SYDNEY Stars captain Dave Hickey will be one of several northern products on show when the National Rugby Championship kicks its way to Tamworth on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 24-year old spent his formative years at Coonabarabran.
It was there that he got his first taste of rugby playing for the Coonabarabran Kookaburras.
He also played a bit of league, playing the 13-man game on Saturday and union on Sunday.
On Saturday, he’ll lead the Stars out against the NSW Country Eagles.
“I haven’t played in the bush for a while, it should be good fun,” he said.
“We love going out to the country.”
While his parents don’t reside at Coonabarabran these days, he’s still got family in Tamworth and has got some friends coming over from Coona.
The Sydney University skipper and flanker said the Stars captaincy certainly wasn’t something he was expecting at the start of the year.
He was part of the inaugural squad last year but didn’t get to see a lot of game time.
“I was injured most of the year,” he said. He got back to play the last couple of games. The NRC comes on the back of what can be best described as a frustrating Shute Shield.
After an up and down season, Sydney Uni somehow made the finals but couldn’t put it together.
“In our two semi-finals we were in front but gave away the lead at the end of the game,” Hickey said.
“Everyone was pretty hungry to get into this competition.”
Sydney Uni are one of the two feeder clubs to the Stars and make up a large portion of the squad.
The NRC was introduced last year to provide the missing link between club and Super Rugby, and to expose more players to a more elite level of rugby.
“It is a great competition,” Hickey said.
“It’s a lot different to club rugby - the speed it’s played at and the attacking mindset everyone has.”
“It is quite refreshing.”
There are a number of law variations, one of the biggest being the points for penalties reduced from three points to one.
That means the ball is back in play pretty much 30 seconds after the penalty is awarded, Hickey said.
The Stars weren’t able to deliver on the
