by Paul Cook –

It’s been a heck of a year for Norths captain Will Miller. Awarded the Ken Catchpole Medal as the best player in the Shute Shield last Monday, the gun 23-year-old has led his side into their first grand final in 18 years, his level of influence was illustrated perfectly in last weekend’s semi-final win over Southern Districts where he scored two tries and was named man-of-the-match.

Standing directly in the way of Miller and a chance to lift a first Premiership title for the Shoremen since 1975 is David Hickey. Featuring in his third grand final, the abrasive 25-year-old is hoping to complete a hat-trick of titles after his role in the back-to-back wins of 2012 and 2013. But he comes in after a disruptive season of injury and the frustration of an on-off move to Narbonne in France – factors that leave him champing at the bit to rip in and make a difference.

Rugby News got the views of both players and their respective head coaches ahead of what should be an intriguing and brutal confrontation between two of the best opensides going around.

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ON THE GAME:

Will Miller:

“It’s been a great season so far and we now have a massive opportunity to play in the grand final and be a part of a side that has come together so well over the past year. But as far as the Ken Catchpole Medal goes, I have to give most of the credit to my team mates and coaches at Norths. Without them performing so well over the last few weeks I wouldn’t have been able to do the same.

“I think against Warringah last week, Uni played the field position game a lot better then the Rats did and that hurt them in the end. Also, with Uni being a strong threat with the ball we will have to hold it ourselves a lot more than we did against Souths, and not let them set the pace of the game. With players like Harry Burey at the back and ‘Gussy’ Sinclair at 10 – players with very smart rugby brains – they will be able to guide us out of tough situations.”

David Hickey:

“I’ve been stuffed around by a few people with overseas contracts this year and I haven’t played much footy as a result, which is a bit of a shame. But I’ve learnt some valuable life lessons.. I’ve cut it pretty fine to make it back in time for the finals so I’m just stoked to be back on the park playing footy with my mates.

“This Uni team has a very different dynamic to past sides. I’ve enjoyed seeing good mates of mine like Stu Dunbar, Jake Gordon, Gus Roberts, Jake Wainwright, Rohan O’Regan and Tolu Latu step up and become leaders within the group. We have been knocked off by teams that wanted it more than us over the past two years, so I couldn’t be prouder of this team. We’ve been through a lot together so it’s a good feeling to be in a position to challenge Norths for a premiership on their home turf.”

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ON EACH OTHER:

Will Miller:

“Dave is a great player that I always enjoy playing against. He’s a very tough no.7 and gives the Uni side a lot of experience and leadership. He’s a tireless workhorse that doesn’t stop all day and I really enjoy the battle that I get when I get to play against him.

“The breakdown is an important part to any teams game, the better the back row is at slowing the ball down, the easier it is to reset your defensive line. I think players like David, and Hamish Dunbar off the bench, will be coming out with the intent of doing the same to our breakdown and preventing us as much as possible.”

David Hickey:

“Will has been in great form this year and has led his team well. He has a good carry, big workrate and is very tough over the ball. As a 7 you only get a few cracks at your opposite number during a game so I’ll need to make them count when the opportunity presents itself. The team is aware of his presence at the breakdown so 1-15 will need to effective in that area of the game and that applies for most 7’s in the comp.”

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THE COACHES VIEW:

Simon Cron:

“I haven’t seen a huge amount of Hickey to be honest but he’s playing 1st grade for Uni so he’s obviously a good player and goes ok. What I have seen tells me they’re slightly different players that both bring positive attributes to their team, and they’ll both play a role in the final no doubt. Will is one of our leaders and will have as much input being a leader as he will in the way he plays. He’ll go hard, he does it every week, it doesn’t matter where it is or who it’s against.”

Tim Davidson:

“The battle of the breakdown will go a long way to determining the result so we’ve got to make sure that we match that area. Miller has obviously been the form player in the competition. He’s their captain and their energy provider, so we’ve got to match that with experience and ‘Hick’ is our most experienced player outside Tom Carter. They’re both confrontational and they love the physical aspect of the game and the collisions, and they both carry the ball very well. They also have a really good awareness of the game and an instinct for it and it’s going to be great to watch them go toe-to-toe.”