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'Yeah mate, I can see potential in you' - The meeting with Brad Thorn that turned the fortunes of a 3rd XV prop onto the path of professional rugby

By Finn Morton
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

As the old sports adage suggests, hard work beats talent and Reds prop Dane Zander is a testament to that.

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Zander missed out on the prestigious Nudgee College 1st XV in his senior year, instead running out for the seconds and even thirds.

Now 20, he’s since paved his own way to professional rugby where he became a regular member of the Queensland Reds matchday 23 in 2020.

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In early January Zander made his Super Rugby debut in round one against the Brumbies, becoming the 1346th Queensland representative in a 27-24 loss in Canberra.

“Running out at GIO Stadium, just coming off the bench and being able to play for my State was unbelievable. It was a dream come true for sure,” Zander told RugbyPass.

But that dream seemed out of reach throughout high school, where he sat in the stands to watch the firsts rather than play himself.

Nudgee may be the most recognisable Australian schoolboy rugby factory, known for producing world class talent such as James O’Connor, former Wallaby captain Rocky Elsom, and former Crusaders and Fijian Winger Nemani Nadolo.

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Onion TV documented the culture of the illustrious first fifteen with The Season a year after Zander graduated in 2017, showcasing the highly competitive nature of Nudgee rugby.

The prop admitted that he was disappointed not to have been able to don the blue and white hoops of the Nudgee firsts, but clarified that it wasn’t the be all and end all at the time.

“When I was at school, it wasn’t really a goal of mine [to pursue rugby], I just wanted to play at the highest level I could and play with my mates at school.

“I did the 1st XV preseason but ended up missing out because I didn’t get picked. But I really enjoyed playing seconds and thirds with all my mates.

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“It was a little disappointing but I knew that I probably wasn’t up to the standard back then just because I wasn’t really mature in my rugby game. It was a little disappointing but  it wasn’t the end of the world.”

After graduating from Nudgee in 2016, Zander continued his rise through the Queensland rugby ranks with club side Norths. After mainly playing colts at first, he later cemented his place within the Premier Grade squad which led to higher honours.

He was selected in the Brisbane City National Rugby Championship squad in 2019, where his scrum potential caught the eye of Assistant Cameron Lillicrap.

Lillicrap proposed a meeting with Zander and Queensland Reds head coach Brad Thorn, which gave him the opportunity to pursue State honours.

“It was midway through the NRC season, I had a meeting with Cameron Lillicrap and Brad Thorn. Thorny was sort of saying, ‘yeah mate I can see potential in you, and if you cut down a bit of the weight and put some muscle on, you’ll have a good future.’

“I worked massively on my diet. The Reds hooked me up with a dietitian and I went through that and got a meal plan from her. But also the conditioning training, stripping down the weight in the gym.”

He’s since looked to learn off the players around him at the Reds as he continues his incredible rise, which included a start against the Bulls in the final match before the coronavirus outbreak.

“Scrummaging alongside JP Smith, Taniela Tupou and Brandon Paenga-Amosa, I just try to learn as much off them every session because they’ve played at the highest levels of rugby that you can. It’s been awesome learning off them.”

The Reds are now three weeks back into their second pre-season of 2020, with Zander firmly focused on the seasons resumption in July.

“We’ve sort of been focusing on that at training, having no repacks because we’ve seen the New Zealand teams have been doing pretty well in that area. It’s a good thing because it’ll speed the game up a bit cause when there’s about two or three repacks of scrums it can really slow the game down.

“The game will be a bit quicker with the news rules that have come in and it’ll be a really high standard of footy because everyone is really itching to play and get out there.

“I’m extremely keen to get back and start playing again because it’s been a few months since our last game against the Bulls. I think everyone is keen to get out there and have a go.

“I’m super keen to get an opportunity against some Australian teams. It’s all local derby matches each weekend so it’s going to bring the best out of Australian rugby so I can’t wait for that.”

The up-and-comers journey just goes to show that it isn’t where you start but where you finish that counts.

Zander has been selected in the Reds squad for Vodafone Super Rugby AU, where he’ll look to add to his growing number of caps.

The Queensland Reds host the New South Wales Waratahs on July 3rd to kick-off the competition in Australia.

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Trevor 11 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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