Published February 2025
The Australian Club Championship clash on March 8 is the biggest day of the rugby year for Crosby Park and dynamic Brothers halfback Will Cartwright should know.
The 2024 edition catapulted young Cartwright from little-known lower grader to Premier Rugby weapon and a dream debut for the Queensland Reds.
Still just 21, Cartwright speaks passionately about what this peak fixture means between the best club rugby teams of Brisbane and Sydney.
“It’s a fair bit to do with bragging rights whenever that Queensland-NSW rivalry comes into play,” Cartwright said.
“To beat a top Sydney club like Randwick gave the whole club a confidence heading into the 2024 Hospital Cup season.
“It’s no different this year. We are up against a quality side in Easts, who broke a 55-year premiership drought to win in Sydney last year.”
More than 4000 fans crowded into the Crosby Park ground in Albion in 2024. They were treated to a wonderful club rugby spectacle.
It was a seven-try thriller only decided when super sub Cartwright’s flying feet sped over for the decisive try late in the second half for a 25-18 win.
“It was the biggest crowd I’d played in front of to that point. They are the games with extra eyes on them,” Cartwright said.
The humble Cartwright’s versatility as a halfback and winger was noted by the Reds. He was ushered into training mid-year and made dream outings against Wales, Tonga and the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights.
It was a striking rise for 76kg of committed energy, determination and speed.
Brothers club captain Will Wilson gave a wider perspective on the meaning to the Australian Club Championship.
Brothers have been one of the most successful participants in the trophy match which is a soaring example of the ingenuity of the clubs themselves. Almost without exception, everything from marking the field to the programming of the day to ample cold beers is sorted by the host club.
The Brethren proudly boast Australian Club Championship trophy wins from 1974, 1984, 1985, 2010 and 2024.
“You don’t know how much it really means until you see the smiles on the faces of the Brothers old heads and get their ‘well done’,” Wilson said.
Brothers greats Paul McLean and Tony Shaw, both former Wallabies captains, mingled with players on the field post-match with broad smiles.
Both were part of the stunning 1974 victory over Randwick, a 45-22 landslide when the Sydney-centric nature of Australian rugby was entrenched.
“Paul and Tony spoke to the team in the week of the 2024 match. They highlighted how special these games are and that they don’t come around that often,” Wilson said.
“It really amplified the importance of the match and the club’s connection to it.
“It’s a hyped-up game that gets the season going. It’d be great to start the year with a win again.”
It would be the perfect lift-off with the Brethren chasing a hat-trick of premierships in the StoreLocal Hospital Cup.
The Brothers women’s team has built its strength this season with Reds forwards Bree-Anna Browne and Deni Ross joining the club.
