Home to play

Jardine Bobongie will be one of six fresh faces lining up for the cutters in the big game against the Cowboys this weekend.

Cutters lock Jardine Bobongie

RUGBY LEAGUE: Mackay Cutters lock Jardine Bobongie will be back home rekindling his rugby league career against the Cowboys at Leprechaun Park tonight.

Bobongie will be one of at least six fresh faces taking the field for the STM Cutters in their first trial game of the season, against a Cowboys outfit boasting new signings in former Mackay players, halfback Grant Rovelli and utility Shannon Hegarty.
The 24-year-old spent five seasons in Sydney, and although he played a few NRL trials never managed to break into first grade.
He was training with the full-time St George squad last year, but decided to come home.
“I just wanted to move back home to be with the family,” he said.
“I had planned to move back to Brisbane because I always wanted to play in the Queensland Cup but I got in touch with the Cutters and they took me into the squad.”
Other new faces named by coach Shane Muspratt in a 15-man squad include fullback Chance Bunce, hooker Roy Baira, second rowers Jerome Iakimo and Darren Griffiths, and bench player Kaylib Grey.
Muspratt will add two more players to the squad today, after a planned curtain-raiser between the remainder of the Cutters squad and Souths A grade was cancelled late yesterday due to the state of the field after rain on Thursday.
However the main game will go ahead at 7pm, with gates opening at 5pm.
Bobongie said his main focus this season would be playing well to cement a spot with the Cutters, but he hasn’t given up hopes of cracking a start in the NRL through a Cowboys call-up.
“That’s always in the back of your mind, but my first goal is to play for the Cutters,” he said.
“If I play well enough they (the Cowboys) may give me a call, but the first goal is to play well for the Cutters.”
It’s a new-look forward pack for the Cutters, with front rowers from last season Josh Rovelli and Quinton Fielder joining hooker Baira, second rowers Iakimo and Griffiths and Bobongie at lock.
“We’ve got a good pack,” Bobongie said.
“Griffiths and Baira are a couple of tough boys from Townsville and Rovelli goes extremely well.
“We’ll be good in the backs too, with young blokes like (Chris) Giumelli and (Dean) Tass, and fullback Chance Bunce, he’s good.”
The match replaces the annual NRL charity game planned for the JRL grounds tonight between the Cowboys and Cronulla, which was abandoned last week due to rain and concerns with insurance.
Tickets are only available at the gate and cost $10 adults, $5 youths over 12 and pensioners, and children under 12 free.

Originally published as Home to play