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SBS Australia
12 hours ago
- Science
- SBS Australia
Tidal Moon leveraging traditional knowledge to bring banc Australia's first ever export the sea cucumber
Tidal Moon draws on traditional knowledge to harvest sea cucumbers one by one, the marine animal will soon be dried and processed at a brand-new export facility in the West Australian town of then they're sent to a Singaporean partner for export across South East Asia Gathaagudu is home to the planet's largest reserve of seagrass both a food source for marine life and a carbon storage powerhouse. Tidal Moon is leading one of the world's largest seagrass restoration projects. While scouring the seafloor for sea cucumbers, the divers also replant seagrass reserves. "One of the key things that we're trying to do is keep the carbon captured in the sea floor. So without seagrass restoration, you have these carbon bombs that go off and there's about 40 million tons of CO2 that are at risk in Shark Bay" Jennifer Verduin, a marine scientist at Perth's Murdoch University, agrees that the relationship might be 'mutually beneficial,' saying sea cucumbers are 'the worms of the ocean.'
SBS Australia
09-07-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
The 'saltwater cowboys' reviving Australia's ancient sea cucumber trade
Three brittle brown cylinders rest in Michael Wear's palm, each the length of a finger. These shrivelled and faceless lumps are an unusual but coveted delicacy, containing centuries of seafaring history, and the key, Wear hopes, to reviving an ancient trade in his hometown of Shark Bay. Sea cucumbers — or 'trepang' as they are known by the area's traditional owners, the Malgana — are a type of sea floor-dwelling invertebrate that plays a crucial role in breaking down organic matter in the ocean. On the outskirts of Denham, Western Australia, the morning sun beats down on the headquarters of Tidal Moon, a First Nations-owned sea cucumber business run by Wear. He emerges through the plastic-fringed door of the company's brand-new export facility, which is just weeks away from opening. The iridescent rooms echo, swirling with the scent of fresh latex, detergent and anticipation. Soon, hand-harvested sea cucumbers will be dried, processed and shipped to lucrative markets in South-East Asia. It's a far more streamlined system than the one that existed in the early 1700s, when sea cucumbers (trepang) were first traded by First Nations groups in the Top End. Each year, thousands of fishermen from Makassar, a port city in modern-day Indonesia, would sail the trade winds south to Arnhem Land to exchange goods for the delicacy, which is Australia's earliest export. Sea cucumbers belong to the same animal group as starfish and sea urchins, called echinoderms. Source: Supplied / Tidal Moon "From what the records show, they used to swap sea cucumbers for iron for their spears," Wear says. I thought it was incredible that there was a trade before colonisation. Wear is a Malgana man whose connection to Shark Bay traces back 30,000 years. Although Malgana people were not known to have traded sea cucumbers, Wear's ancestors lived through Shark Bay's various boom and bust cycles. After the pearling, pastoral and fishing industries waned, employment opportunities for Indigenous people all but dried up. Now, the community is left with two stark options: to take local tourism jobs or leave their traditional lands for cities or mining towns. "If you can create a business that's sustainable, that's culturally directed, you can create jobs and a middle class within small coastal towns," he says. "Right now, you're either rich or you're on Centrelink, there's nothing in between." Michael Wear demonstrates the sun-drying room at Tidal Moon's processing facility in Shark Bay, where the company dries sea cucumbers using natural light. Source: SBS News / Otis Filley Wear established Tidal Moon in 2017 and has since trained 12 young divers, employing two full-time staff members, Alex Dodd and Shyem Nicette. As the young faces of the First Nations-led business, they work under the mentorship of Tidal Moon's head of offshore operations, Sean McNeair, to harvest sea cucumbers in unpredictable conditions. They're affectionately known as Shark Bay's 'saltwater cowboys'. But the ripple effects of the business reach beyond the community. The saltwater cowboys are drawing on traditional knowledge to restore damaged seagrass, the beating heart of life in Shark Bay. The threat of 'carbon bombs' Beyond the export facility lies the richly contoured country of Shark Bay, or Gathaagudu. Translating to 'the place of two bays', jade waters marble Gathaagudu's bronzed earth, while quartz sand dunes tumble into its ivory-shell shorelines. Sheer cliffs plunge into the Indian Ocean, marking Australia's most westerly point. It's a landscape as harsh as it is fragile, and there is no clearer example than the world's largest seagrass meadows, which