By Casey O'Connor
After being forced to cancel the 2020 season and further disruptions due to lockdowns in 2021, administrators, officials players supporters from all TRL teams were pleased to see the return of the TRL grand finals at the weekend.
The games were deliberately scheduled to coincide with Carnival of Flowers celebrations. A great idea, although finding a car park was a bit like finding your way to the try line. You need to play with patience, stealth, just a little aggression and a smattering of good luck.
With a good spread of teams in all four grand finals the crowd was one of the best seen in many years.
There was an ugly and unfortunate incident during the Reserve Grade game following the sin binning of Gatton player Paul Iopu. Iopu reacted to heckling from Wattles supporters on the sideline. It resulted in a supporter being punched and police charges were later laid. Two supporters were removed from the ground for their part in the sideline fracas and the TRL has launched an investigation into the incident.
It will be no surprise to anyone in the crowd if the player involved finds his playing career has come to a sudden halt. The are a couple of spectators who may also find their days at the football severely curtailed in 2022. Incidents like this do little for the image of rugby league and should be dealt with harshly, as I am sure they will be.
It was an unfortunate moment that could easily have defined not just the Reserve Grade game but the entire day.
Fortunately, the football was of such a good standard that the Reserve Grade game moved on and it was just a blip on the radar.
Of more concern seemed to be the announcement during the A Grade game that the bars had temporarily run out of beer bringing a collective groan from the big crowd. That situation was also quickly rectified to the delight of the crowd.
The day was a celebration of all things good about rugby league as the entire Goondiwindi community seemed to be on hand to cheer home the Boars for their first premiership in 16 years.
Equally, relative newcomers Highfields who have come a long way since joining the TRL seemed to have garnered the support of the whole Toowoomba rugby League community making for a very tribal afternoon.
I paused to reflect that not all that long ago both Highfields and two Goondiwindi sides were welcomed into the now defunct Border Rugby League comepitition. How times change.
Still as they say in the classics last Sunday at Clive Berghofer Stadium – rugby League was the big winner.
Casey
NRL finals
We have almost reached the very pointy end of the NRL season – my tips this weekend are the Rabbitohs and the Storm.
