CDRL kicks off: Race for glory begins

When Innisfail Leprechauns kick off the new Cairns District Rugby League season at Callendar Park against Atherton Roosters, it marks the start of the pursuit of glory.

WHEN beaten grand finalists Innisfail Leprechauns kick off the new Cairns District Rugby League season at Callendar Park against Atherton Roosters, it will mark the beginning of a new opportunity for 10 teams to end their premiership drought and bring glory back to their faithful fans.

Kick-off will mark a new era for the game in Far North Queensland, with this CDRL competition the first to be run under the auspices of FNQ Rugby League, but the 104-year history of the CDRL remains untouched.

WATCH LIVE:Yarrabah v Mossman-Port Douglas live this Sunday

Yarrabah sits atop the mountain after an unbelievable end to the 2021 campaign. The Seahawks finished fifth, but beat every other finals team in consecutive weeks to claim the premiership; the second in the club’s two-decade history.

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On the other side was Innisfail, who lost their third grand final in four years as they chase another piece of silverware to add to their 2015 title.

Leon Hallie is back on deck with the Leprechauns and will undoubtedly have his team firing, while 2021 Coach of the Year Jordan Biondi-Odo has done the same at Brothers.

The Brethren won the minor premiership by the length of the Bruce Hwy, but crashed out of the finals in straight sets to leave the players, coaches, staff and supporters disappointed and questioning what went wrong.

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iondi-Odo will bring much the same side to the field this year, and while several clubs have said Brothers and Innisfail would be among the favourites – Yarrabah co-captain Ammiel Harris said they’d likely be the strongest rivals to claim the crown – it is far too early to count out the rest.

Brothers lock Elijah Simpson is well aware of the target on the Brethren’s back, but said the team could be even better motivated by the way last season ended.

“Oh most definitely,” he said when asked of the motivation.

“We had a few younger guys in that team too and they’re all back. To have the year we had and for it to end like that wasn’t nice.

“We’ve had a good pre-season. I’m focused on this year: I just want to do better than last year.”

Mossman-Port Douglas have quietly gone about their business throughout the off-season, and after several years of success, which included back-to-back titles in 2018-19 and a run to the finals last year, they have turned to Joel Marama and Bronson Ryan Sr to take over from Brian Murgha as co-coaches.

The Sharks are always a threat, and they kick-off their season against the team which ended their season – Yarrabah – in a game to be shown live on the Cairns Post website.

It not only kicks off the Cairns Post’s partnership with FNQ Rugby League, but is loaded with genuine excitement machines like Sharks duo Matthew Gibuma and Stanley Anau, who shared the top tryscoring awards last season, and Yarrabah’s unpredictable playmakers Coleridge Dabah and Zac Mossman.

Jared Allen adds to his family’s legacy at Kangaroos at the start of his second year as coach with a squad which, on paper, could easily challenge for a spot in the top five.

Ivanhoes landed the first-round bye and will watch from the sidelines this weekend, but new coach Lindsay Styles will have his troops firing when they take the park next week.

They’re relying on many loyal Knights, believing they might already have the pieces they need to push deep into the finals.

On the south side of Cairns, two clubs are driven to flip the narrative and push their higher fancied rivals out of the top five.

Both Southern Suburbs and Edmonton fell short of the finals last season but there is genuine belief at both Alley and Petersen Parks that they can fight their way in.

For Edmonton’s Aaron Simpson, a consistent core who have been at the club for the past few seasons will pay off this year as they strive to play on those September weekends.

“To play constantly and with consistency is probably the main goal, I missed 10 weeks through injury last year so I want to play more footy,” Simpson said. “We only just missed the finals and we weren’t far off in a few of those losses. A few little improvements and we could be there.”

Suburbs playmaker Cephas Chinfat said the team’s powerhouse forward pack, as well as a few handy inclusions in key positions, could make all of the difference.

“The pre-season was great, we got some really good numbers and kept them coming back,” Chinfat said.

“The mood has been really good.”

At Mareeba, premiership winner Chris Sheppard takes on the coaching role in his return to Davies Park.

The Gladiators finished towards the bottom of the table in 2021, but don’t expect an overnight shift. Sheppard has made it clear that he is playing the long game, the former NRL playmaker and Northern Pride legend putting most of his focus into the development of local, young players, led by excitement machine and 2021 Rookie of the Year Trezman Banjo.

“I definitely want to see the development this year,” Sheppard said.

“We’ve seen some good signs in trials – you wouldn’t think so based on the scores – and we do have an interrupted start to the season. We have to be patient with it.”

Their rivals, Atherton, endured a similarly torrid campaign but by relying on proven Roosters, and welcoming back PNG a workhorse and multiple time Queensland Cup winner Rod Griffin, they could have the squad to get it done.

Tully’s standing as the competition easybeats might finally be challenged.

After three forgettable seasons, the sands have shifted and the Tigers are packing more bite than ever.

This is shaping up to be one of the hottest, most tightly contested CDRL seasons in some time.

The race to September starts now.

TIGERS RIGHT SHIP TO REDISCOVER BITE

IT is the record that could bring the most rusted-on Tigers supporter to tears, but there is a fresh feeling of optimism at Tully as the Cairns District Rugby League season kicks off.

Since making the 2018 grand final, when they fell to Mossman-Port Douglas, Tully’s record looks like this: 36 games, 35 losses, one draw, and no wins.

The zero is clearly what stings most, but change is in the air.

The appointment of former Northern Pride gun and Italy international Colin Wilkie as both football operations manager and a s a returning player for 2022 has breathed fresh life into Tully.

The “toothless Tigers” of the past few years will instead be replaced by a team which will grow more formidable as the season goes on.

Paul Ketchell endured every loss of the 2021 season but was reappointed coach as the club believes he can work his magic – provided the team shows up.

That promise may well pay off, but both men warned it may not be evident when they meet heavyweights Brothers at Stan Williams Park on Saturday.

“We’ve really drilled into the guys that you don’t win the competition in Round 1,” Ketchell said.

“The last few years were pretty bad but we’ll get a lot better as the year goes on.”

Wilkie’s connections, and more of a focus on recruiting has delivered some top talent to Tully in the form of halfback Manuel Marshall and Lonnie Papani.

The New Zealanders have such promise Wilkie conceded he’d be surprised if they weren’t scooped up by higher level teams before the end of the year, but for now, they will lead a rejuvenated Tully into battle.

Wilkie, who is a few weeks out from a playing return himself, said the Tigers would be short on depth at the start of the campaign, but there’s belief they will cause a ruckus in the second half of the year.

“We have at least 20, good A-grade standard players, which is double last year,” he said.

“Depth will be the issue, but from 1 to 13, we look good. We have a few to come back too.”

The 2018 Tigers will form part of this unit’s blueprint for success, as will reigning premiers, Yarrabah.

Tully struggled in the first half of the 2018 season but found a way win through the second half of the campaign and reached the decider. Last year, Yarrabah scraped into the finals then won the title from fifth.

“Look, we won’t start by going 100mph,” Wilkie said.

“The ship was going the wrong way for the last few years; we’re now pointing the right direction.

“A few of the boys from 2018 will be there this year, and that experience will help us.”

Originally published as CDRL kicks off: Race for glory begins