By Jon Geddes

IN 2004 four-year-old Reece Suesue started playing rugby league in the inner-Auckland suburb of Ponsonby with his six-year-old brother Rilloy.

Fast forward 19 years and the brothers are reunited as the impressive halves combination for the Shute Shield’s surprise packets, Western Sydney.

The Two Blues Brothers have played a big part in their team climbing into sixth spot on the ladder and were key figures in their incredible against the odds 38-31 win over Sydney University at Sydney University last Saturday.

With all the time they have spent together with a football in their hands, which included running around the family backyard, it is no surprise an intuition has developed between the Suesues on the field.

“I used to play up an age and he played down an age because there was two years between us,” said No. 10 Reece.

“At times when I wasn’t playing with him I would probably go watch him so we know each other’s strengths,” Reece said. “We have a good read on each other.

“He’s always been a good runner of the ball and I used to be the brains,” Reece added with a laugh.

The pair switched to rugby when they went to high school and were teammates at Ponsonby in 2020 and 2021 before moving across to join the Two Blues.

And the bad news for rival clubs in the countdown to the finals is that the dynamic duo is only getting better the more that they play together.

“Coming here it has allowed us to grow as a combination I think,” Reece said.

OH BROTHER, WHAT A BONUS

RILLOY was playing in Auckland when he reached out to incoming Two Blues coach Sailosa Tagicakibau prior to last season asking for an opportunity. Reece then followed his elder sibling to Sydney after completing his accountancy degree at Auckland University.

“I wanted to leave New Zealand just to get out of my comfort zone and play with my brother,” Reece  said. “I have loved it, I have enjoyed living in Australia.”

 After being restricted to only six games in 2022 due to injury, Reece took on the role of the Two Blues’ chief “cheerleader” leading the club’s iconic singing and chanting in the grandstand.

This year he has found his rhythm on the field and his standing at the Two Blues is reflected by the fact that he is also club captain.

PROWLING LIKE A PANTHER

NO.9 Rilloy would be great to have as a teammate, but a nightmare to play against.

He is one of those players with the ability to really get under the skin of his rivals. As Ray Charles sang  The Blues Brothers movie, Rilloy really knows how to “Shake a Tail Feather” at rivals in games.

“He is a pest on the field, he’s really niggling and the strategy is to put them off their game,” Reece said.

He does it so effectively that Reece drew comparisons between his brother and one of the great exponents of that in the NRL.

“He’s like Jarome Luai from the Panthers,” Reece said.

Tagicakibau said the Suesues  were both very lively and high energy players who bring positive vibes to the team.

 “The thing is that they are like that all the time and they feed off each other, ” Tagicakibau said. “They are very close and very similar.”

A CAREER HIGHLIGHT

NOT only did the Two Blues beat University to claim the Sir Roden Cutler Shield, but for six minutes they were down to 12 men with three players in the sin bin. In that precarious position the Two Blues even managed to score a try.

That really was a memorable victory, especially due the challenges the team faced.

Just ask Tagicakibau, whose distinguished rugby has included playing in three World Cups for Samoa, about the performance.      

“It was probably one of the best wins I’ve been a part of, not only with the club but in my career,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the boys.        

“I think it has given us a lot of confidence that moving forward we can do some special things.”      

Reece backed up his coach’s words: “Getting that win really gave us a self-belief and reassured us of what we have as a team and as a rugby club.”

The Two Blues Brothers will have to be on song again this Saturday when they take on Manly at Manly Oval who sit one point and one place above their side on the ladder.