Mackay’s top 30 rugby league players since 2000
Splitting the greatest local league players in Mackay since the year 2000 is no easy task. We’ve heard from several former players and great pundits of the game to determine our top 30 list. VOTE IN OUR POLL
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How do you split the great rugby league players of Mackay?
Do you preference raw talent, the ability to single-handedly win a game on any given day or do you look to those you can trust week in and week out?
The beauty of it all is that no answer is 100 per cent right or wrong.
Since the year 2000, the Mackay region has punched above its weight in being a breeding ground for NRL stars, but this list aims to recognise the best performers in Mackay.
After discussions with some of the great Mackay rugby league players and observers, here is the top 30 list since the year 2000:
30. Peter Dangerfield
Some would have Dangerfield as their first picked winger of the 2000s.
The long-time servant of Souths was a nightmare for opposition wingers and looked to win the ascendancy through brute strength and finish off with class on the outside.
One pundit said his defensive ability was what set him apart from others.
29. Dan Boyd
Despite a brief stint with Wests during the Covid season, Boyd played most of his career with Brothers.
Crafty from five-eighth, Boyd had spent time around the Cutters program.
He was a highly touted junior who did attract some NRL interest coming through the ranks.
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28. Tom Heggie
Now the Brothers coach, Heggie played in the halves for the last Brothers side to win a premiership.
A long, esteemed career through the 2000s, the side was likely a better one with Heggie in the engine room.
27. Jake Thornton
A man who bleeds Wests, Thornton is the colourful cult hero of a dominant era for the club.
Judged best afield in their 2020 premiership, the fullback’s development trend shapes as a vital figure in the next generation of Wests.
He is another name that could climb this list as his career goes on.
26. Heath Egglestone
Was listed in the 20th anniversary of Q-Cup team for his time with the Capras, Egglestone returned to a strong Moranbah side in the early 2000s.
His pinnacle performance in Mackay rugby league, a hat-trick in their 2005 grand final win over Souths.
If the Cutters had been around earlier, he would likely move even higher on this list.
25. Marmin Barba
Another freakishly talented junior, Marmin Barba has made his long-awaited return to Mackay through Carltons after a big stint in Brisbane playing in the Q-Cup.
Five tries to start the year with the team sitting at the top of the ladder, Barba is well positioned in season 2022.
He is just excited to be back home playing with his close mates.
“I am living back in Mackay now, I moved back only a couple of months ago,” Barba said.
“I played all my junior footy here for Norths Devils, pretty much right up until I was 18.
“After school, I moved down to Sydney because I signed with the Bulldogs but playing junior footy here was what really cemented my career.”
24. Michael Comerford
A Souths junior, most of his time was spent playing as one of the young stars of the early Cutters’ sides.
Comerford played mostly in the centres for Cutters from 2008, with an untimely ACL injury led to him missing their only premiership.
He would later go onto be a widely respected coach around the Cutters squad and in the Mackay rugby league competition.
23. Harley Bickey
Bickey has a few sets of shorts in his wardrobe at home having played with many of the Mackay clubs.
An outside back blessed with natural talent, Bickey was a promising junior rising up the ranks and signed to Bulldogs alongside Ben Barba.
22. Dane Nielsen
Dominating through the junior ranks, Nielsen was always destined for greater things.
His first start in A-Grade for Norths coming as a 17-year-old.
By 2004, he was with Moranbah where he was won a premiership and a Foley Shield for Mackay before joining the Melbourne Storm.
21. Kellen Jenner
Instrumental in the Wests’ dominance of recent times from the number 9, Jenner often finds himself among the try scorers.
Jenner took a step back from the Cutters program at the start of 2022, after multiple years in their system where his ability to play all over the park made him a reliable option.
His late try in the 2021 Grand Final nearly resulted in Wests pulling off a remarkable comeback.
20. Dane Vogel
Spending time at both the Crocs and Norths, Vogel was relied upon as an enforcer in the forward pack.
