THEY are among the toughest athletes in Queensland and they’re ready to unleash their killer instinct this weekend in the brutal sporting war known as “Murderball”.

Four Queenslanders are in the Australian Steelers team to defend their title in the Wheelchair Rugby World Championship at the Sydney Olympic Park Complex from Sunday.

Australia open their campaign in the five-day event against New Zealand and will then face Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and Japan for a chance to make the semi-finals.

Queenslanders Chris Bond, Ryan Scott and Michael Ozanne were in the Australian team which won the last world title in Odense, Denmark. Scott and Bond are two-time Paralympic gold medallists.

They will be joined by rising star Josh Nicholson, from Wooloowin, who made his Australian debut last year.

Scott, 36, has been playing the sport for more than half his life after becoming a quadriplegic after a car accident in South Australia when he was 16. Now the father of a nine-month old girl, he says wheelchair rugby – better known around the world as “Murderball” for its ferocity – helped him rebuild his life.

“I was in a pretty bad way after the accident, obviously,’’ he said. “But through sport I was able to realise there was a world of possibilities out there even if I was in a wheelchair.

“Because of wheelchair rugby I’ve been able to travel the world and represent my country at four Paralympics.

“This is a really tough, fast sport and 12 countries are taking part at the world championships.

“I think fans are really going to see some thrills and spills.’’