Brumbies rally behind Noah Lolesio after heartbreaking Crusaders loss

Tue, May 18, 2021, 6:01 AM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson
Noah Lolesio narrowly missed a kick after full-time as the Brumbies nearly earned a draw against the Crusaders.

The Brumbies have thrown their support behind flyhalf Noah Lolesio following their two-point loss to the Crusaders.

After trailing by 12 at the break, the Brumbies staged a remarkable comeback, scoring in the corner with the last play of the game

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This gave Lolesio the chance to tie the game and share the points, however, the kick sailed to the left.

Despite the disappointing result, it was evident to see the strong Brumbies culture immediately after the miss, with every player going out of their way to console the young flyhalf.

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Despite the heartbreaking end, the Brumbies were quick to push any blame away from the 21-year-old.

“Everyone’s got each other back, it’s especially hard on kickers. Everyone’s expecting them to make the kick but as soon as they don’t get one, it’s all on them,” lock Nick Frost said.

“We should’ve let it come down to a kick like that. We’re pretty proud of our efforts but we came to win.

“We were disappointed but we’re now onto playing the Chiefs.”

“As you can tell, that stuff doesn’t really matter for us,” utility back Issak Fines-Leleiwasa added.

“It’s a full 80 minute game. If he hits it, he hits it. If he doesn’t, we’re still a team and we’ve got to move on from that stuff as he would. It’s only a little part of what happened.”

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The team-first and selfless attitude of the squad is typified by Fines-Leleiwasa, who has spent the majority of the season filling in on the wing despite being a halfback by trade.

Getting his first shot at halfback from the bench last week, Fines-Leleiwasa was pleased to fill in wherever the team needed him to.

“Each Monday, I’m always looking at both positions just in case I’m thrown onto either the wing or halfback,” he added.

“Obviously halfback’s my main position so I was pretty comfortable going into the Crusaders game. It was good to have a stint at halfback for the first time this year.”

With the Brumbies continuing the process of locking down their core, the strong team unity was evident according to their latest re-signing Frost.

“All the boys love playing with each other and in Canberra,” he said.

“Obviously, with the success the team has had, it good fun playing here and we all push ourselves. We want to be the best team so it’s a no-brainer for some of us.

“We’re all young…We’re all still enjoying our time here.”

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