Young Dragons hooker Brodie Coghlan gives old-school a good name.
Flash isn’t his game.
Intricate footwork, slide-rule running angles and blinding offloads, for example, are as yet not especially prominent in the 22-year-old’s on-pitch make-up.
But there’s an edge about him that’s starting to impress a lot of people, with Coghlan promoted into the Dragons matchday set-up for his first full start this weekend, against Glasgow Warriors in Newport on Saturday.
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When he came on against the Bulls recently, he was in no way awed about facing Bismarck du Plessis. Coghlan simply played what was in front of him rather than worried about the name. Vastly experienced World Cup winner du Plessis was winning caps for South Africa when Coghlan was still in primary school, but the Welsh kid gave as good as he got. At the end of the game the pair even posed for a photograph together.
The youngster has also come up against new Wales captain Ken Owens.
He had four outings for Newport before heading to RGC 1404 where he had exposure and profited from tapping into the front-row expertise of ex-Dragons coach Ceri Jones, who is in charge of the north Wales-based team.
This term has seen him up his performance level even more, though those who have followed his career over the past few years insist he’s long been one to watch.
“Brodie was very raw when he played for us but you could see he had something about him,” said Newport team manager Mark Workman.
“He’s very abrasive and not afraid to mix it and get stuck in.
“What he has is attitude.
“Even when he had his first full start for us as an 18-year-old down in Llandovery, he didn’t really care about reputations.
“He just got into the mix.
“I seem to remember he had man of the match.
“And he scored a try for us as well.
“He gets stuck in and puts his body on the line. He doesn’t hold back.”
Workman, a Newport hall of famer who made 287 appearances for the Black and Ambers, reckons there are areas where Coghlan can improve but says for a youngster that is only to be expected. “His finer skills probably need developing a bit,” said the ex-lock. “His throwing could be a bit more accurate but that will come.
“For a young kid he has a lot of promise.”
Coghlan prepared for his Glasgow test with praise from his head coach at the Dragons ringing in his ears. “Brodie was awesome when he came on against the Lions last weekend,” Dai Flanagan told the South Wales Argus. You can read more about Flanagan and how he operates here.
“I go back to my roots in Gwent, being a kid in Penallta and travelling around with my old man watching Pontypool and Newbridge in their prime.
“Brodie is tough and that’s what we want to create here — physically tough people who want to face challenges head on. He is certainly that.”
Dragons forwards coach Luke Narraway is also a fan, previously saying of Coghlan: “His development in the last 18 months is probably one of the fastest growth spurts that I have ever seen.”
It is still early days — of course it is.
But too many people are saying nice things about the 6ft, 16st Coghlan for him not to be a player worth watching.
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