Noosa’s stunning thrashing of reigning Darling Downs premiers Toowoomba has provided them with a significant pre-season morale boost.
The Sunshine Coast rugby champions were leading the Bears 82-0 during their trial on the road, when the teams decided to stop keeping score.
The Dolphins will face a much tougher test against Gold Coast’s best club team, Griffith University In the inaugural Coastal Cup at Noosa on Saturday.
The meeting with the Bears was ‘just’ a practise game, but Noosa’s performance was an ominous one, under new coach Matt Buckland.
“It was a confidence booster,” he said.
“With the new structure we’ve put in place it was fantastic for the players to be able to run it and see it really works.
“The way they played was pretty awesome to watch.
“There’s still lots to improve on but as a first hit-out with this structure, it was pretty cool to see.”
But he admitted the match was “not what we were looking for”.
“We were hoping for a sterner test.”
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The Bears were missing some players, who were at representative trials, so the Dolphins did not take six of their top-line players to the game.
“We obviously didn’t leave enough guys at home,” Buckland chuckled.
“It was a funny game, very strange, but it’s all good. They (Bears players) kept turning up and kept trying.”
Buckland was asked to take the head coaching role at traditional juggernauts Noosa after long-running coach Michael Phelan stood down after last year’s grand-final.
He said the Dolphins could not rest on their laurels, so have dramatically altered their style of play during the off-season.
“We have totally changed our way of playing for this season.”
“It’s very different for the boys and different to what they’ve seen before in their rugby life.
“They’re used to a similar style through school and the last few years at Dolphins.
“But we’ve changed it up and the guys have really embraced it, which is fantastic, because it’s an exciting way of playing rugby.”
Key to the strategy is less support play and ball following from players.
“The guys have been used to playing around the corner…so we’ve given them a new structure to work with and that has decreased the amount of work they have to do on the field, so they’re fit, fresh and ready to go when the ball comes to them.”
“It’s exciting for them to not have to cover every yard of grass like they have done in previous years, especially for the guys in the front row and second row.
“We’ve got to keep changing all the time. Teams know what our strengths were last year and what we did well and if we come up with the same thing this year we will be found out, so we’re moving forward and challenging the players, to get the best out of them.”
Buckland has considerable coaching experience.
The 41-year-old moved from the United Kingdom to Australia as a 19-year-old and lived in Sydney predominantly.
He was a talented player but copped a career-ending head knock.
The injury caused bleeding on the brain.
“That’s life,” he said.
“I probably got my warning (to give up playing).
“I just had to move on really.”
He’s spent the past 10 years as a fitness/assistant coach at domestic heavyweights Randwick.
“A lot of good guys have been in and around the club, so it was a great place to learn,” he said.
“When you’ve got the likes of World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer at training giving you pointers you take it all in.
“And the old boys were always coming back and putting into the club, so I got plenty out of it.”
But he moved to Noosa for a change of lifestyle early last year and helped the Dolphins as their attack/backs coach, before taking on the head coaching role for this season.
Buckland is also a fitness coach, who works with clients around the world.
That’s a job that complements his role at the club.
“They’re similar industries …it gives me the flexibility to do both,” he said.
Buckland is looking forward to their clash against the Knights on Saturday, before the season gets under way on April 10.
“They’re a very good side and will bring some quality players against us, so it’s going to be a great challenge,” he said.
“We’re definitely feeling the weight of the Sunshine Coast on our backs for sure.
“They (Gold Coast) will want to go back with the trophy so I don’t think either team will give an inch.
“We’re going to have to be on our game and the weather does not look favourable, but it will be the same for both sides.”
They have lost their captain from last year, Will Rogers, who is trying to further his game with state league side Norths.
But Noosa boast a strong squad, with former Queensland Reds back Rod Davis and ex-Melbourne Rebels forward Harley Fox in their ranks.
They have retained 22 players from last year and have another few key recruits coming in.
“They are lesser known at the moment but will be well known once the season begins,” he said.
The Coastal Cup, involving reigning Sunshine Coast A-grade premiers Noosa Dolphins and reigning Gold Coast A-grade premiers Griffith University Knights will be held at Dolphin Oval, Sunshine Beach, 3pm Saturday.
