Sport
8 March, 2023
Ty Gardner Named Wattles Skipper
Former Toowoomba Clydesdales back-rower and a Wattles Warriors favourite son Ty Gardner has been focused on making a comeback to top level Toowoomba Rugby League football in 2023 after missing the previous season due to knee surgery.
The 26 year old is more than keen to run on to Warwick’s Father Ranger Oval on March 25th for the 31st annual Barrett Shield contest against the Warwick Cowboys.
But this time the rampaging second-rower will run on as Wattles A Grade skipper after team Coach Travis Burns made the much welcomed announcement last week.
Gardner more than meets the requirements to take the Warriors helm, and while his line-up has undergone some changes from the premiership winning side of last season, he feels he has a combination to match anyone in the competition this year.
“We’re aiming for a solid year ahead” said Ty, “we are certainly focused on silverware, and it would be great to be about at grand final time.”
Gardner has worn Wattles colours since 2017 and is still bruised over the ‘Green & Gold’ grand final loss to Valleys back in 2019.
To rub salt into the wound he had to be content to run water last year as his team mates laid claim to Wattles fifth TRL top grade premiership.
So the new skipper has an abundance of enthusiasm to add another season championship gong to the Platz Oval trophy cabinet.
At 187 cm and 100 kgs and speed to burn the mobile back-rower formed a more than effective try scoring on field combination with former skipper Travis Burns.
Mentor Burns, who has hung up his boots, is confident that combination can be just as effective with he and his captain on opposite sides of the sideline.
Gardner was a member of the Toowoomba Clydesdales in 2018, 2019 and 2021, only missing the honour due to injury last year and when league was cancelled in 2020.
In those same seasons he was also named in the Toowoomba Rugby League ‘Team of the Year’.
First grade coach Travis Burns obviously rates Gardner highly and feels his experience, ability and respect he has earned from team mates will see him as a very effective leader.
A sprinkling of retirements and the loss of exceptional halfback Matt Duggan to the Western Clydesdales has motivated a minor rebuild for Wattles.
“But we have exceptional depth, our Reserve Grade team, grand finalists last year boast an abundance of players ready to step up a grade,” said Gardner.
Gardner and Burns are impressed with new team five eight Braydon Paix going through his paces at training.
Paix, a former Toowoomba local and younger brother of Brisbane Broncos hooker Corey Paix, is an established player who took the field for Souths Logan Under 21’s last season and is showing plenty of class.
- Glyn Rees
