When Parramatta Eels prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard runs out onto Commbank Stadium on Saturday afternoon to take on Manly, he may do so buoyed by the debut outing of his first ever greyhound, Find The Line.
An astute purChase by Campbell-Gillard and mate Harrison ‘Buster’ Davies from trainer Shayne Stiff, Find The Line will step out at 5:14pm on Saturday in a Dubbo maiden over 318m – just 16 minutes before his owner runs out for his 193rd NRL match.
Parramatta Eels stars Mitchell Moses (L) and Campbell-Gillard (R) at MDC night in May, 2022
“I’m hoping Find The Line has a bit more pace than Reagan,” Stiff joked.
“I understand he [Reagan] is filthy he won’t be able to watch or cheer him on either because he’s playing the Sea Eagles at the same time. I just hope the dog can 'find the line' a bit more often than his owner,” he added in cheeky reference to the props record of 19 tries in 192 appearances.
The son of Feral Franky, with the kennel name ‘Cobber’, is out of Stiff’s former race bitch Lexie Keeping and will be the second in the litter to hit the track.
His sister Drama’s Drama has already had three starts for two minor placings.
“They picked him out when he was a pup and have gone through the whole process of rearing and trialling to get him ready. It’s always great getting to the first race with new owners and although Box 5 in a Maiden over 300m at Dubbo is no good thing, I hope he runs well,” Stiff added.
Shayne Stiff (L) is no stranger to success at his home track of Dubbo
Co-owner ‘Buster’ Davies is also eager to begin his ownership journey on a winning note after a long association with the sport.
“I’ve been in and around dogs for about 10 years and am mates with Cam Hallinan [son of prominent greyhound owner, breeder and trainer Martin Hallinan]. I’ve actually had a few greyhounds named after me but never owned one. Harrison Keeping, Zipping Buster and Buster Keeping were named after me, they must have been desperate for a name,” Davies laughed.
The friendship and subsequent co-ownership with Campbell-Gillard coming together after an introduction via Davies’ neighbourhood mate and Dubbo-born rugby league star, Isaah Yeo.
“Isaah used to live down the road from me and I’ve known him from a very young age. I met Reagan through him and have been trying to get them both into the greyhound game for a while,” Davies said.
“Shayne [Stiff] was happy to part way with one of this litter so we rustled the cash up to get involved. I reckon Reagan had to go over the hills and down through the creeks to find the cash,” he said in jest.
A trip to the 2022 May edition of the Million Dollar Chase final sparking a greater interest from Campbell-Gillard, who joins the likes of Melbourne Storm sensation Ryan Papenhuyzen, former Panthers halfback Peter Wallace, NSW and Australian centre Terry Hill, and AFL great Tony Lockett in greyhound ownership.
Campbell-Gillard (R) with Parramatta teammate Mitchell Moses and connections of We Don't Share on MDC night in May, 2022
Davies hopeful his co-owner will encourage more people to get into the game.
“Win, lose or draw on Saturday night, people might see that Find The Line is owned by Reagan and it might be a good incentive or motivation to get involved,” Davies said.
“They might think, “a first-grade footy player who represented Australia is in a dog, maybe me and a few other mates can get in too”. They could all wrangle some money together and start the same journey as us,” he said.
Davies and Campbell-Gillard
“I think a lot of people are leaning into and really appreciate the greyhounds now. Once you're around them, you will quickly work out for yourself how great they are. And when they finish racing, you can walk into a retired greyhounds home and it will be perched up on the coach eating Saladas or Jatz watching the races too. How good is that,” he added.
Find The Line will jump from Box 5 in Race 3 at Dubbo on Saturday, June 17 at 5:14pm.
