I thought it would be appropriate to start a thread on developments for next year's Queensland Cup. Both Mackay and Cairns will have new teams included in the 2008 season, along with Rockhampton (Central Comets).

Will Townsville be a part of this? The Cowboy Young Guns will now be competing in a NRL sanctioned national under 21's competition if I recall right.

Also, are the Toowoomba Clydesdales going to be reinstated??

Will stadium funding be announced today?

THE DAILY MERCURY
29.10.2007

MACKAY people can expect an important announcement on our proposed sports stadium today when Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile makes a visit.

Mr Vaile, as Transport and Regional Services Minister, is responsible for approving the Mackay and District Rugby League's application for $6.million to help build the vital stadium.

After several proposed sites were considered, including land in Paget donated by businessman Alan Ikin, the application for funding for a stadium at the junior rugby league grounds in Bridge Road was submitted several months ago.

The latest funding application has enormous community support, including that of the Mackay City Council, which has agreed to provide land nearby for parking.

The application was made through the Mackay Region Area Consultative Committee, which Mr Vaile oversees.

Mr Vaile has had some time to consider the application and Mackay people will be hoping he signed off on it before the government went into "caretaker" mode three days after the election was called on October 14.

Once a government goes into caretaker mode it is not allowed to hand out "fresh" money that had not already been approved.

However, Mr Vaile will be able to provide the $6.million stadium funding and announce that it has been approved if he did sign off on the application before going into caretaker mode.

The stadium is a vital part of Mackay's new rugby league team, the Mackay Cutters. Mr Vaile is expected to be present when their new logo is unveiled today at 12.30pm.

In July, Mayor Julie Boyd said the Federal Government could "fund the stadium on the benefits to the region".

A week later, businessman Alan Ikin said that with the election looming, it was "certainly a good time to be asking for money".

Mackay District Junior Rugby League president Barry Blanchfield joined in to say they still needed to make sure "our ducks are in a row".

"There are still a lot of questions but we're pretty sure we can make this happen," Mr Blanchfield said in late July.

In the same meeting Mackay and District Rugby League president Greg Sutherland said that the juniors "need to retain their identity, the seniors need a place capable of hosting the Q Cup and the community needs a facility".

http://dailymercury.com.au/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3753462&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=

No stadium, no worries for Cutters

THE DAILY MERCURY
08.11.2007

RUGBY LEAGUE: It's not quite a stadium, but until some election promises are kept it'll have to do.

Saturday night, February 23, will be a big moment for the Mackay Cutters when they run out onto the JRL grounds in South Mackay for their inaugural game, a Queensland Cup trial match against Wynnum Manly.

By that time the grounds will have been upgraded with extended spectator mounds and improved lighting, following an agreement with the ground's lessee, Mackay junior league that the work can go ahead.

Cutters chairman Greg Sutherland and JRL chairman Barry Blanchfield met yesterday at the grounds to detail plans for the work, which is hoped can start as soon as council, port authority and Air Services approvals are received.

The current spectator mounds along the eastern boundary will be extended to either end of the field, and lights added to the current set-up to enable night matches.

"The Cutters will play most of their home games as Saturday night matches," Sutherland said.

"They may play a few in an earlier time-slot when the school holidays are on and there are no junior games, but generally the Cutters will be the highlight of a big day of junior league matches."

Sutherland said Cutters supporters, Alan George and partner Mike Stewart of Gateway International, who are developing an industrial estate at Paget, had offered to assist by supplying soil for the new mounds.

The decision to go ahead with a limited development of the JRL grounds follows the lack of commitment by the Federal Government to a grant, Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile instead promising that a re-elected Coalition government will provide $6.5million for the stadium.

The federal Opposition has yet to state if it will promise funding for the project if elected.

It also comes on the eve of a QRL deadline for the Cutters to provide details of their operation to gain final approval for the team"s entry into next years Queensland Cup.

Today"s deadline is not expected to cause any problems for the Cutters, who already have signed 26 players, mostly from the Mercury Cup, and will have available five or six players each match from the Cowboys.

Jamie McDonald has been appointed the club's Operations Manager (Executive Officer).

Cutters captain Shane Muspratt said he did not think the absence of a stadium would be a problem.

"It's still going to be a lot better than most of the venues where the Queensland Cup is played," he said yesterday.

"And I'm confident that we're going to be right up there with most of the teams in the Queensland Cup, especially with the blokes were going to get from the Cowboys and the squad were putting together.

"We'd like another centre or inside back, but we"re not going to worry too much about it."

One of the most recent signings is Brendan Crouch, a front rower who played for Toowoomba Wattles last season.

The junior league's decision to approve the go-ahead of development of the ground follows the JRL AGM this week, at which Blanchfield was re-elected chairman.

The following Saturday night, March 1, the grounds will also host the annual Cowboys NRL charity match, against Canberra Raiders.

http://dailymercury.com.au/localsport/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3754660&thesection=localsport&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=

Will Townsville be a part of this? The Cowboy Young Guns will now be competing in a NRL sanctioned national under 21's competition if I recall right. Half right mate.