sweep 4,000 square km of Shark Bay's banks like an indigo carpet across the seafloor. Shark Bay's extensive seagrass meadows are among the largest and most diverse seagrass ecosystems in the world. Source: SBS News / Otis Filley These underwater forests are a playground for whales, sharks, dugongs, dolphins, turtles, crabs, and tourists, who flock in four-wheel drives to the World Heritage-listed area. But, like most of the planet's seagrass meadows, they are disappearing as the climate simmers. After watching a marine heatwave over the summer of 2010-2011 raze nearly a quarter of Shark Bay's seagrass in only a few weeks, the seed for Tidal Moon was sown. While scouring the seafloor for sea cucumbers, the divers can also collect scientific samples and replant seagrass reserves. Globally, we lose half a hectare every 30 minutes, says Jennifer Verduin, a marine scientist at Perth's Murdoch University. As well as being a vital habitat, seagrass is a well-documented food source and carbon sink. Seagrass meadows store five times more carbon than terrestrial forests, but their significance is largely overlooked as they are hidden beneath the ocean's surface. "One of the key things we're trying to do is keep the carbon capture in the seafloor. Without seagrass restoration, carbon bombs go off. There are about 40 million tonnes of CO2 at risk [of being released] in Shark Bay. That's nine LNG [liquefied natural gas] trains," Wear says. Shark Bay has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991, which includes its coastal waters, nature reserves and lagoons. Source: SBS News / Otis Filley The 'building block' for life in the bay Seagrass restoration is advancing along Western Australia's threatened coastline. In Cockburn Sound, an inlet south of Fremantle, an underwater robot is sowing thousands of seagrass seeds at high speed along the ocean floor. In Shark Bay, environmental DNA (eDNA) samples are collected to map seagrass biodiversity in the bay. Tidal Moon's approach melds modern science with traditional wisdom. As saltwater people, the divers have an intimate understanding of tides and local ocean species, inherited through songlines and stories. "We have a responsibility from a cultural perspective that we need to look after the area because it sustains us. It's who we are, it's our identity," says Darren 'Capes' Capewell, a Nhanda and Malgana man who runs cultural tours in Shark Bay. Wirriya jalyanu means grass from the ocean. It's the building block for all life in the bay. Traditional Owners feel the ebb and flow of traditional waterways and Sea Country, but some Elders have noted a change in the air. "They don't say that we've lost seagrass. They'll refer to a sand patch, and the sand patch is actually growing. Inadvertently, they're saying we've lost seagrass," Capewell explains. Darren 'Capes' Capewell says conserving Shark Bay is integral to the continuation of First Nations cultures and identity in the area. Source: SBS News / Otis Filley Fifteen years have passed since Shark Bay's last marine heatwave, but the ocean has not recovered. Some patches are empty of turtles, or have a glut of catfish, says Wear. While deep underwater, his divers have catalogued over 4,000 hours of footage — a 'living library' of marine observations. "The effects of hot water aren't felt overnight," he says, adding that this year, the community has been bracing for more bad news. In February, Shark Bay's waters were an alarming 4C warmer than usual. Marine heatwaves swept across Western Australia, turning Ningaloo Reef's golden-brown corals ghostly white. In August 2024, Tidal Moon was given a 'ground-breaking' 13-year translocation permit from Western Australia's government to scale up seagrass restoration. This, plus a BHP Blue Carbon grant worth $2.2 million, will help towards their ambitious goal of replanting 1,000 square kilometres of seagrass in Shark Bay. Twelve of the world's 60 seagrass species are found in Shark Bay, and Tidal Moon is targeting the two most common – wireweed (Amphibolis antarctica) and ribbonweed (Posidonia australis). With the help of scientists from the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University, including Murdoch's Jennifer Verduin, the divers collect rhizomes – the underground root system of seagrasses– and replant them in areas of the seafloor susceptible to carbon loss. "As Western scientists, we have lost the art of observation," Verduin says. Traditional Owners, including Tidal Moon's divers, have a "careful" and "circular" approach to marine conservation, she explains. Tidal Moon's approach to sea cucumber harvesting draws on 30,000 years of traditional knowledge. Source: SBS News / Otis Filley Breaking into the sea cucumber market Tidal Moon's discovery of a connection between sea cucumbers and seagrass is a prime example. Scientific studies on the connection are still in their infancy, but Wear's divers have noticed a "symbiotic" relationship between the two