A part of the early Cutters’ sides, he was always around Mackay’s representative sides and represented North Queensland as a junior.
19. Ryan Schill
A big, powerful centre who won player of the year for Brothers in 2021.
Making his debut with Souths in only 2017, there is every chance Schill rises even further up this list heading deeper into the 2000s.
18. Bureta Faraimo
Faraimo’s stint in Mackay was short lived but opponents are still haunted by the thought of his presence on the wing.
Playing only half a season with Wests after arriving in Mackay, Faraimo scored 29 tries.
He went onto play Q-Cup with the Cutters where he scored two tries in their 2013 Grand Final win.
One former player said he was not sure if anyone managed to lay a tackle on Faraimo during his time in Mackay.
He would play 15 games for the Eels before moving to England where he remains today.
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17. Quinton Fielder
Quinton Fielder was one of those on the list who appeared destined to reach the NRL at one point.
Despite being a gifted junior, Fielder took a few years to get things right as a senior player, before his resurgence with the Crocs.
An overpowering front rower, Fielder won Mackay rugby league’s Player of the Year and Representative Player of the Year awards in 2007.
He would go on to be a pivotal part of the early Cutters’ sides.
16. David Bella
Five-eighth for the Crocs in a career spanning 20 years from 1992 to 2012, including a premiership to start the century.
One pundit said his daughter Emily, now with the NQ Gold Stars, was a modern day spitting image of the way he once played.
15. Beau Dixon
Has played at a few clubs since making the move to Mackay rugby league but always manages to be high on the list for top points scorer.
Playing in the halves this year for the ladder-leading Carltons, Dixon has again started well with 37 points.
14. Josh Rovelli
The prop has been a staple of Mackay rugby league for much of the 2000s.
The peak may not have reached the heights of brother Grant, but Josh Rovelli remains a dominant force for Brothers in 2022.
He has also had multiple stints at the Cutters and was particularly influential in the side’s early years.
13. Ryan Kinlyside
Kinlyside is hard to go past as a front rower after moving to Mackay through Souths for the 2013 season, looking for a Q-Cup opportunity with the Mackay Cutters.
Now with Magpies, Kinlyside has spent most of this season coming off the bench but remains one of the most feared players in Mackay rugby league.
12. Ben Barba
If this list was based on the heights reached in the sport, Ben Barba’s Dally M would be hard to go past.
His spot on the list is based solely on his performances in Mackay as a rising star coming through the ranks at Norths and upon his return to rugby league in 2021.
In his first stint in particular, Ben and his brother Aaron torched opponents before signing with the Bulldogs.
Barba, much like his brother Aaron, has always been a class above in Mackay, shown by his immediate selection in the Foley Shield upon his return to Carltons last year.
11. Les McIntyre
Equal parts tough as he was talented, one former player had McIntyre at the top of his list for the 21st century.
A brilliant back rower, McIntyre was your typical tough country footballer and played mostly for the Magpies.
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10. Andrew Dunkley
“Robocop” Dunkley has been the backbone of Wests throughout a success-filled period for the club.
A no nonsense front rower who may have taken more hits than anyone else on this list.
Awarded Player’s Player in back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021, one former player described as the type of bloke you wished you could play alongside.
Dunkley has also consistently represented Mackay in the Foley Shield and been a staple of the Queensland Police team.
9. Steven Craig
A fullback who mostly played for Sarina, Craig remained prolific from fullback into the early 2000s.
Craig impacted the scoreboard in more ways than one, one pundit believed he was good enough to play NRL.
A big name in the 90s, his career was winding down by the 2000s but he was still sidestepping defenders until the very end.
Had the Cutters come a decade earlier, Craig would have been among the side’s best players.
8. Grant Rovelli
Rovelli returned to Mackay following 94 NRL games with the New Zealand Warriors and North Queensland Cowboys to captain the Cutters in 2011 and 2012.
Playing from the halves he would then win two successive premierships with his boyhood club the Sharks and narrowly miss out on a third.