The Young Guns will be disbanded before the 2008 season (sad I know). This is because all of the teams in the Toyota Cup Under 20's comp have to use the same names as their senior NRL teams.

What is going to happen is that all of the Cowboys squad over 20 will be playing for either Cairns or Mackay in the QLD Cup. JT is registered with the Mackay team iirc :banana:

Also, are the Toowoomba Clydesdales going to be reinstated??Can't see it happening for a while.

The Sunshine Coast signed a big deal with Manly Sea Eagles late last year and they're getting an upgraded stadium at the huge Quad Park complex. The QRL has made it known that they'll be the next team in if they can secure sufficient sponsorship.

Friendly Rivalry On Cards

Courtesy of The Townsville Bulletin/By Antony Stewart

A BIT of friendly inter-city rivalry could develop in the North Queensland Cowboys' camp after the club released which players were aligned to their feeder clubs.

With the Young Guns now just a memory, players not selected to play for the Cowboys NRL team in 2008 will either represent the Northern Pride or the Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup.

While the majority of the squad is unlikely to ever suit up for the feeder sides, the talent from the 31-man squad has been distributed evenly.

Cowboys football operations manager Peter Jones said the players were divided depending on their position and where they were from.

For example, Far North Queenslanders Jackson Nicolau, Ty Williams, Scott Bolton and Matt Bowen have all aligned with the Pride.

"If we have got a player from the Cairns or Mackay region then we put them with that respective team," Jones said.

"The second thing we looked at was position-wise – we didn't want to have four props going to Cairns and one to Mackay – we wanted to make the split as even as possible."

The entire squad will train in Townsville in the buildup to each NRL game before unselected players joined Mackay or Cairns late in the week.

"The boys are based here the whole time, they do not go to Cairns and Mackay until a Friday afternoon," Jones said.

"They then train with that team on Friday evening, play on Saturday night and then return to Townsville on Sunday where it all starts again."

Meanwhile, the Pride have released their pre-season trial schedule.

They kick off their pre-season campaign against a Cairns side on February 2 before taking on Mackay in Moranbah on February 16.

Then, as curtain-raiser to the Cowboys versus Gold Coast Titans clash at Barlow Park, Northern will play a North Queensland Cowboys reserve-grade side on February 23.

The Cairns-based team finishes their pre-season with a match against the Ipswich Jets in Mossman on March 1.

Northern play Mackay in the opening round of the Queensland Cup on March 15.


Cairns Cowboys: Aaron Payne, Ashley Graham, Ben Vaeau, Carl Webb, Jackson Nicolau (pictured) Jacob Lillyman, John Williams, Justin Smith, Mark Henry, Matthew Bartlett, Matt Bowen, Ray Cashmere, Scott Bolton, Steve Southern, Ty Williams.

Mackay Cowboys: Anthony Perkins, Anthony Watts, Ben Farrar, Ben Harris, Daniel Backo, David Faiumu, Dayne Weston, John Frith, Johnathan Thurston, Keiron Lander, Luke O'Donnell, Matthew Scott, Sam Faust, Shane Tronc, Sione Faumuina, Travis Burns.

January 29 - 2008

http://www.qrl.com.au/display.php?pg_id=3590

Knight joins our crusade

THE DAILY MERCURY
07.02.2008

RUGBY LEAGUE: The Mackay Cutters will be boosted by 100 games of NRL experience after the signing of former Newcastle Knights backrower Daniel Abraham.

Abraham, 26, had his first training session with the Cutters yesterday after driving up from Newcastle and was on hand at the JRL grounds to hear the announcement that Federal Government funding for Mackay's new stadium has been confirmed.

The signing of the second rower, lock or five-eighth is the last piece of the puzzle for the Cutters, who last month lost former State of Origin rake John Doyle to long-term injuries.

Abraham, who debuted with the Knights in 2000 and played two matches for NSW Country, left the NRL side at the end of last season during when he missed 11 matches due to a leg injury.

There had been some speculation that he could be moving to Melbourne Storm feeder club Central Coast or London Harlequins.

He said he didn't see himself as a replacement for Doyle but as someone who offered experience which would be invaluable to the team in its debut season and the years ahead.

"Hopefully what I've learnt in six or seven years in the NRL I can pass on to these boys," he said.

"I know from playing with players like Buderus, Johns and Simpson from their attitude to playing and training the importance of those things.

Abraham played with the Knights against the Cowboys at Mackay Showgrounds in an NRL trial match in 2004, but doesn't know the area well and is looking forward to bringing up his wife Shantel and son Lane, 20 months.

It's also an opportunity for Abraham to impress the Cowboys and possibly win back a spot in the NRL, but for the moment he's concentrating on fitting in for the Cutters debut season.