species. In areas where they grow side by side, sea cucumbers grow faster, says Wear, pointing to research from Thailand that supports this trend. Verduin agrees that the relationship might be "mutually beneficial" due to a web of factors, including nutrient cycling and habitat protection. "[Sea cucumbers] are the earthworms of the ocean. The function of sea cucumbers is overturning the soil and redistributing nutrients, but seagrasses, in turn, protect sea cucumbers, giving them a home to work within," she says. Marine scientist Jennifer Verduin is among a team of researchers working closely with Tidal Moon divers to restore seagrass species in Shark Bay. Source: SBS News / Otis Filley Harvesting sea cucumbers relies on reading the intricate rhythms of the tides and the moon — a process that inspired the name Tidal Moon. "The marine industry is usually considered difficult, dangerous and unknown," says Sean McNeair, Tidal Moon's head of operations. McNeair learned to hunt and fish from his grandfather, a Malgana pearler and mud crabber, and spent more than a decade working as a commercial diver along far-flung coastlines before the call of Shark Bay brought him home. "The first day you dive, it becomes an obsession," he says. For me, it's like going to the moon - underwater, it's a whole different planet. It's quiet and you can hear yourself breathe, you're in amongst animals and wildlife you're not usually part of. He's speaking with SBS News in late April, a month that normally blesses Shark Bay with glassy waters and whispering breezes. Yet today, waves hurl at the helm of Tidal Moon's boat, as the trio of divers repair an anchor damaged by blustering north winds. The narrow strip of beach in Denham, a suburb in Shark Bay, is tangled with churned-up seaweed fronds, and only a handful of opportunistic fishers cast snaking lines from the promenade's jetties. Poor weather conditions have halted the team from harvesting sea cucumbers this week, but on a typical day, the divers take a two-hour voyage to Steep Point, Australia's most western tip. There, they search the seafloor, collecting sea cucumbers by hand. Once their net bags are filled with around 300-500 leathery sea cucumbers, they return to shore. Sea cucumbers have small, tubular feet that they use for both movement and feeding. Source: Supplied / Tidal Moon These sea cucumbers — mostly of the deep-water redfish variety — are dried and sent to a Singaporean partner for export throughout South-East Asia. Known as bêche de mer, the culinary delicacy is enjoyed in Chinese soups and eaten raw or fermented in Japan. 'Equality of access' Sea cucumber is not a staple of Australian cuisine, although a 2024 AgriFutures report projected prices to "surge" as demand increases. The global market value of sea cucumber is around $6.8 billion for 200,000 tonnes, but Australia is yet to capitalise on this industry, with its annual wild catches accounting for less than 400 tonnes. Sea cucumbers are 'benthic' creatures, meaning they dwell on the ocean floor, and are found in both shallow and deep sea environments. Source: Supplied / Tidal Moon Tidal Moon hopes to get ahead of the curve and eventually expand into aquaculture — farming sea cucumbers in a controlled environment. Wear's eyes are on markets in Australia, the US and Europe, where the invertebrate is a burgeoning superfood. Due to sea cucumbers' high collagen, amino acid and vitamin content, they can be milled into capsules for the lucrative biomedical market. Tidal Moon is currently partnering with researchers at CSIRO to investigate the potential therapeutic properties of sea cucumbers, which could have applications in cancer and diabetes treatments. Later this year, Tidal Moon plans to launch a cosmetics line of sea-cucumber-infused moisturisers and skincare serums. But to accomplish these big-picture plans, Indigenous businesses need "equality of access", Wear says. Tidal Moon initially struggled to enter the Western Australian sea cucumber fishery in 2017, as the wholesalers Tasmanian Seafoods held a monopoly on sea cucumber licences in the state. Although Australia's fishing industry is worth a sizable $3.6 billion, Indigenous people have traditionally been excluded from the sector due to heavy regulations and high costs. Tidal Moon's research partnership aims to explore the medicinal and nutritional potential of sea cucumbers, as well as their marine conservation applications. Source: SBS News / Otis Filley Wear says he wants to create a self-sufficient Indigenous business, one that doesn't rely on a trickle of grants or government funding. "We're this small little Indigenous business, on its own back, trying to change the world," Wear says. Preserving Gathaagudu At this stage, Wear's priority is to provide a sustainable future for young people in his community. When docked, Tidal Moon's boat, Marine 2, becomes an unofficial gathering place for the Malgana community, with waves of people coming aboard to learn