The Western Force will swap their traditional blue jerseys for a one-off red strip this weekend as they take on the Queensland Reds at HBF Park, aiming to raise awareness for youth mental health charity zero2hero.
Special Jerseys for a Good Cause
In a twist of irony, it will be the Western Force, not the Queensland Reds, wearing red on Saturday night. The Force will don the special jerseys as part of their partnership with WA-based youth mental health charity zero2hero, which provides school programs and camps to empower young adults as mental health leaders in their communities.
The change to red is designed to highlight the charity's work, with all 23 player-worn jerseys to be auctioned off to raise funds. Additionally, the Force will sell 200 red warm-up tees, with $10 from each sale going to the charity.
Finals Hopes Alive
Coach Simon Cron emphasised his side's focus on securing a win to keep their faint top-six finals hopes alive. However, the Force will be without three starters: halves combination Ben Donaldson (quad) and Henry Robertson (ACL) are replaced by Max Burey and Nathan Hastie, while prop Tom Robertson misses out due to a calf injury.
“What you’ve got to do is back the training we’ve done with those guys over this year, and they’ve been waiting for their chance,” Cron said. “We talk a lot about when the door opens, be ready to sprint through it; don’t walk through it.”
He praised Burey's attitude: “Max has been a pillar of the team this year, around his attitude at training and his attitude in the building. He hasn’t been getting picked and that can be tough, and you can go one or two ways. He’s been a credit to the team, he’s been positive the whole time, and Nathan has as well so it’s a great opportunity for them. I’m excited that those two get to go out there and play.”
Reds Rest Stars
The Queensland Reds will not wear their traditional maroon jerseys and are also resting several key players, including Fraser McReight, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Josh Flook, and Filipo Daugunu for the trip west.
Charity Partnership
zero2hero chief executive Ashlee Harrison expressed her excitement about the partnership. “Sport has an incredible ability to bring people together, start conversations, and influence communities in a really positive way,” she said. “To partner with the Western Force is incredibly meaningful for us, because it helps highlight an important truth — that mental health education and prevention play a vital role in supporting young people and communities. This partnership allows us to reach more young people, more families, and more communities, which is ultimately how we create long-term change.”