He'll play in an opposed trial this Saturday but will miss the Cutters' first trial match against Cairns' Northern Pride at Moranbah the following weekend, as he will be attending his sister's wedding, but will return for another trial against Wynnum-Manly at the JRL grounds on February 23.

Cutters' coach Shane Muspratt said Abraham's signing completed the team's squad.

"I'm happy with the squad we've got, we've said all along that we want to put together a squad that's competitive without any Cowboys players that we will be getting, who we will regard as a bonus," Muspratt said.

He said the new stadium at the JRL grounds, which will seat from 12,000 to 15,000 people, was likely to be ready by the start of next season.

Wow, Daniel Abraham has signed to play for Mackay, thats a great signing for them, he is a quality player. There was a mention in last sunday's Sunday Mail that Lockyer stated that the NRL should look at Mackay as being a possibility for a expansion team.

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg

New team's pride of place


FORGET the expected, Cairns' newest sporting team is out to prove it is like nothing we've ever known.

The Northern Pride, Cairns' entrant in the statewide Queensland Cup rugby league competition, continued to put the gloss on its season preparations last night with a novel approach to its team photograph.

Rather than head to the football field for its inaugural team shot, the team chose the iconic surroundings of the Esplanade Lagoon to echo its moniker and show its pride in the region.

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/02/06/pride320.jpg

The Q Cup is becoming a real statewide comp again which is good for the game. As you can see from my avatar I am a Norths Devils boy and I used to play when it was a proper state comp when Port Moresby was in the it as well, they had a great home record.

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/4899/comets24aqr7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Central Comets young gun Ken Keliher tries to break away from Canberra Raiders James Stuart.

Comets beat Raiders 24-10

25.02.2008


"THE boys played for each other, and I couldn't have been more proud of them, both as a player and a coach."

That was how interim Central Comets coach Wayne Barnett summed up his side's inspirational 24-10 victory over the Canberra Raiders at Browne Park on Saturday.

After a tumultuous week off the field for the club, in which coach Steve Anderson resigned, the players used the adversity as motivation to produce an impressive performance just weeks out from the 2008 Queensland Wizard Cup season.

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/4899/comets24aqr7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Central Comets young gun Ken Keliher tries to break away from Canberra Raiders James Stuart.

Comets beat Raiders 24-10

25.02.2008


"THE boys played for each other, and I couldn't have been more proud of them, both as a player and a coach."

That was how interim Central Comets coach Wayne Barnett summed up his side's inspirational 24-10 victory over the Canberra Raiders at Browne Park on Saturday.

After a tumultuous week off the field for the club, in which coach Steve Anderson resigned, the players used the adversity as motivation to produce an impressive performance just weeks out from the 2008 Queensland Wizard Cup season.

Been a busy week for the Comets! (I really wish they'd change back to the Capras). Canberra lost to Souths-Logan last pre-season too, they haven't got a good record up here.

New websites are up for some of our northern regional teams. Competition kicks off in less than 2 weeks!

http://www.northernpride.com.au/
http://www.qrl.com.au/images/q_cup/teams/northern_pride.gif

http://www.mackaycutters.com.au/web/
http://www.qrl.com.au/images/q_cup/teams/mackay_cutters.gif

http://www.comets.com.au/
http://www.qrl.com.au/images/q_cup/teams/commets.gif

I really like the Pride's website.

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1st Round Win for the Comets
17th March, 2008

The Comets, with the support of a vocal home crowd, kept Norths Devils scoreless in the second half to go on and win its opening clash 28 - 18 on Saturday night.

With Bronco Dave Taylor leading from the front, the Comets were unstoppable in attack. Taylor did his chances of a recall to the Broncos no harm with an 80 minute, 2 try display for the Comets.

"He's a huge boost to our side," Wayne Barnett, the Comets care-taker Coach said after the game. "We're going to miss him when he's not there." Taylor's desire to roll up his sleeves impressed the coach and players on the night. "We tried to pull him off (the field) but he wouldn't come ," Barnett revealed. Dave was voted Players Player of the match courtesy of the Cambridge Hotel after the match. Wayne Barnett said the Comets were quietly confident all week after training well. "With all the turmoil of Steve Anderson walking out well and truly behind us, we were all just keen to take the field."

Comets have an injury cloud over Nat Bowman {knee} and Luke Fatnowna {knee}.

Comets 28 Tries: Dave Taylor (2), Nat Bowman, Marty Hatfield, Tyron Haynes and Todd Titmus. Goals: N Bowman (2)

Norths 18 Tries: Joel Moon, Billy Rogers, Marc Brentnall Goals: Patrick Fray (3)

The Comics actually won a game, that is a freakin suprise:lol:

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg

Pride unit hooks Dolphins

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Emma Greenwood

Monday, March 24, 2008

ANY plans the Northern Pride had of flying under the Queensland Cup radar have been well and truly blown after the club's 32-18 win against competition powerhouse Redcliffe yesterday.

