Last dance for dynamic college duo

Wil Thornalley and Cooper Grant began their first XV journeys together as year nines and are looking to end it by winning a pair of prestigious titles together.

The young halves have played alongside one another in every Nelson College team before making eventually their debuts in the school’s top side during the same game in 2020.

Wil, 18, and Cooper, 17, have since gone on to develop a prosperous partnership at halfback and first five, helping guide the team to the Miles Toyota Championship final against Christ's College this weekend.

Wil says they have a great on field connection and he gets a real sense of confidence playing inside Cooper.

“He is the go-to man, we have really good chemistry and know how each other play.”

Cooper agrees and says he has to be ready for anything with Wil as his halfback.

“To play with the same guy for five years is pretty special and hopefully our last games go well.”

With the match originally scheduled for August 21, Cooper and Wil say the timing of the lockdown was less than ideal.

“We were on a roll as a team and building real nicely, then it was like last year where it looked like we might miss out. We have been training since December so it would have been really gutting.”

Cooper says when the Top Four was cancelled they thought it was over.

“There was a bit of doubt, but we always had that hope so just kept training.”

However, the delays and uncertainties has just made the side even more committed and determined to put on a performance.

“We will definitely be getting up for it,” says Wil.

Cooper says the players are fizzing to get back into action.

“Through lockdown we weren’t sure if we would get back, but the boys still put in all the hard work over lockdown, and we tried to stay connected as a team.”

The dynamic duo say Saturday’s final is the biggest game of their lives to date and, for Cooper, it could be his last ever.

Also, an incredibly talented baseballer, Cooper will look to move to the United States in 2022 to chase his dream of playing baseball.

“This might be end of my rugby career. I’m not sure if it will be last time in the boots.”

The pair take confidence from their previous encounter with Christ's at Quad back in July, where Nelson staged a stunning comeback from 20-3 down to win 27-25.

“We have beaten them once before and can do it again,” says Cooper.

“A home final, you can’t beat it,” says Wil.

Unfortunately, Level 2 restrictions will prevent friends and family attending their final game in Nelson.

“It makes the big dance a bit more fun, especially with all the schoolboys, so it is gutting if they can’t be there,” says Wil.

Both young men say they would have loved to cap their college careers with one final descent down the iconic front field steps but “that’s just how it goes”.

The pair has had a first-hand look at a championship-caliber team after following the 2019 side which finished fourth in the country.

“They give us a benchmark, but we want to push to be better than them. If we win these next two games we have three cups to our name, so that’s the plan.”  says Wil.