By LIZ MOORE

They’re two best mates from Rockhampton who are making a big impression on and off the field for the Magpies.

Living in Premier coach Todd Dammers’ granny flat, Theo Fourie and Liam Fletcher are becoming big voices and top role models at Souths as the club reshapes itself to include a bigger country contingent and take best advantage of the qualities and values these regional recruits bring with them.

“Theo and Liam live with me. They bring old heads to young frames,” Dammers said of 21-year-old Fletcher and 19-year-old Fourie. “They both moved out of central Queensland at 17. They’re just hard-working boys who don’t take anything for granted. They’re really driven by having an impact on the club, which is what we want.

“From my point of view, they bring those country values. We’ve got a number of players from different parts, from Toowoomba and different parts, and it’s just that tapestry of different walks of life that make our club and our group so much stronger because of that.

“With Theo and Liam, obviously I see the footy side of them, but I also get the pastoral care side of them,” Dammers said of his young tenants. “And while we don’t see them all the time, they’re still part of the family.”

Remembering how the boys just gave his wife flowers after she’d been unwell, Dammers said: “They do things they don’t need to do. They just get it. They’re good kids.”

After two-and-a-half years with the Future Force in Perth, backrower Fletcher moved back to Queensland last year.

On a visit to Brisbane, best mate Fourie took him along to Souths training and Fletcher felt right at home.

“It was just an off-chance sort of thing, to just come down and throw the footy around and play with the boys, and I just loved it. All the boys were really welcoming and I think having those few guys I knew from CQ and Rocky in particular, did make it feel like a homely sort of club.

“Souths has been a really welcoming club for me, and made it really easy for me to settle in,” Fletcher said.

“We’ve got that CQ group at Souths, but we’re also able to taper out and have those relationships with the other boys in the team. We’re starting to become a real close-knit team. We’re able to perform on the field and we’ve got to make sure we’ve got the off-field stuff sorted out. It’s been really good. I’m pretty excited about what the rest of 2020 has to offer for us.”

Fletcher has also been pleased with coach Todd Dammers.

“Theo introduced me to Todd and I loved his coaching style. The high standards he has. How he holds certain players to a certain standard cos he expects the most out of his players, and I really like that mindset. I think it’s really important if you want to be in a successful rugby team, you have to be holding high standards and holding everyone accountable.”

As for playing with his best mate in the big smoke after first hitting the field together as Under 10s in Rockhampton, Fletcher answered in country style. “I’ve put up with him for a long time. No, it’s pretty cool to be able to chuck on a jersey and run out with him.”

Fellow student Fourie, who was at school with six of the Rockhampton boys now playing at Souths, said the central Queensland connection has been helpful for the team as a whole.

“I think having a few guys who are connected and good mates rubs off on the rest of the team in terms of gelling,” the hooker said. “We bring a good style of footy and a bit of toughness and a naivete almost, cos a lot of us don’t really know a lot of the players when we come down so it’s more about playing without a chip on our shoulder, which is good for the team.”

Fourie was the first of the players that Dammers recruited from central Queensland, playing Colts under Dammers for the past two years. As with Dammers, 2020 is his first year in Premier grade and South African-born Fourie is raring to go.

“We get to go into games without having any pressure about performing,” Fourie said. “It’s exciting ‘cos we get to go on with no pressure at all and just play the style of footy we want to play without having to worry about anything else.

“I think we’ll surprise all the teams.”

It is a sentiment echoed by Fletcher.

“I just think it’s a perfect year to see what guys can do, and to see how we go as a team,” Fletcher said. “I don’t think there’s any pressure on us as a team. I think that’s a really good thing. It’s a really good year to have a crack at it and see what we can do.

“I think Souths could be a team that’s going to shock a lot of people. I also think that it’s going to be a good year to set the platform for some special Souths team in the future.

“There’s so much potential that I’ve seen through the younger guys, and even the guys that are coming back,” Fletcher said. “It’s exciting to go to training and see some of the things the guys are able to pull off or that we’re able to do as a team.”

IMAGE: BRENDAN HERTEL / QUEENSLAND RUGBY MEDIA UNIT