The win against last year’s Grand Finalist and the most successful club in Queensland Cup history kept the Pride on top of the competition ladder after two rounds.

It also sounded a warning to any opponent that might not have taken them seriously that the Pride will be an immediate threat in the
competition.

The Pride dominated the Dolphins throughout yesterday’s clash, racing to a 12-0 lead and pushing the margin out to 32-12 in the second stanza before conceding an 80th minute try to finish 32-18 winners. The win is the fledgling club’s second from two Queensland Cup outings but came as no real surprise to coach Andrew Dunemann, who headed into the clash quietly confident of an upset.

"I think we’ve got every reason to be confident – whether it pans out that way, who knows but I think we’ve got the team there to challenge them in certain areas," Dunemann said before the team flew out of Cairns.

So it proved yesterday as the Pride again showed their backline flair coupled with forward strength.

Redcliffe has one of the most experienced packs in the competition with players such as Troy Lindsay, Danny Burke and Michael Roberts boasting hundreds of Queensland Cup games between them.

The Pride boasted Cowboys Matthew Bartlett, David Faiumu and Ben Vaeau – who joined the team yesterday after not being needed by the Cowboys on Saturday night – in their pack and had plenty of talent in the backline, with wingers Josh Vaughan and Gordon Rattler, and Ty Williams scoring tries.

The coach praised the attitude of his returning Cowboys, with hooker Faiumu strong from dummy-half and Williams praised for an outstanding individual try. But it was Tully product Joel
Reithmuller that was singled out.

"He was outstanding once again," Dunemann said of the second-rower who returned from the Ipswich Jets for his chance to play with a local club. Joely was the best player on the park by a mile."

At 180cm and 97kg, Reithmuller is not a physically dominant forward but plays above his weight as a ball-playing forward, hole runner and strong defender.

"I’d appeal to anyone not to be put off by his size," Dunemann said.

http://www.qrl.com.au/images_lib/CentralCometsWide.gif VS http://www.qrl.com.au/images_lib/SouthsLoganHistoric.gif


Browne Park
Saturday 29th March @ 7.30pm

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Here comes the losing streak again, the first game must have been a once off:ohno:

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Here comes the losing streak again, the first game must have been a once off:ohno:

They beat the Canberra Raiders and then lost to the Raiders reserve team (Souths), how's that for a turnaround.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/956/83231607tv6.png (http://imageshack.us)

Oh and by the way, the Central Comics lost another game to Easts Tigers, surprise, surprise:ohno:

Wooh go northern pride!:tongue3:

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg

Great escape with late win

Emma Greenwood
Monday, April 21, 2008
© The Cairns Post

NOT even Northern Pride coach Andrew Dunemann gave his team a winning chance in the final minutes of its Queensland Cup clash against Easts on Saturday so lacklustre was its early form.

Trailing by eight points with six minutes left and a man down after Steve Sheppard was sent off early in the second half, the Pride looked set to record its first loss of the season.

But the Pride pulled off a Houdini act, scoring twice in the dying stages to seal a 30-28 victory, with Adam Mills pouncing on a loose ball in the in-goal 90 seconds from time to score the winning try on debut.

Captain Chris Sheppard's towering bomb was spilled by Easts winger Tangi Ropati who had been a thorn in the Pride's side in the second half, scoring a double to put the Tigers in front.

The desperation and relative control shown in the final stages was in marked contrast from the Pride's showing for most of the match.

Basic errors marred the most sets of six and Dunemann was upset by the absence of the "little things" that had led the Pride to wins in its opening five games of the season.

"You've got to be happy with the win especially being down to 12 men but that was through our own fault being down to 12 men," Dunemann said.

"I thought that summed up the whole game, the way we played, I thought we were dumb in all aspects really.

"I just think we made it a lot harder for ourselves than we had to really.

"We didn't go to the game plan basically for the whole game, everyone buys into it normally and I don't think we did that tonight.

"We just made it a really hard game for ourselves."

Given that, Dunemann thought a win was beyond the Pride when it needed to score twice in the dying minutes.

"I just thought that tonight we weren't going to (come back)," he said.

"It was just one of those nights. We started well and then we let them back into the game.

"Every time they put their nose in front we'd hit back but then we'd make a mistake in our own 20 (metres) and then they'd hit back again and they always kept in front of us in that second half.

"I've got to be honest with you and say no, I didn't think we'd come back tonight."

Dunemann had an inkling something could be up given the vibe at training in the lead-up.

"Coming into the game I was really worried," he said.

"The feeling at training wasn't like it has been for the previous five or six weeks, I just think we were maybe getting a bit ahead of ourselves as a club."

The teams were locked at halftime but when Steve Sheppard was sent off after being the third man into a brawl in the 50th minute, the Pride’s chances dimmed.

The Tigers pushed out to an eight-point lead inside the final 10 minutes as the Pride tired as it failed to do the little things that had led to an unbeaten run in the opening five matches of the season.

