There’s always plenty of feeling when Brothers face GPS in the Hospital Cup and Jeeps veteran Matt Gicquel has done his bit to throw fuel on the fire ahead of this weekend’s round 18 clash at Crosby Park. 

Ahead of Back to Brothers Day on Saturday, Gicquel told Rugby News that the Brothers crowd has tamed in recent years and has nothing on the support provided by ‘The Glue Factory’ at Yoku Road. 

“It’s definitely not the same as it used to be,” Gicquel said during the week. 

“The Glue Factory (GPS’ supporter section at Yoku Road) still give it plenty but it’s a lot tamer at the Butchery these days, they’ve gone pretty soft over the last few years and lost their sting. 

“Hopefully they turn up this time and throw a bit of lip. 

“It’s a great rivalry though and it’s instilled in you from the moment you turn up at Jeeps. You always want to get one over the Butcher’s Stripes and hopefully we can do that this weekend.”

27-year old Gicquel has played in derbies against Brothers for the best part of a decade and has plenty of fond memories of the rivalry over the years. 

“It’s hard to go past Ryan Freeney giving it to the entire Brothers team right in front of the Glue Factory a few years back,” the flanker said. 

“We had Freddy Burke, Ryan Freeney and Ruan Smith up front and we scored a penalty try from a scrum and Freeney went off. 

“That was pretty memorable.”

While Brothers have locked up the minor premiership and a major semi final spot, GPS are set to finish fifth and miss the playoffs for the second straight season. 

Despite that, Gicquel said his side was confident they could finish the year strongly as they farewell two retiring club servants in Mitch Treleaven and Patrick Nicholson.

“We’re obviously really disappointed and unfortunately, it’s the same tale as last year. We had high expectations but couldn’t quite put our money where our mouth was. 

“We wanted to achieve a lot more this year but now we’re just focussed on trying to finish the year on a good note and hopefully we can give Brothers a real run for their money. 

“Both Mitch and Paddy have given plenty to the club. I live with Pat and he’s one of my best mates and he’s had a massive impact at Jeeps. He’s been in and out of premier grade over the years but he puts a lot of time in with the younger boys in grade. 

“They have both been great to play with over the years so we’d love to send them off on a high.”

Brothers were stunned by last placed Norths last week in a 33-all draw that few would have predicted and Gicquel said Jeeps were keen to create a few more question marks around Brothers’ title defence this weekend. 

“They got caught with their pants down last week so I’m assuming they’ll come out hard this weekend,” he said. 

“Our season might be over but we want to do the same. 

“We’ve got to try and match their forward pack. They’ve got a lot of good ball carriers and a lot of hard workers across the park.

“Their backline is classy as well and they can kick you into corners and pin you down your end if you’re not careful so we’ll need to be mindful of that and exit well when we get the chance.”

In the rounds other matches, Souths host Wests and UQ host Bond in two matches with finals implications, while Easts and Norths meet to decide seventh spot on the Hospital Cup ladder. 

Gicquel said he didn’t think there was much separating the four finals-bound teams this year and wasn’t sure who he’d be cheering on in the weeks ahead. 

“I hate to say it but my money would probably be on Brothers, but I could never bring myself to back them. 

“UQ are probably in hot second and I’m really not sure which club I hate more. 

“I’d probably rather see UQ win then Brothers and that’s saying something.”