Brothers’ coach Brendan Gabbett looked to have timed his side’s run towards the pointy end of the season to absolute perfection when the Filth led UQ with seven minutes remaining in this year’s opening Premier Rugby semi final.

But the eventual premiers had the final say that afternoon, ending a Brothers season that was only really just starting to get going.

Overview with Brendan Gabbett:

“We thought it was a very successful year but obviously we wanted to make it to the big dance and unfortunately we fell at the last hurdle” Gabbett told Rugby News.

“We blooded a lot of colts in Premier Grade this year, I think in the end we had 7 colts make their Premier Grade debut and we had a lot of talent pushing through right across the grades, which is going to be a big asset for us in the future. 

“Ultimately though, we want to make grand finals and win grand finals and we weren’t able to do that this year. 

“Looking back at the semi final, it was a great game of rugby. We had our chances and we missed a few opportunities along the way. 

“Credit has to go to Uni. I think the best two sides over the course of the season made the grand final and the best side won it. They had a phenomenal year. 

“We had a really disjointed start to the year, coming out of Covid in 2020. Then we had 3 new coaches and a bunch of new players pushing in to our top squad. 

“When our Reds players returned towards the end of the regular season, we were starting to build quite nicely. We beat Sunnybank that day 84-7 or something like that. 

“We were supposed to play Sunnybank, Bond and Jeeps leading into the finals and we would have loved to get those games in. If we had of played those last two games, I think that would have been really ready to have a good crack at the finals. 

“But that was the same for everyone, so we can’t use that as an excuse. We did build very nicely though. 

“We were confident going into the finals and we were confident on the day that we could beat UQ. Unfortunately we just fell a little short. 

“As a club, we had Premier Grade, Reserve Grade and Colts 1 in the semi final, then we won 3’s and 5’s and Colts 2, 3 and 4 so five premierships is a pretty good effort, it was still a great year.”

What needs to happen at the club between now and round one next year?

“Planning, recruitment and retention is our focus. 

“We’ve got to start by retaining the players that we can for next season. In the week leading into the grand final, we had five players sign professional contracts with either the Brumbies or the Rebels. 

“As a club, it’s great to see that we’re able to develop players and help them take the next step in their careers but it does mean we need to replace those guys. 

“We won’t see our Reds players either until late next season so there’s a bit of work to do to restock. 

“Fortunately we’ve got a very strong colts program and I think that will prove to be a big asset next year.”

Which of your players do you expect to have a breakout season next year? 

“We’re excited about Jonte Connolly’s development. He was a Colts 2’s player the year before and then ended up starting 13 Premier Rugby games this year. 

“He only turned 19 this year, so we’re excited about him. 

“The stalwarts Paddy James and Tom Moloney are both returning, they’ll be important. 

“I also think Ben Hyne will have a big influence for us.”

“There’s plenty to work with, then we’ve got a number of colts that we’ve got high hopes for.”

What do you hope that we’ll be talking about at this time next year? 

“Premierships. We want to win the comp and that is the goal for every side at Brothers. 

“We want to develop our players and help them earn professional contracts but as coaches, ultimately our job is to win the competition each season. 

“We’ve got to get better as a group and we’ve identified a number of areas that we’ll focus on but I don’t think there will be too many changes in the way we play. 

“We think the path that we’re on is the right one and there will be some tweaks to the way we play but it won’t change dramatically.”