With time running out, the Pride's chances looked bleak but when hooker Jason Roos - arguably the home side's best - scored his second try in the 74th minute, the Pride was suddenly back in the game.

The pressure built when Northern made an error in its next set but Chris Sheppard’s bomb in the dying seconds helped it pull off a miraculous victory and remain unbeaten with Ipswich at the top of the Queensland Cup ladder.

The win may have come at a cost for the Pride, which lost form second-rower Joel Reithmuller late in the second half with a knee injury.

Easts also had injury problems, losing two forwards to knee problems.

http://www.qrl.com.au/images_lib/pridenew.jpgNorthern Pride 30 (Jason Roos 2, Gordon Rattler, Josh Vaughan, Jackson Nicolau, Adam Mills tries; Chey Bird 3 goals)

http://www.qrl.com.au/page_images/Easts-Tigers_LOGO.gifEasts Tigers 28 (Tangi Ropati 2, Trent Young, Kev Stephensen, Marcus Jensen tries; Isaac Kaufmann, Matt Lockyer 3 goals).

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3601/comt19ceb8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Central Comets halfback Marc Fickling fires a pass away.

THE Central Comets unleashed a new strike weapon at Browne Park on Saturday night, catching Tweed Heads and everyone else off-guard.

Karl Johnson, a former Kiwi junior, made a low-key arrival in Rockhampton last Sunday, after Comets captain-coach Wayne Barnett negotiated a release from his contract with the Newcastle Knights.

He was one of the stars in Saturday's Queensland Wizard Cup clash, as the Comets grabbed a nail-biting 34-32 win to keep the defending premiers winless after six rounds. ...for more see today's Morning Bulletin

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34

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THE COMICS WIN A GAME.............HOLY SHIT

Comets cut loose for rare win on the road
TMB
May 19, 2008


THE Central Comets have secured their first win on the road in two years in a record-breaking night in Mackay.

The Comets scored a triumphant 18-12 win over their sister-city counterparts on Saturday night in their first Queensland Wizard Cup clash. The win saw the Comets return home with their third win of the season, already one more than last year's total.

They kept the Cutters scoreless until the 77th minute, before the hosts ran in two quick tries just before the siren to give the vocal home crowd something to cheer about at the Mackay Junior Fields.

Captain-coach Wayne Barnett said after a different warm-up and pre-game routine, his side entered the clash with renewed confidence. "They kicked off to us at the start, and we actually dropped the ball on the fourth tackle of the first set," he said. "When that happened, I thought we were going to go back to our old ways. "We played really well in the first half, and our game plan worked very well."

Barnett said they created plenty of scoring opportunities in the first half and were unlucky to head into the break with only a 12-0 lead. "We bombed a couple of long range tries, when the passes just didn't stick," he said. "In the second half, we had a little more dropped ball and a few more penalties, but we managed to keep them scoreless until right at the end."

Barnett said despite the loss, Mackay was not a team to be taken lightly this season. "I think they're finding it hard with the (North Queensland) Cowboys players coming back and forth," he said. "If teams take them lightly, they could get beaten." Notorious Cowboys "bad-boy" Sione Faumuina was a late inclusion in the Mackay side, playing alongside former Comets utility Cody Norton and Rockhampton Brothers centre Sam Granville.

For the Comets, gamebreaker Andrew Dale returned from suspension off the bench, while experienced backs Junior Auru and Dallas Williams returned from injury. "George (Tuakura) played very well, so did Mitchell Zornig on debut, and Dallas was great in his return for us as well," Barnett said.

"I couldn't fault anyone on their performance - it's going to make the team selection (this) week very hard." The Comets tackle Redcliffe at Browne Park on Saturday night, with Barnett preparing to "unleash a secret weapon" for the match. But the forward-turned five-eighth wouldn't reveal any more yesterday.

"You'll just have to wait and see," he laughed. Redcliffe are coming off a 6-4 win over Easts on Saturday.

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12

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VS.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d3/Redcliffe_2006.jpg/300px-Redcliffe_2006.jpg
AT BROWNE PARK, ROCKHAMPTON
24TH MAY 2008, AT 7.30PM

Good win by the Comets in Mackay. Hopefully the Cutters can get back on their feet sooner rather than later... I'm going to watch them down at Tweed Heads this weekend.

COMETS WIN AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Can Comets make it four in a row?
June 12, 2008


THE Central Comets will shoot for an unprecedented fourth straight victory on Saturday night when they take on the Burleigh Bears, with captain-coach Wayne Barnett left with some important selection decisions to make.

Barnett this week named a 21-man squad for the round 13 Queensland Wizard Cup clash at Browne Park, with four players to be omitted today or tomorrow pending fitness tests and availability.

Tyron Haynes (ear) and Barnett (foot) are due to undergo fitness tests tonight, while Barnett is also monitoring young gun Brent Williams, who suffered a hand injury in his debut with the Brisbane Broncos under-20s on Friday.

