Frank Condi

The John I Dent Cup reached its halfway mark last week with Royals claiming the top of the table from Queanbeyan on the back of their 31-5 win over the Whites at Campese Field. Royals have had a number of quiet years in recent times but have established themselves as one of the teams to beat in this year’s competition. Brumby Jack caught up with Royals Head Coach Frank Condi to get the inside word on Royals’ return to form.

Brumby Jack: What do you put the Royals resurgence down to?
Frank Condi: Just the intensity at training and the enthusiasm we’ve created within the group.
 
BJ: You’ve got three of last year’s Australian Schoolboys – Robbie Abel, Kesomi Lolotonga and Brent Hamlin – in the squad at the moment. How have they fitted into the side and playing senior rugby?
FC: It was obviously a new thing for them to play grade football at the beginning but they provide a lot of the energy, enthusiasm and up-tempo feeling within the club.

BJ: How beneficial has it been having someone of Matt Henjak’s experience in the squad?
FC: He’s been crucial for us and we couldn’t have asked for anything better. He’s probably still one of the best halfbacks in the country and to have him leading your forward pack around and distributing the ball to your ‘10’ in club football is something you can’t duplicate. He’s been a big part of the team’s success so far.

BJ: Lock/backrower Soakai Tai scored four tries against Uni-North the other week and has been in excellent form throughout the season. Can you give us a bit of his background?
FC: He came out from Tonga, his uncle used to play for the club. He’s a guy that’s an untapped, raw talent. He’s a second rower who can out-step and hold pace with backs, he can score tries, pinch lineouts, jackle ball – he’s a big part of our team.

BJ: How much confidence will the side take out of last week’s 31-5 win over reigning premiers Queanbeyan?
FC: A fair bit – and to do it with 14 blokes after we had one guy sent off 13 minutes into the game will give the side a lot of confidence. We’ve still got a lot to work on, we want to capitalise on all our opportunities and we missed a few on the weekend so that’s something that needs some improvement.

BJ: Has there been any talk of finals within the group yet?
FC: No, not yet – we’re just taking each week as it comes. We’re just focusing on our own thing and hopefully the results will come and we’ll be looking to do that week in, week out.