth. Halfback Louis Werchon is the oldest player in the starting backline at 22 and he only celebrated that Thursday milestone over a ramen meal after the Reds arrived in Kumagaya.
No teen in Australian rugby has shifted gears through as many levels of the game this season as Goldsbrough.
As a fresh 18-year-old, he opened the year by played minutes of the bench in a trial for the Reds against the Western Force.
He featured in Colts and first grade for Easts in the StoreLocal Hospital Cup. He represented the Australian Under-20s at the World Rugby U20 Championships in South Africa and featured in the 38-31 stunner by the Australian U18s over the New Zealand Schoolboys earlier this month.
“It’s been a crazy period of development,” Goldsbrough said.
“At school, you think you know a bit. You compare that to sitting in some of your first meetings at the Reds where you realise all the detail and all you have to learn from the coaches and senior players.
“I was still in Year 12 this time last year. Yeah, two nights at Schoolies on the Gold Coast and straight into the Reds pre-season from there.”
Goldsbrough has a good understanding of where his improvements are coming and has the zeal to keep chasing more on this two-game tour of Japan.
“I think my running, tackling and the physical stuff has improved a bit this year,” he said.
“The big measure of growth has been in game knowledge and knowing the cues on when to pull the trigger with a pass, running and stuff like that.
“Playing in all these different teams has really helped with my development. I might learn something at the Reds and it gives me confidence to execute it at club or in U18s. That adds to my confidence back at Reds training.
“Senior players like Hunter (Paisami) and Jock (Campbell) have been a massive help.
“Hunter has been really good with the technical side of playing centre. Jock has answered every question to help me with the backfield rotation because I’d never played wing until training there this season.”
The Wild Knights will hit the Reds with their up-tempo attacking game as well as the punch of former Japanese Test backrower Ben Gunter, a product of Brisbane Boys' College.
Goldsbrough, 18, will happily be leaning on his understanding with centre partner Pakeho at the Kumagaya Rugby Stadium.
“In Year 11, I played with Dre through the GPS season when Churchie shared the First XV premiership (in 2022),” Goldsbrough reflected.
“We definitely have an understanding and can bounce around ideas because we played at school and, last year, in the Queensland U19s.
“Who’d have thought when we were at school together we’d be playing in the centres in Japan in Reds jerseys.”
Reds head coach Les Kiss wants to see the platform laid by his experienced pack in the trial which will only be viewed by Wild Knights Supporters’ Club members.
“We know we are up against a Wild Knights team full of international experience and they'll come at us at speed,” Kiss said.
“I want to see our centres perform in a young backline. They are young but the players are there because they’ve earned it.”
Queensland Reds v Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights
Trial Game
Sunday, October 27, 2pm AEST
Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Japan
1 Sef Fa'agase
2 Richie Asiata
3 Massimo De Lutiis
4 Josh Canham
5 Ryan Smith (c)
6 Connor Vest
7 Kohan Herbert
8 Joe Brial
9 Louis Werchon
10 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips
11 Matt Brice
12 Dre Pakeho
13 Frankie Goldsbrough
14 Floyd Aubrey
15 Mason Gordon
Extended Bench
Alex Hodgman
Matt Gibbon
Josh Nasser
George Blake
Jeffery Toomaga-Allen
Taine Roiri
Max Craig
Hamish Muller
Kalani Thomas
Will Cartwright
Tom Lynagh
Heremaia Murray
Shaun Anderson
Sebastian Hanna
