By Tania Phillips
Top-line rugby league comes to Warwick on Saturday night when the Western Clydesdales face the Burleigh Bears in Week 16 of the Queensland Rugby Leagues premier competition the Host Plus Cup at Father Ranger Oval, Warwick.
The Warwick Cowboys will host the teams with Cowboys president Dane Barrett urging local football enthusiasts to come along and watch the game which features the cream of Queensland rugby league.
He said the competition is just a tier below the NRL with both teams acting as feeder teams to NRL clubs.
“It’s a bit of a coup for us to have them coming out here,” Barrett said.
“It’s exciting for the town.”
The Western Clydesdales CEO Shane Sullivan, said his side who returned to the Queensland Cup competition last year, featured players from across South West Queensland, with the Warwick Cowboys acting as one of their feeder teams.
Sullivan, who is from the Southern Downs and has family involved in the Cowboys, said the Host Plus team had been doing well this year.
“With our Host Plus Cup side, we’re sitting in 14th at the moment but realistically we’ve improved as the season has gone on,” he said.
“We’re certainly fighting hard. We’re still up against a lot of challenges being only the second year back into the competition but we’ve built a strong core team.”
It’s a rebuilding year for the Clydesdales.
“Off the back of some success last year we lost six players to NRL clubs or squads be that Sydney or Brisbane so we’re quite happy we’re quite happy with where we’re sitting having rebuilt half of our squad this year,” Sullivan said.
He said their opponents Burleigh, who are fourth on the ladder, are always tough customers.
“They’ll be strong with their new affiliation this year with the Brisbane Broncos they’ve got plenty of Broncos players to swap back into their side if their not in the Bronco’s team which provides a challenge for us,” Sullivan said.
“But just in general they’ve got a good squad and a proven squad, they were beaten grand finalists last year. So, they will be a challenge.”
While Cowboys are a feeder club for the Clydesdales with players dual registered between the two clubs, there is also a Warwick link to the Bears too.
“One of our ex-players, one of our local boys Mitch Watson is playing for Burleigh this year,“ Barrett said.
He said there were also a few former Cowboys involved behind the scenes with the Bears.
Action will start at 1pm with the Cowboys’ undefeated Toowoomba Rugby League reserve grade side playing Newtown. The A Grade, who are also undefeated, are set to playing at 2.30pm – although as off earlier this week there was a cloud over that game with the Newtown, currently last on the ladder, forfeiting their most recent game due to lack of numbers. According to the QRL the main game is scheduled for 6pm.
During the break between the TRL fixtures and main game, there will be entertainment including raffles and draws.
“The teams will warm up on the field so the kids will be able to watch them warm up,” he said.
“We’ll have a kick for cash, we might have a couple of different ones – one for the adults and one for the kids and if I can organise it we’re going to have cow-poo lotto.
“The Clydesdales are going to do a development event in that period as well which is good – we’re happy for them to do it. The more stuff we can do in the area, the better off we are.
“Having this level of football in the town is great. Over the next few years we hope to do a bit more around the club so we can host more of these games for the area.
“We’re looking to try to work with local and corporate sponsors to try do more.”
The game continues a big year for the Warwick club who are undefeated competition leaders in both the TRL A Grade and Reserve Grade and last week had A grade mentor Col Speed named as the Queensland Men’s Country Coach.
“It’s great for us, Col has been great for the club, he’s been some experience and different elements then what we’ve had in the past and to have Sam Williamson looking after our reserve side, has really knitted the club together and they just want to play footy for him,” he said.
Barrett said spectators could come along and pay at the gate on Saturday and he urged the community to come out and enjoy top level football in their own town.
