https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/local-sport/warning-issued-ahead-of-townsville-rugby-union-grand-final-rematch/news-story/7d20595ad526e383d7d3304c2898419f A WARNING has been issued to the rest of the Townsville rugby union: Teachers West have never prepared better. Captain Josh Fletcher cannot recall a pre-season as good as the one they have just had in his time at the club. The five-time reigning premiers have developed an insatiable appetite for winning and, according to the fly-half, no one is getting complacent despite their roaring success. While they have lost some experienced heads such as Tom Vinson, several young faces have emerged to take their place and continue the dynasty the club have established. Their quest for a sixth consecutive title begins against their 2019 grand final opponents Lavarack Army Rugby Club. “There’s no denying we’re the team to beat, but I think we’ve embraced that now. We do have a target on our back there’s no denying that,” Fletcher said.
“We’ve still got that desire to win, we’ve bred a winning culture and we just keep it in the forefront that we do have the target on our back and we don’t want to have that feeling of losing again. “It’s pretty obvious that it’s more fun to win … (and) there’s no opportunity to ease into it.” Dylan Johnson is Fletcher’s counterpart in the LARCs line up — wearing the No. 10 jersey and leading the team with the ‘c’ next to his name. But memories of last season’s 42-12 grand final loss still burn. While Teachers are fueled by a desire to solidify their competition dominance, Johnson’s troops are inspired by redemption. The Army side surprised many last season in what was their first year back in the Townsville and District Rugby Union. A core group from the 2019 heartbreak remains at the club. With a rematch locked in for round one, Johnson said it had given the group the drive to push off strong. “We’re looking at taking that next step, we definitely have the team that can compete against all these boys so it’s going to be a solid season,” Johnson said. “The disappointment of losing that last one has really driven a lot of the boys. “It has definitely been a factor in our preseason, so I think it’s a huge motivator for all of us. “It’s going to be a huge test for where we’re at, (but) we’re confident we can put a big effort in and knock over the reigning premiers.” The grand final rematch will kick off at 6pm on Mike Carney Toyota Park.
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AuthorI covered a vast range of sports and issues in my time with the Bulletin. Archives
June 2020
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