about diving or operating a vessel. "If you get young kids involved, it gives them opportunity and inspires them. Especially men, a lot of the men end up in jail," Wear says. "I grew up without a father, so I know what it's like. I hope we can keep many more in the family." Michael Wear (far left) hopes to expand Tidal Moon's operations. Source: SBS News / Otis Filley Alex Dodd is a Malgana and Amangu man and the company's lead diver. At 28 years old, Dodd represents the next generation of Indigenous leadership in the sea cucumber harvesting industry. But his role at Tidal Moon isn't just employment — it's a continuation of cultural heritage and knowledge. "Being able to eventually have my own children and teaching them the same way he [McNeair] taught me is a privilege," he reflects, noting how Tidal Moon's mission bridges past traditions with future generations. Dodd's habit of combing the seafloor for the rosy shimmer of mother of pearl has earned him the nickname 'bowerbird' among his fellow divers. Strolling barefoot through his house, a manta ray chain glinting at his neck, he points to a collection of conch shells, cowries, cone snails, sand dollars and black-lip pearls. Every surface of his home highlights his deep connection to the land and waters. "Gathaagudu is a healing place. It was like something was missing. When I moved here, it just clicked," he says. "Now I can continue to preserve it for the next generation." Alex Dodd shows a shell collected during a dive in the waters of Shark Bay, where he recently purchased a home with his partner. Source: SBS News / Otis Filley This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
ABC News
03-07-2025
- General
- ABC News
Seniors who call Shark Bay in Western Australia home trade caravans for a house
Nearly everywhere in Australia is grappling with a lack of affordable housing. The small West Australian coastal hamlet of Shark Bay, with fewer than 900 residents, is no different. Bronwyn Hook has lived in the area for 11 years in a caravan. "There was nowhere else to live … I couldn't afford rent," she said. So when the state government and Shire of Shark Bay finished construction of 12 social homes for people over 60, Ms Hook could not contain her excitement. "I've got a toilet … this shower is more than twice the size of [mine]," Ms Hook said. "I'll be able to stretch my arms and move without hitting the walls. "Being able to afford it … it means a lot to the older folks. They don't have to leave town." Denham is the main town in the shire, 830 kilometres north of Perth. At the time of publication, there were no homes for sale or rent in Denham on any real estate websites. The 12 homes were constructed and designed for people aged 60 and over with a connection to the town. Shire of Shark Bay president Cheryl Cowell said the new homes freed up some places for private rentals, but they were not enough to solve the issue. "We've certainly got no shortage of new applicants for the remaining units," she said. The primary reasons people left town were a lack of housing, medical services and education. "We really lack medical facilities … we only have a doctor, if we're lucky, one day a week," Cr Cowell said. Growing the town of Denham has been a balancing act, with a lack of services slowing growth as well as a lack of properties to attract doctors and teachers. Cr Cowell said after 20 years of no new Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) houses in Denham, they would see six constructed. "We'll be looking at more GROH housing if we can get the government funding," she said. "We were way behind the eight ball. "That should open up a great chunk of more rentals for people wanting to come up here." Another challenge for the shire was being able to get builders to come and stay. "Builders are pretty short on the ground. Tradies are so hard to keep," Cr Cowell said. And with tourism the biggest industry for the area, the shire had no plans to crack down on holiday home rentals. "I'd say probably at least half, maybe a bit more of the people actually own their own property here," Cr Cowell said. "There are the elements of wanting to move here when they retire, so they're building and renting out in the meantime. "We're more than happy to carry on in that regard because we don't really have any other major industries." Ms Hook said for many locals, the balancing act had not been reached. "There are a lot of houses that are accommodation for tourists," she said. "It would be good if some of them were more for people who were living here, like families that need accommodation if they're working here." Long-time resident Gloria Whitby also just moved into one of the new social houses. "[It's] a little sense of community with all the people in the same place, same phase of life," she said. Ms Whitby wanted to stay in Shark Bay for the rest of her life but wanted to see the education shortages addressed so her family could stay as well. "That's the only thing I'd like to see. A nice big high school here," she said. Her granddaughter, Brittany, seriously considered leaving the area because she could not get a rental and she wanted her children to access better education. "We did have to almost leave town because it took us a while to get a rental," Brittany said.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pet owner's urgent warning after dog almost dies following trip to beach: 'Scary'
