Though the Monaro representative team had mixed success on Saturday, June 12, two of its Goulburn players earned selection in the ACT Brumbies Provincial squad on the strength of their performances.
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Adam Lachlan and Alec Palmer, both of whom play for the Goulburn Dirty Reds, donned the Monaro colours for the Brumbies Provincial Championships just over a week ago.
With only two training sessions to prepare for the tournament, the Monaro squad was not quite as well-prepared as co-coach, Ben Pearson, would have liked.
"I think we did pretty well for the preparation we had," he said.
"It was sprung on me with five or six weeks to prepare. I contacted every single club in the Monaro region that had players eligible. Some of them got on board, specific clubs didn't have anything to do with it.
"It was difficult, you go into a tournament like that and you don't have the pick of 100 per cent of the best players, but the guys that did go did a very good job."
The Monaro squad was chosen on the basis of a selection training session, to which all eligible players in the region were invited.
Lachlan and Palmer were two of nine Goulburn players named in the Monaro side, which played twice on the day of the tournament. Its first match, against the South Coast Marlins, ended in a 21-21 draw. Its second, against the Southern Inlands, produced a 27-21 loss.
Tournaments like the Brumbies Provincial are crucial opportunities for regional rugby players, who are not afforded many of the same opportunities as their metropolitan counterparts.
"It's an opportunity for the guys who want to play a representative level without leaving a country area and playing in the city," Pearson, who also coaches the Goulburn Dirty Reds, said.
"[Goulburn] had nine guys involved, I guess we're playing at a bit of a different level than the division two teams, which are the majority of Monaro teams these days, so we tend to have a decent group there."
Following their selections in the Provincial squad, Lachlan and Palmer will prepare for a clash against the Brumbies City side, which will be named after the conclusion of the John Dent in September.
Until that point, the two will continue to play for the Dirty Reds, who are currently unbeaten in the ACT First Division First Grade competition.
The Dirty Reds are scheduled to take on Easts this Saturday, June 26, from 1.30pm at Poidevin Oval.
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