There was still a smile on his face and an air of self-belief in Lachie Anderson when asked to relive his historic four-try heroics, a feat which puts him in rarefied air as one of only three Australians – and first Queensland Red – to do so.
But with the highs of his first-half romp against the Fijian Drua on the weekend behind him, the 27-year-old flyer’s attention has quickly shifted to Friday night’s qualifying final against the Crusaders, a clash for which his side are battling an overflowing casualty ward.
Despite the 52-7 drubbing at Suncorp Stadium, inspirational No.8 Harry Wilson (wrist) and winger Tim Ryan (ankle) face an anxious wait to determine if they will be fit to play, while back-up five-eighth Harry McLaughlin-Phillips is expected to be ruled out with concussion.
Lachie Anderson has been one of the unsung heroes of the Reds’ campaign.Credit: Getty Images
Seru Uru (knee) is touch and go to recover, while Liam Wright (shoulder) and Matt Faessler (hamstring) will still be sidelined.
But Anderson, who credited the pack’s foundation for his exploits, backed the Ballymore depth to not be overawed by their Christchurch mission if called upon.
“It’s always special when you get some self-accolades with all the hard work you put in, but for me, winning’s the most important thing,” Anderson said.
“Our forwards set a really good platform for us early in the game. Their carries gave us momentum, and we collapsed them in the middle a bit, and it opened up some spaces on the edge.
“We spoke at the start of the year that you don’t win Super Rugby with just 23 blokes. It’s about everyone in the locker room, and whenever you’re called upon you’ve got to be ready to step up.
“I think we’ve definitely seen that this year, especially in our pack … and no matter the next man up, the mentality has been awesome.”
Ryan’s injury and subsequent push to recover was somewhat offset by the return of outside centre Josh Flook, who cast aside three months rehabilitating a hamstring rupture to score from 25 metres out against the Drua.
Anderson confirmed Ryan appeared to be moving well on Monday morning, lauding the 2024 try-scoring phenom for becoming a “triple threat” – his defensive play, highlighted by two goal-line tackles against the Blues, and backfield positioning keeping his name in the Wallabies’ hunt.
And while Flook admits he has never seen a year of such carnage, Queensland had the resources to overcome the ominous rivals ahead of them.
“I think he’ll be all good, Timmy is a professional rugby player so he would have taken very good care of his body Saturday night and Sunday throughout the day,” Flook said.
“I expect him to pull up pretty good, and hopefully, he’ll be available. We’ve had some bad luck over the last couple of years, but I think this is the season that has hit us hardest.
“Round after round we’re having one or two people ruled out … but that’s footy, we’ve got to move on, and I think we’ve shown that this year the next person in that position has stepped up.”