The Comets are still on a high following their record-breaking 40-18 win over Norths in Brisbane on Sunday.

The club is expected to find out today if they will get Broncos prop Dave Taylor back for this weekend's clash, with the Blackwater product named in the No.17 jersey for the NRL powerhouse on Tuesday to play Canberra.

Crowd favourite Captain Comet will return for the home game, with the club hoping for a supportive home crowd.

"With the way we've been playing lately, hopefully people will get out and watch us," Barnett said.

He said they expected to come up against a determined Burleigh outfit, coming off a 26-4 loss to Easts at the weekend.

"They had a big loss last week, so they'll be really on their game," he said.

"They'll bring up a strong side."

The game kicks off at 7.30pm.

Comet shatters club records.....
10th June, 2008

LIVEWIRE Central Comets halfback Nat Bowman broke a long standing club record as his team charged to a third-straight Wizard Cup victory today.

Bowman scored 24 points from three tries and six goals to better Graham White's previous best match haul of 22 points set in 1997.

The 40-18 triumph over the Norths Devils marked a landmark day for the Comets, who now sit just one point adrift of fifth spot following the win - their biggest against the Devils in Queensland Cup history.

Remarkably, the Comets were able to knuckle down for a well deserved victory despite another week of turmoil.

Player/coach Wayne Bennett was ruled out with a foot injury during a dramatic week which also saw the resignation of CEO Rob Crow.

Former Broncos and Cowboys winger Scott Minto is the new Comets CEO.

Minto would have liked what he saw today as the Comets ran in seven tries to three to outclass the Devils.

Having recorded five wins already, Barnett believes the team is on target to reach their pre-season goal of seven wins.

The Comets will be hunting for a fourth straight win when they host the Burleigh Bears at Rockhampton's Browne Park on Saturday.

Barnett is convinced the Comets can keep the momentum going.

"Why not?" Barnett offered when asked whether the Comets could make it four in a row.

"Good teams win three and even better teams win four.

"But it's going to be tough. Burleigh is coming off a loss so they will be determined to turn it around."

But for now, Barnett is just happy to enjoy the moment.

"I've been at the club for three years and we haven't done that (three wins) before," he said.

The Comets conceded the first try of today's match but were never really headed after bridging the gap.

Big forward Andrew Lomu was the Devils' most destructive player. The former Bronco bagged two tries.

NEXT GAME

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VS
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@
Ned Byrne Field, Kingscliff
Kickoff at 6pm

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RESULTS

http://i37.tinypic.com/ot1yrr.gif22 (Goals: M Hatfield, K Johnson, D Williams, PJ Marsh)(Goals: N Bowman 3)

http://i34.tinypic.com/14kz0cl.gif20(Tries: L Dumas, J Rapana, C Enahoro, B Ngawini)(Goals: D Evans 2 ).
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http://www.qrl.com.au/page_images/MackayCutters.gif40 (Tries: K Lander 2, A Wright, C Giumelli, K Toby, R Lightning, J McDonald)(Goals: D Abraham 6)

http://qrl.com.au/page_images/NthsDevils.gif24 (Tries: P Ivan 2, R Robinson, R Davies)(Goals: J Fauid 4)


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http://i33.tinypic.com/24uz29g.gif24 Tries: (Jamie Frizzo 2, Drew Campbell, Josh Vaughan, Matthew Bartlett)(Goals: Quincey To oto o Ulugia 3)

http://i36.tinypic.com/vice1f.gif10 (Tries: L Campbell, M Jensen)(Goals: M Lockyer)

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Comets keep finals hopes alive with gutsy win over Tweed




July 14, 2008


THE F-word is on everybody's lips but can the Central Comets push into the Queensland Wizard Cup finals for the first time?


"I don't see any reason why we can't," says coach Wayne Barnett.

The race is on for a finals berth after the Comets snared a crucial 22-20 win over Tweed Heads at Cudgen Oval all but ending the defending premiers' hopes of back-to-back titles.

Now just two wins outside the top five, the Comets need to win four of their remaining five matches to be in contention.

From wooden-spooners to finals hopefuls, Barnett said 2008 had been a ground-breaking season.

"We've won six (games) now and that's tripled last year's effort," he said.
"So that in itself is a big achievement for us this year.

"There's no reason why we can't win four games, and three of them are at home which helps."

Bolstered by the return of Brisbane Broncos utility PJ Marsh, the Comets produced a dominating opening 40 minutes despite being on the wrong end of a lop-sided penalty count, and went into the break with a 12-4 lead.

"They scored first after about 15 minutes of end-to-end footy, but then we hit back with two tries," Barnett said.

Marsh produced an impressive 70-minute performance, grabbing a four-pointer of his own.

"He's the kind of bloke you love having in your team," Barnett said.

"He didn't say anything at half time he left that up to me but he did have a bit to say during the warm-up.

"He was great with his talk in defence as well."

