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Brad Thorn has been a shoulder for the grieving Jordan Petaia to lean on this week

By AAP
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

When a 19-year-old Brad Thorn lost his father he found solace in a return to his rugby club. Now the Queensland Reds coach has found himself giving that same advice to Jordan Petaia.

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A try-scorer on his Wallabies debut at last year’s World Cup, the grieving youngster will return to Super Rugby AU action this Saturday against the Melbourne Rebels after the death of the 20-year-old’s father last week.

Petaia was a late scratching from what was a heavy Reds loss to the NSW Waratahs last Saturday but Thorn said the young star’s return to Ballymore this week had given everyone a boost.

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Reds coach Brad Thorn looks ahead to the weekend’s action in Australia

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Reds coach Brad Thorn looks ahead to the weekend’s action in Australia

“I had a chat to him (about playing), had the exact same thing happen to me, the same situation,” Thorn said. “I was 19 and the same for me, I was at the Broncos at the time and training was good for me and really enjoyed being around the guys.

“It was a tough weekend; a tough time for Jordy, for a lot of us I guess. Those situations can be tough for a while, losing someone like that, but we’re happy to have him involved, good for Jordy, good for the team.”

With three games to play before finals, the Reds and Waratahs are equal third, three points behind the Rebels and seven behind the Brumbies.

The Rebels could finish the weekend in top spot but the Reds will be keen to bounce back after their off night in Sydney.

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“On the weekend there was a bit going on, you have got to turn up ready to play,” Thorn said. “They were quiet… the boys weren’t in that space clearly and the Waratahs were fizzing.”

The coach has reverted to in-form Tate McDermott at the scrum base, while Fraser McReight will start at openside flanker in a back row with Liam Wright shifted to No6 and Harry Wilson at No8.

Prop Jack Straker will replace Dane Zander (knee, out for season) in the starting side with Tongan-born New Zealand-raised Jethro Felemi on the bench for a possible debut.

The sides played out an 18-18 draw in their most recent meeting with the Reds aiming to snap a two-game losing streak.

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Queensland Reds: Jock Campbell; Jordan Petaia, Hunter Paisami, Hamish Stewart, Filipo Dauguna; James O’Connor, Tate McDermott; Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight, Liam Wright, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Angus Blyth, Taniela Tupou, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Jack Straker. Reserves: Alex Mafi, Jethro Felemi, Zane Nonggorr, Tuaina Taii Tualima, Angus Scott-Young, Scott Malolua, Bryce Hegarty, Josh Flook.

Melbourne Rebels: Reece Hodge; Andrew Kellaway, Campbell Magnay, Matt To’omua, Marika Koroibete; Andrew Deegan, Frank Lomani; Isi Naisarani, Brad Wilkin, Josh Kemeny, Trevor Hosea, Matt Philip, Pone Fa’amausili, Jordan Uelese, Cameron Orr. Reserves: Efitusi Maafu, Cabous Eloff, Charles Abel, Esei Ha’angana, Michael Wells, Richard Hardwick, James Tuttle, Billy Meakes.

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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