Nick Cushan dreams of playing Super Rugby but for now his focus is firmly on making the ACT Brumbies under-20s squad.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For the second straight season, the Dubbo product has gained selection in the Brumbies under-20s 42-man train-on squad.
The selection came following a stellar season with the Tuggeranong Vikings, where Cushan won a colts title and also confirmed himself as one of the leading young props in the nation’s capital.
“It’s the second year in a row and it feels just as good as the first one,” Cushan said of his selection.
“After a long season it’s a bit of a reward for how you’ve been going and being picked as one of the best young props.”
After making the train-on squad last year, Cushan fell agonisingly short of gaining selection in the final Brumbies under-20s team which contests the Super 20s competition.
The coaches gave the former young Kangaroo some things to work on moving forward.
“I had those goals to work on and it’s good to achieve that,” he said.
“The experience (of last year) helps at training and things like that so hopefully I can go all the way this year and make the squad and play Super 20s.”
From next week Cushan begins training three times a week with the extended squad. Later this year it ramps up to four times a week before the final squad is named after the Christmas and New Years break.
Making that final 30-man squad is the main goal for Cushan, and after going close last year and helping the Vikings to a premiership with the match-winning try late in the game he appears every chance.
216 has been another stellar year for the Vikings, with the powerhouse club again showing its dominance in the ACT competition.
“We won four out of the five grand finals and we won ours after losing to that side three times during the year and we won the grand final after the bell so that was a pretty good feeling,” he said, before praising the Vikings club further.
“With their development pathways it’s unreal and the staff and coaching is ridiculously good,” he said.
“They’ve helped me progress so I’ve got to thank them for helping me assert myself in the competition.”
Cushan added Super Rugby is the dream one day but the Super 20s and the National Rugby Championship (NRC) are more realistic short-term goal.
The Super 20s is an Australian wide competition featuring the five franchises, the Brumbies, NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, Western Force and Melbourne Rebels.