A Queensland woman is warning pet owners to be vigilant after a trip to the beach almost killed her beloved dog. Billy the kelpie had only been out of the car for "one minute" when he found something in the dunes that left him incredibly unwell. Brenda De Pol Cope and her husband are caravanning through Western Australia, and this week found themselves at Song Beach in Denham on the state's isolated west coast. After parking up and letting their two dogs out of the car, Brenda quickly realised that she couldn't see Billy. After spotting him near the dunes, she saw that his mouth was covered in drool. While she didn't realise at the time, Billy had found a sea hare – a type of sea mollusc that is toxic to dogs and other animals. Sea hares are mostly around 20cm in length or smaller, and have a soft body with an internal shell. They have large 'wings' to help them swim and are usually well camouflaged, making them difficult to spot. The couple continued their afternoon, playing fetch with the dogs and returning back to the van for dinner before Billy started showing signs that something was wrong. "We'd settle down, and then he'd start crying again, and then the vomiting started," Brenda told Yahoo News. "It was probably about 9, 10pm. He had us up till 3am vomiting and eventually it was just bile coming out." As well as the consistent vomiting, Billy grew "unbelievably" weak and couldn't get into his bed on the lower bunk. By this point, Brenda and her husband knew it had something to do with Billy's find on the beach. With the closest vet more than three hours away in Canarvon, the worried owner had a phone appointment to see what could be done. "He said, 'you either take him down to Geraldton or you take him up to Canarvon, but I'm going to be honest with you, by the time you get there, he could be dead'," Brenda recalled. "It was scary." Small dogs can die in just six hours from consuming a sea hare. Luckily for Billy, his 23kg build helped him overcome the poisoning. And the biggest thing that helped was the vomiting. Four days later, the 13-year-old kelpie is feeling much better. "He's quite old, so he's still a bit unsteady on his feet, but otherwise he's eating and he seems very happy," Brenda said. She's now looking to buy a muzzle for Billy as an alternative to keeping him on the lead all the time, and she's urging other dog owners to do the same. "Keep them close," she said. "If you want to go off lead, use a muzzle." Sea hares produce a purple ink and toxic chemicals as a defence mechanism against predators. The ink contains a mix of secondary metabolites, some of which can be irritating or toxic to other marine organisms. Their toxicity comes from their diet — primarily red and green algae — which contain compounds that can be harmful if ingested. Dr Tim Hopkins from Northern Beaches Emergency Vet previously told Yahoo News that dogs will usually require immediate attention from a vet. "You'll see immediate symptoms from them having mouthed the sea hare, and then usually within hours, you're seeing those systemic signs," he said. "It's often hard with these inquisitive dogs, they'll find a random washed up item or animal and we do see that [poisonings] sometimes after mass beaching events, with jellyfish and other venomous animals. "It's about knowing what to do if they do get exposed, and then it's really about knowing where your closest emergency vet is." Hopkins said if a dog is exposed to a sea hare, owners can attempt to wash their mouths out, but that "shouldn't be done at the expense of getting prompt veterinary attention". Symptoms in dogs can include vomiting, drooling, lethargy, tremors, seizures and death in severe cases. While not all sea hares are equally toxic, ingestion is risky, and pet owners are advised to keep their animals away from these creatures when they wash up. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Herald Sun
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
TAS First XV rugby's surprise packet players revealed 2025
