After playing in seven straight Hospital Cup grand finals, things didn’t quite go to plan for UQ in 2023 under new coach Elton Berrange.

The Red Heavies struggled to close out time games and suffered a massive injury toll, eventually finishing seventh.

But Berrange has rebuilt the group over summer and seems confident the students will be back in the mix this season.

Overview with Elton Berrange:

“We started our trial period playing 40 minutes against the Reds Development side and that was a really good hit out,” Berrange told Rugby News earlier this month.

“We were up against some really good specimens but obviously they don’t get to play too much together as a team so it was ideal for a first trial.

"A number of our players have impressed through the trials and I’ve been really pleased with how physical we’ve been.