The season theme of “vuvale” will reach a crescendo for Wests and former Wallabies winger Henry Speight when he runs out for Sunday’s StoreLocal Hospital Cup grand final.
There’s the same closeknit feeling at Brothers which reflects the battle of two tribes which will be such a magnet for more than 6000 fans at Ballymore Stadium.
The Bulldogs or “Buladogs”, as they are sometimes tagged, have embraced the Fijian word for family (vuvale) as the bonding theme of Wests’ 2024 campaign.
It is the whole reason that the 36-year-old Speight is playing when he’s got enough aches and achievements from a decorated 16-year career to have put his feet up.
Pure and simple, he’s played on for his five-year-old son Josefa. Sunday is Father’s Day.
“I wanted my son to know his dad as a rugby player while I still am,” the quietly-spoken Speight explained.
“Cool memories for him and for me and the first year I’ve been at home with him for his birthday because of rugby.
“This has made it the most memorable season of my career.”
That’s some confession from the heart for a player who played 19 Tests for the Wallabies, more than 120 Super Rugby matches for the ACT Brumbies and Queensland Reds and took his skills to New Zealand, Northern Ireland and France.
Josefa may be able to rate the hot chips at every club ground in Brisbane but he’s also fully immersed in the rugby at the Bulldogs.
Speight runs out onto the field with his son for the kick-off to each game. Assistant coach Scott Harrison involved his two-year-old grandson Archie last weekend at the preliminary final. The kids of prop Jone Tiko run out with players too.
It’s the same with coach Elwee Prinsloo’s eight-year-old son Lucas.
The youngster helped lead the singing of the club song “Take Me Home Sylvan Road” in the middle of the team huddle after the strong 39-27 win over University of Queensland in the preliminary final.
Prinsloo made Speight captain to open the season and his respect runs deep.
“I don’t say this lightly. Henry Speight is the best human I’ve coached in my life,” Prinsloo said.
“His humble qualities, his professionalism, his value of family and other traits are the best example of how to act as a rugby player.
“Connor Anderson gives us the fire and the physical leadership in the pack. Henry’s composure and the way he goes about things is just as valuable.”
Speight and 2023 World Cup winger Suliasi Vunivalu will start on the wings in the grand final. Fletcher Spicer will come off the bench as a quality backline utility.
Sunday’s grand final will be the fourth time that Brothers and Wests have squared off in a grand final.
It was in 1977 that the Bulldogs finally broke their premiership drought with a first-time title over Brothers at Ballymore.
The memorable 15-10 victory brought club stalwarts to tears.
The Courier-Mail’s renowned rugby writer Frank O’Callaghan had tagged Wests as “hitherto non-entities” until that grand final day.
Some things never change. You need a top effort from the pack in grand finals and it doesn’t hurt if you rattle the opposition flyhalf.
The Bulldogs of ’77 thumped Brothers legend Paul McLean early and he has little memory of the day even though he had a hand in two tries.
The Bulldogs, with Roger Gould, Geoff Wessling, Stan Pilecki and Co in the ranks, had playful help that day.
One telegram to the late Roy Prosser, the Wests coach, was marked “From The Pope, Vatican City.”
“Brothers team has been excommunicated. Spoken to “Him” and I’m backing Wests. Pope Paul VI”,’ it read.
In 2006, Wests won a heart-stopper 23-22 over David Croft’s Brothers in the second grand final meeting of the clubs.
Club stalwart Cassidy Holland, on Sunday’s team staff, and John Roe were titans in the Wests backrow that day.
Grand finals produce incredible and contrasting emotions. Roe won his grand final. Flanker Croft retired never having won his.
Winger Chris Garrard scored his hat-trick try to clinch that grand final. The backs still remember the play call as “Slider.”
The eruption from the fans on XXXX Hill was manic just as it was 12 months ago when the clubs met again.
Brothers won a classic 26-24 from 19-0 down before half-time.
Controversy? There’s always that. Did Angelo Smith get the ball down for a Bulldogs try on full-time that would have changed the result? The answer depended on who you asked just after full-time.
That sting is still carried within some senior Bulldogs for Sunday’s 2024 decider.
How things change. No.8 Harry Wilson had a mighty game and celebrated long and hard. It was only possible because there was no place for him with Eddies Jones’ Wallabies.
Fast forward to Sunday and he’ll be captain of the Wallabies in Argentina for Joe Schmidt’s side.
Where there’s a Wilson, there’s a way for Brothers. Brother Will is there at lock to carry the family name into club rugby’s biggest day of the year.
