RUGBY coaches worldwide yearn for a strong prop with ball-playing abilities, but to have one sporting a glorious beard as well?
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Icing on the cake.
For Orange Emus, 2015 recruit Steve Fergus is providing just that.
A Mudgee Wombats junior and former CSU Bathurst bookend, Fergus linked with Emus early in the pre-season and debuted in the top grade in his side’s unexpected 18-17 loss to Parkes.
Thanks to a strong showing he held his spot for tomorrow’s blockbuster Blowes Clothing Cup grand final rematch with Dubbo Kangaroos at Endeavour Oval.
“I had a couple of good mates at Emus, and that made the decision pretty easy. It’s a great club to be a part of, I’ve enjoyed every minute so far,” Fergus said, a smile escaping from beneath his toasty brown facial fuzz.
“I didn’t expect to play first grade at all.
“I had a few good guys ahead of me, and a couple of unfortunate injuries ended up being good for me.
“Here’s hoping I can hold my spot for a bit longer.”
VIDEO: Michelle Cook and Matt Findlay preview the weekend's action:
Despite the loss to the Boars, Fergus was one third of a dominant front row and the 27-year-old said a repeat performance will be crucial against a Dubbo side renowned for its strength at the set piece.
Even more so considering ‘Roos are missing boom hooker Josh Tremain, who dislocated his shoulder in Central West’s winless NSW Country Championship campaign.
“Josh Tremain’s gone, but it’s Dubbo. They roll out a strong side year in, year out, I can’t imagine (tomorrow) will be any different,” Fergus said.
“We held our own in the scrums against Parkes, and we won a few tightheads which is what I’m there for. I thought my work rate was pretty good, but the scrums were a highlight for us out of a less than ideal result.
“The message from the coaches this week has just been to try and take some of that self-imposed pressure off ourselves, and just enjoy the rugby for what it is.
“We’ve come to the realisation, I think, that we’re not the chased anymore, we’re now chasing the top sides and I think that will change our mentality a bit.”
The greens welcome back flanker Andrew Cosgrove, who returns from injury, along with Scott Udy, however bustling hooker Tom Goolagong is in some doubt with a shoulder complaint.
The grand final rematch kicks off at 3.15pm tomorrow at Endeavour Oval.
ORANGE EMUS: 1 Nas Havealeta, 2 Tom Goolagong, 3 Steve Fergus, 4 Nick Hughes-Clapp, 5 Scott Udy, 6 Andrew Cosgrove, 7 Steve Levett, 8 Rob Thorburn, 9 Seb Backhouse, 10 Adam Perri, 11 Tom Green, 12 Simon Badgery, 13 Nigel Staniforth, 14 Carter Hirini, 15 Isaac White.