The Western Force recruit who stunned Wales with two-try haul

Pre-season training in Perth is not for the weak. With scorching temperatures of around 40 degrees in January, it’s been a gruelling start to life out west for multiple new recruits at the Western Force, which includes former Queensland Reds flyer Mac Grealy.

In an interview with RugbyPass, the call suddenly cut out after 10 minutes while Grealy spoke about NRL superstar Kalyn Ponga. Grealy called back a couple of minutes later, apologised, and then explained that his phone had overheated – again, it’s tough out west, but the ex-Red is loving it.

Heralded as a schoolboy superstar as a teenager at Toowoomba’s Downlands College, Grealy long seemed destined to achieve his lifelong dream of playing for the Reds. As a “starstruck” university student, the Queenslander began training with the Queenslanders at Ballymore.

Rugby World Cup-winning All Black Brad Thorn, who was coaching the Reds at the time, handed Grealy a last-minute debut in a Super Rugby Trans-Tasman clash with the Blues on June 4, 2021. After starring for 80 minutes at fullback, it seemed a star had been born.

But fast-forward to now and Grealy is no longer at the Reds. The Queenslander, who was once labelled a “Ponga Clone” in a Nine’s Wide World of Sports headline, has made the move out west for 2025 and has set his sights of earning the Force’s spot at fullback.

It’s an ambitious goal with the Force assembling potentially their best-ever squad under coach Simon Cron ahead of the new campaign. With others like Darcy Swain, Dylan Pietsch, Vaiolini Ekuasi and Bradon Paenga-Amosa among the new faces, it seems like a strong squad.

Then there’s Grealy who is ready to take this opportunity with both hands in Western Australia. As a winger or fullback, the 22-year-old offers versatility as an outside back, combined with a strong sense of self-belief after a two-try haul against Wales last July.

“To play Wales was just a really cool experience. I think it gave me confidence that I can handle that next level and handle it well,” Grealy told this website.

“For me, definitely a confidence boost. The team that night, we just had a red-hot crack and was just really happy to finish on that note in terms of the season at that point.

 

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“Sometimes I do think over that in my head when it comes to games and that, just to remind yourself that you can do it.

“It was just a really enjoyable experience to be a part of that and luckily was on the end of some good team tries… it was a really, really cool experience.”

The Reds fell to a heartbreaking 36-35 loss on July 19, 2023, but it’s still a result the former Downlands College student has taken a lot out of. As the Reds were preparing for a four-week break, Grealy took up an opportunity with the Force ahead of their Spring Series Tour of South Africa.

Grealy was selected for the tour on a train-and-trail deal, with the outside back going on to start all three matches and scoring one try. That was enough to impress the Force coaching staff, who signed the speedster to a two-year deal before this year’s Super Rugby Pacific season.

After 26 Super Rugby matches with the Reds, which included 11 starts and more than 800 carry metres during last season’s campaign, Grealy is eager to make the most of this golden chance with the Force.

“If I was going to come it was a pretty good opportunity to see if I wanted to be here long term. I was called pretty much on the Thursday, Tuesday-Wednesday was heading over to Perth. It happened quite quick,” Grealy explained.

“It was a bit different moving out from my roommates I’ve lived with for five years, it happened quick but I think it was good for me because I got to test it out before I actually signed.

It’s official 🔥 Welcome to the Force, Mac 🤝

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— Western Force (@westernforce) October 29, 2024

“From the start, I really enjoyed the crew here and saw a lot of potential. Cronno was always real keen to have me and I saw a lot of potential here because there’s an opportunity to play that fullback position, obviously,y I’ve got to earn it but that’s something that really intrigued me as it’s the position I’ve played my whole life.

“Being away from home, it’s a bit different, that flight is long but at the end of the day, I think it is an exciting challenge. Probably less distractions at times which is good.”

Deep into pre-season now, the Force held an internal game at Scotch College on Friday as they continue to build ahead of their season-opener against Moana Pasifika. On the Force’s website, Grealy was front and centre in two of the three photos used for the match report.

Grealy was included in the ‘probables’ side that wore a gold jersey, against a ‘possibles’ outfit that donned a blue kit. Across three 25-minute periods, those in gold triumphed by a dominant 42-nil margin, although some players did play minutes for both sides.