Barnett also praised the individual performances of Tyron Haynes and Logan Sullivan, who were "outstanding".

They didn't come through the match unscathed, however, with an injury cloud looming over lock Mick Esdale.

"He might have a few teeth loose or a possible broken jaw," he said.

The Comets have defeated Tweed Heads in both games this season.

"On paper they're a good team, but it just comes back to attitude," Barnett said.

"I think we had more supporters in the crowd than they did, too, so that doesn''t help."

The Comets now have their sights set on a victory over competition leaders Northern Pride at home this weekend, but they know it will be no easy task.

"Our team has improved a lot since we last played them in Cairns, and our home crowd is our biggest asset," Barnett said.

Comets 22 (M Hatfield, K Johnson, D Williams, PJ Marsh tries, N Bowman 3 goals) d Tweed Heads 20 (L Dumas, J Rapana, C Enahoro, B Ngawini tries, D Evans 2 goals).

NEXT GAMES

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Browne Park, Rockhampton
19th July 2008
Game Starts at 7.30pm

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Mackay Junior Oval
19th July
Game Starts 7.00pm

PJ to lead our finals charge


July 16, 2008

BRISBANE Broncos' utility PJ Marsh will return for back-to-back appearances for the Central Comets this weekend as their desperate charge for a finals berth heats up.

Marsh was not named in yesterday's Broncos team, making him available to the Comets for their crunch match with the Northern Pride at Browne Park on Saturday night.

Barnett yesterday named his side for the round 18 clash, including Marsh in the No. 9 jersey.

Marsh, who played off the bench for Queensland in the State of Origin series opener in Sydney, played a big part in the Comets crucial 22-20 win over defending premiers Tweed Heads at the weekend.

The news isn't all good for the Comets, with lock Mick Esdale's season ending prematurely on Saturday.

The 23-year-old will undergo surgery this week after breaking his jaw in two places in the match against Tweed, and is facing up to eight weeks out of the game.

But despite the loss, captain-coach Wayne Barnett said there would be no excuses ahead of Saturday's clash, knowing they need to win at least four of their final five matches to stay in contention.

"Being the Pride, that should lift us automatically," he said yesterday.
"There will be no motivation problems, and being at home, we'll be using the crowd to get over the line."

Liam Anlezark returns to the bench after recovering from a broken thumb. The game kicks off at 7.30pm.

Meanwhile, the Broncos received a boost yesterday ahead of their clash with the North Queensland Cowboys on Friday night, with stars Peter Wallace, Steve Michaels and Be Te'o resigning with the club.

The club's future is also looking bright, with several under-20s stars including former Dingo and St Brendan's College star Ben Hunt.

The Cowboys copped a blow ahead of the round 19 encounter, with skipper Johnathan Thurston ruled out for three to four weeks.

I'm going to this game on saturday night in Mackay...

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Cutters clash is Sailor-made

THE DAILY MERCURY
July 16, 2008

RUGBY LEAGUE: Flamboyant winger Wendell Sailor is set for an emotional home-coming when he runs out for the Burleigh Bears in a highly anticipated encounter with the Mackay Cutters on Saturday night.

A bumper crowd is expected for the round 18 Queensland Cup clash at the Mackay Junior Rugby League Grounds, which will be Sailor's second match for Burleigh.

It's been a long time since Sailor pulled on the boots to play in Mackay.

In fact, he was just a fresh-faced 18-year-old, about to embark on his career with the Brisbane Broncos.

Sailor, who hails from Sarina, yesterday said he was thrilled about the opportunity to return to his old stomping ground.

"I can't wait to come home and play," Sailor said.

"I'm quite excited."

Sailor's mother still lives at Sarina and he has plenty of other family members in the district.

The dual international, who celebrates his 34th birthday today, admits the game will be a moving experience for him.

"Seven years ago I lost my dad, who was a huge part of my career," he said.

"To go back and play where it all started it will be emotional."

Sailor said he and wife Tara, who comes from Ayr, try to visit Mackay at least twice a year.

He signed with the St George Illawarra Dragons in May after a two year ban for drug use but has been squeezed out of the NRL team following the return of Dragons' stars Matt Cooper and Mark Gasnier.

Sailor said he had found his first taste of Queensland Cup football to be "really enjoyable but quite tough".

"It's quite an intense league," he said.

He is expected to line up against Mackay's consistent back Sam Granville.

The Skills Training Mackay Cutters have announced a relatively unchanged side to take on Burleigh.

Keiron Lander is out with a shoulder injury but is replaced by rugged Cowboy Sam Faust.

Coach Shane Muspratt will start at lock after playing there during last week's 40-24 victory over Norths.

Dean Tass, who missed the Norths clash with injury, has been named on the bench.

