Nothing has ever come easy to Bennett Armistead, but his ability to learn and grow in the face of adversity is proving to be his superpower.
Unlike many of the players he trains alongside with the Queensland Reds development squad, the Bond University 2026 John Eales Rugby Excellence Scholar doesn’t class himself as a natural athlete.
“After playing basketball and volleyball until grade 8, I thought I’d have a red hot crack at rugby,” he said.
“But I wasn’t really any good, I played division five for two years.
"In the under 16s, I dropped everything else to focus on rugby and my forwards coach pulled me aside and said, ‘Do you want to do well? I’ll push you to your limits if you do.”
The conversation proved a turning point for the 200cm lock, who knuckled down to become a star for Nudgee College and earn a contract with the Reds Under 18s development side.
“The difference in where I was and where I wanted to be was being able to throw my body around without being worried, so I went to work on my physical confidence,” he said.
A labrum tear in his shoulder has sidelined him for the past six months and will delay his debut for Bond until about round six of the Queensland Premier Rugby season.
“The Australian 18s coach rang me to tell me they couldn’t take me because of the injury, but I ended up better for it as it enabled me to get surgery a month earlier which gives me a better crack at this year.”
Armistead has spent his time in rehab bulking up to give him the increased power needed to play at the senior level.
“I’ve just started being able to push more weight and I’m working back up to where I was before the injury.
“But the end goal isn’t just to get back to where I was – it’s to come back better than I was.
“The returning game can be pretty scary but as soon as you start playing you get the confidence back and you’re just able to open up and play footy,” he said.