While a brief stint locally, he proved he was a class above while he was here.
7. Matthew Skaife
Many of the players on this list may have been born with more natural ability and physical attributes but Skaife was born “with the heart of a lion” according to one Mackay rugby league pundit.
A stalwart of Brothers at fullback in recent years, Skaife is A-Grade captain and still chasing an elusive first premiership.
He is a Foley Shield winner but he has not had the Q-Cup experience of many other modern stars of the Mackay competition.
As far as today’s players go, few command more respect from opposing clubs.
6. Dean Tass
There have been many a Tass performing strongly in Mackay rugby league but Dean stands above the rest for his performances in representative football.
An outside back who could play anywhere from 1 through 6, Tass had sustained success in the Mackay competition and for the Foley Shield side.
Tough and fast, few would look forward to the match up with Tass, especially if he was playing alongside any of his family.
5. Kerrod Toby
The bustling back-rower arrived at Wests following a stint in the United Kingdom with the London Broncos.
Following four years there, Toby starred in a dominant era for Souths which included three premierships and six grand finals.
“We had a really, really successful seven years and a really good culture with a great bunch of blokes,” Toby said.
“When you have a great culture, everything else just falls into place and that’s what we had at Souths at the time and I’m still really good mates with those guys.”
He is also a Foley Shield winner and former Mackay Sea Eagles star.
A damaging ball runner and often brutal defender, Toby’s career was cut short due to a recurring back injury.
When asked what made playing league in Mackay so special, Toby said it was the mateship.
“We were lucky enough to come up through an era where there was heaps of talent in town,” he said.
“Mackay would have been the best comp in Queensland by a country mile.
“It wasn’t about the game and as much as you love the rough and tough of it, it is about catching up with those guys that you played against and having a beer and the social side of it.”
Originally from Mount Morgan, Toby has not left Mackay since arriving from London and he now spends his weekends watching his kids play with Wests.
4. Richard Irelandes
A clever organiser from half back, Irelandes was renowned for being able to find a gap in the most compact of defences.
An above average defender in his own right for his position, few figures commanded more respect in the Mackay competition over the years.
Whatever club he was at, Irelandes was always regarded as great a clubman as he was a player.
He also held the honour of captaining Mackay’s Foley Shield side.
3. Raymond Gagai
Despite playing reserve grade football for the Brisbane Broncos, Gagai missed out on the NRL career of his son Dane.
The 2000s was when Gagai’s career was winding down, but he remained at the peak of the competition until the very end and was still scoring tries in big games in his late 30s.
Those who remember his play in Mackay rugby league, argue he could shape up against just about anyone.
Mostly playing with Souths but also representing the competition for the Sea Eagles, Gagai simply had a knack for getting on the scoreboard.
2. Jardine Bobongie
Instrumental in the Mackay Cutters’ early years, Bobongie co-captained the club’s only premiership in 2013.
Having put on many jerseys in Mackay rugby league, one pundit said finals football seemed to follow him wherever he went.
Now the club captain and coach of Carltons Devils, no forward pack is too daunting of a challenge with Bobongie in the side.
There are few figures considered more instrumental in Mackay rugby league this century.
1. Aaron Barba
Out of nearly every person spoken to in collating this list, a consistent theme emerged.
The most talented player to play in Mackay since the year 2000, was Aaron Barba.
Barba’s stints at the Sydney Roosters, Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos never amounted to a game of NRL.
However, his 33-try Queensland Cup season for the premiership winning Redcliffe Dolphins is viewed as one of the best individual performances at the level.
It is a widely-held belief that Aaron was the most talented of the Barba boys, astounding considering his brother Ben’s status as a Dally M Medal winner.
While there may be more consistent performers in Mackay on this list, when it came to big games, where premierships were on the line, Barba sits at the very top of the tree.
Who would you pick as Mackay’s best rugby league player since the year 2000?
Do you agree with this list?
Vote in our poll above and let us know through a letter to the editor at mackay@news.com.au
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