Canadian ‘‘import’’ Trent Bourke had to ask his Jamberoo teammates to explain when they congratulated him on his ‘‘meat pie’’ in last Sunday’s comeback win over Warilla.
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The 25-year-old laughed when he learned that his ‘‘meaty’’ had nothing to do with food and everything to do with the runaway try he scored in the Superoos’ 34-30 victory.
‘‘It’s different,’’ Bourke said of Aussies and their rhyming slang.
‘‘At first when I heard that I didn’t know what they were talking about, but it’s funny.’’
Bourke was making his first grade debut against the Gorillas alongside countryman Steve Bouchard. Fellow Canadian Joey Murphy played in the club’s third grade side.
Jamberoo trailed the home team 30-6 in the second half before scoring 28 unanswered points.
‘‘That game was incredible,’’ Bourke said.
‘‘It was unreal to get a meat pie and a win like that in my first grade debut.’’
Bourke, Bouchard and Murphy have rugby union backgrounds and only took up league in the last couple of years.
After training with Parramatta in the pre-season and playing in the Cabramatta Nines, the trio was approached by Jamberoo captain-coach Jono Dallas and asked if they were interested in joining the club. They jumped at the chance and haven’t regretted their decision for a moment.
‘‘Jono has been so good to us, helping us find jobs and a place to live, and the club has been great,’’ Bouchard said.
‘‘I feel more a part of this club here than I do with my club back home. Everyone has been so welcoming and so good to us. I absolutely love it here. I never want to leave.’’
Bouchard has been filling a role in the forwards, while the fleet-footed Bourke plies his trade on the wing.
As for which code they prefer, Bouchard is unequivocal.
‘‘Rugby is the main code in Canada, whereas rugby league is still pretty new, but I’ve been playing rugby league for two seasons and for sure it’s better than rugby,’’ the 23-year-old said.
‘‘I don’t like rucks. I knew that sounds weird being a forward but I hate rucks. A scrum in rugby can take five minutes out of a game. It just aggravates me. I like the constant flow and speed of rugby league.’’
The Superoos are chasing back to back wins when they host Port Kembla on Sunday.
‘‘Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling,’’ Bouchard said.
‘‘Every week you’re learning so much. We’re also getting proper games. Back home we only have five teams in the league.
‘‘It’s harder hitting and fast paced compared to back home. You have to learn pretty quick to keep up. It’s nice having a lot of games and constantly playing and practising every week, and just absorbing everything Jono says.’’
Shellharbour host titleholders Nowra-Bomaderry in Sunday’s other game.
Saturday’s schedule features Berry v Warilla, Albion Park-Oak Flats v Milton-Ulladulla and Kiama v Gerringong.