The TAS First XV rugby competition is in the home straight following a round which saw St Columban's show why they have not been beaten since the 2022 grand final against Ormiston. STC beat John Paul College 57-5, flexing considerable premiership muscle ahead of its final game against St Paul's. The week prior, STC put up a similar scoreline when beating CHAC 57-3, taking their tally into the triple-figures over the past fortnight. This season, there has been coniserable improvement across Canterbury, St Paul's and WestMAC, with Ormiston College doing their best to stay in the premiership hunt after a false start against unbeaten STC in round 1. Ormiston currently sit second on the ladder (4-1, 17pts), with long-time rivals STC (5-0, 20pts) at the top with the premiership trophy to remain on school grounds for at least another year. Ahead of round 7, a weekend which will see Ormiston and Canterbury face off for second place, see who has been making waves as a surprise packet player — someone who has come on in leaps and bounds to be a key cog in their respective side. One of which is Ormiston College young gun Denham Radford, a Year 10 student who was thrust into the First XV earlier this season due to being a pinch too old for the Year 9/10 competition. Originally pencilled in as a winger, Denham stepped into the midfield alongside Eduard Welgemoed after a season-ending injury to Welgemoed's first centre partner. A season-injury to another Ormiston player, its fullback, meant Denham switched gears to fullback for round 2 and that is where he has found a home over the past month. In general play attack Denham has spread his wings like a fullback but off set piece play lines up at outside centre. In defence, he assumes an inside centre role, allowing his flyhalf to drop back and launch the counter attack. The energiser bunny in Ormiston's backline, Radford has relished his role this season with his talk, effort and team-first outlook an underrated feature of the side this season. Built like a greyhound — wiry and strong — the tough-as-nails Radford has shown next-to-no fear of self preservation as he muscles up in defence. In round 5 against John Paul College, the steadily improving teen threw a wonderful pass to release his winger for one of only a few tries scored in the 17-7 success in wet conditions. TAS RUGBY SURPRISE PACKET PLAYERS Max Everett (CHAC) The Cannon Hill prop has been a young tank, switching from position to new position and maintaining the same rage and ambition in attack. One of the team's top metre-eaters, utility Everett is a Year 10 youngster forging a considerable schoolboy rugby resume. He has played almost every minute of every game this season and has been both versatile and reliable. Charlie McIntosh (St Paul's) The hard-nosed McIntosh has been magic in defence. A young tone-setter who attacks with his defence, No. 8 McIntosh has made a statement with his toughness and has been a key linchpin bolstering the Pumas line. Angus Toovey (St Paul's) The St Paul's fullback has big match experience and it showed in a young Pumas outfit this year. A leader through his actions and with his words in behind the line, Toovey set a high standard and it has reflected in how competitive the team has been. He has been a handful running the ball, constantly sniffing around for opportunities to inject himself. Luke Harvey (St Columban's) Caboolture rugby junior Harvey has had a steady hand in STC's clean sweep of five rivals on its way to a three-peat of premierships. A forward every year he has played rugby at the school, Harvey switched gears to become a scrumhalf given STC's depth in the backrow. During the pre-season head coach Mosiah Christian asked the high-IQ Harvey to pass it to him and he found the breadbasket. The rest is history. Fergus Neish (WestMAC) The WestMAC hooker has come out of the woodwork to be one of the team's most dependable in an improved season. A workhorse who battled through niggling injuries to give his best for the cause, Neish has been smart with his decisions around the breakdown and accurate with his clean lineout throwing. Rohan Mendis-Galpin (Canterbury) Mendis-Galpin's game has gone up a notch in what is his second year playing First XV rugby. A swimmer first and rugby prop second, Mendis-Galpin has been all in on learning the dark arts of being a front rower. Effective carrying the ball and sound in his role, Mendis-Galpin scored three tries this season which was a just reward for his exhaustive effort in games. Max Newton (Canterbury) A big reason for Canterbury's successful campaign has been second rower Newton. A rugby league lover turned rugby second rower, Newton's growth has been his biggest asset in 2025. A big bopper, Newton has brought his toughness from league and, as an added bonus, he has been quick to learn the tricks of the trade as a rugby lock. A lifter in the lineouts and a key enforcer with the ball, Newton's tackling and physicality has given Canterbury a big boost. Tom Smith (Ormiston) The wiry Ormiston scrumhalf has been superb and the school will be hoping he can put it on a platter again this Saturday in an away game against Canterbury that will decide who finishes second. Smith's spot in the First XV wasn't guaranteed six months ago but the hard working and gutsy halfback has made every post a winner since honing in on nailing his core role. ROUND 5 PHOTO GALLERY Originally published as Named: TAS First XV rugby's surprise packet players of the season