Source: http://www.dailymercury.com.au/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3778680

http://www.qrl.com.au/

RESULTS - Round 18

http://i37.tinypic.com/ot1yrr.gif28 (TRIES: Marty Hatfield 2, Guy Williams, Nat Bowman, Andrew Dale)(GOALS: Nat Bowman 4)

http://i33.tinypic.com/24uz29g.gif16 (TRIES: Hezron Murgha, Gordon Rattler, Quincey To Oto Ulugia)(GOALS: Chris Sheppard 2)

http://www.qrl.com.au/page_images/Burleigh-Bears_LOGO.gif22 (TRIES: Travis Simpson, Scott Smith, Adam Fielder, Nick Parfitt)(GOALS: Nick Parfitt 3)


http://www.qrl.com.au/page_images/MackayCutters.gif16 (TRIES: Chris Giumelli 2, George Gatis)(GOALS: Daniel Abraham, Daniel Flynn)

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NEXT GAMES - ROUND 19

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BMD Kougari Oval
Wynnum Manly
Sunday 27th July
Game Starts @ 2.30pm
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VS
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Barlow Park
Cairns
Saturday 26 July
Game Starts @ 3.00pm
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VS
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Meakin Park
Slacks Creek, Logan
Saturday 26th July
Game Starts @ 2.00pm

Killer Comets Continue Late Rally (http://qrl.com.au/display.php?pg_id=4036)



CAN the Central Comets take a place in this year’s final series?



That is the main question Wizard Cup fans are asking after the Comets scorched ladder leading Northern Pride 28-16 in front of a parochial Browne Park crowd.

It is still more improbable than probable, but if they continue their form from last night, their odds will continue to shorten.

The Comets conceded the first try but struck back soon after and were never headed in what was a physical but scrappy affair.

Last time the two teams met, the Pride belted Central 40-10.

With revenge on their mind, star Comets halfback Nat Bowman said his side expected to win this week.

Asked if his team was pumped about their victory, Bowman replied: “Not really”.

“We were very confident heading into the match. It was a good win, but the way we have been playing, we always felt we should win,” Bowman said.

“We are a real team at the moment. There is a lot of confidence in the team and we aren’t just individuals anymore.”

The fact the Comets see the historic win as merely another step, not a great achievement, is a positive for a club that has never reached the finals.

Indeed, the Comets, who currently sit on 18 points, will need to keep winning if they are to take one of the two finals spots still left.

The Comets inspiration was classy fullback Guy Williams.

Normally a five-eighth, Williams was bashed all game by the Pride’s kick-chase team, but kept returning the ball with vigour.

“He was great out there. He did heaps of work for us,” Bowman said.

“He looked pretty worn out in the sheds after the game. That’s my normal position so I felt a bit sorry for him that he had to work so much.”

While the Comets gained much from the match, the Pride are now back with the pack.

The Pride’s trip to Browne Park was supposed to see them place one hand on the minor premiership trophy.

But after being outmuscled, the Pride is now level pegging with the Ipswich Jets.

Next week the Pride plays Tweed Heads, while the Comets face an in-form Wynnum Manly side at Kougari Oval.

When the teams last played in round eight, the Seagulls won a tight contest 34-24 and if the Comets can reverse that score line, the question of whether they can make the finals will become even more intriguing.

Marsh and Taylor in Comets' next crucial clash

July 23, 2008



RUGBY LEAGUE: WITH just four hurdles left to jump on the road to the semi-finals, the Central Comets have received a double boost ahead of this weekend's crucial clash with Wynnum Manly.

Dual-contracted Brisbane Broncos star PJ Marsh and Dave Taylor were yesterday named in the Comets' team for Saturday's round 19 Queensland Wizard Cup match after they were left out of the Broncos team.

The Comets team is virtually unchanged following their shock 28-16 win over competition leaders Northern Pride at Browne Park on Saturday night, with Taylor the only new inclusion.

Barnett said although the side would be bolstered by the star pair's return, it was already a team brimming with confidence.

"I was pretty confident even before we knew they were playing," he said.
"It's a very important game, and we need to win all four games to end the season the way we want to."

Former Comets captain Mark Henry has re-signed with the North Queensland Cowboys for a further two years.

Henry debuted for the Cowboys in 2006 and has proven his utility value by filling several backline roles in the disastrous year for the wooden spoon bound North Queensland side.

Rothery signs for year as a Comet
August 19, 2008


FORMER Canberra Raiders enforcer Alan Rothery will return to Rockhampton next year after signing a one-year deal with the Central Comets yesterday.

The former North Rockhampton High School star debuted with the Raiders in 2004, and was released from his contract with the club earlier this season after being plagued by injuries.

He played with a lower-grade Canberra side earlier this season before moving to the Gold Coast.

The Comets yesterday confirmed the 25-year-old would return home next year to join their 2009 Queensland Wizard Cup campaign.

Rothery will add experience to a young Comets squad, having joined the NSW Residents team last season after impressive performances with the Raiders' first-grade side.

He returned to Browne Park last year with the Raiders for their pre-season trial game against the North Queensland Cowboys.

It is understood Rothery will stay with his family in Rockhampton next season.