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Wallabies son-of-a-gun Joe Brial make call on club future
By AAP
Wallabies son-of-a-gun Joe Brial wants to join in his dad in gold after establishing himself at the Queensland Reds and committing until at least 2028.
The 24-year-old on Monday confirmed a two-year contract extension at Ballymore and has an eye on the side’s Super Rugby Pacific season home opener on Friday against the Highlanders.
Standing 1.95m tall and weighing 114kg, Brial has the size to fill in the second row but operates exclusively at No.8 and blindside flanker for the Reds.
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He began his senior career with Canterbury in New Zealand before moving to the Reds ahead of the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season. He has also represented Australia A and featured at age-grade level for New Zealand U20.
Across Super Rugby, he has made 24 appearances (27 in total for the Reds), scoring four tries and continues to develop as a dynamic loose forward under Les Kiss.
“It’s an exciting time for rugby in Queensland. We have a good group at the Reds with more strength coming through,” Brial said.
“We have really good leadership with guys like Fraser (McReight), Tate (McDermott) and Harry (Wilson). The mix of senior players with younger guys coming through like ‘Vice’ Latu, Kingsley (Uys) and Xavier Rubens means I’m looking forward to what the group can produce this year and into the future.
“This has definitely been part of my decision as well as the growth I can see in myself in this program. The sky is the limit for the Reds.”
Regular game time boosted his development and confidence, carrying into the Reds’ 2025 fixtures against Bristol, Tonga and the British & Irish Lions.
“It’s been awesome to be involved in these international games. You are experiencing different cultures and conditions but the main thing is it keeps you playing in a Reds jersey,” Brial said.
“I don’t know of any other Super Rugby club that does this as well.
“For me, this is my third season around international backrowers like Harry and Fraser and Liam Wright, before that, plus the world-class coaching here. Development has come through in my defence, attack, everything.
“Any goals I have around a home World Cup next year come from what I do at the Reds so I’m not too caught up in anything but performing for Queensland.”
Reds head coach Kiss, who is soon to step into the Wallabies hotseat, said: “Joe is a big lad. It’s not just strength and power but a smart game that he brings.
“He’s being used more in lineouts, for example. He’s made massive improvements over the past two years and he understands he has to continue to work on his game to get better still.”
additional reporting RugbyPass
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