Covid cancels and postpones sport fixtures, leagues suspend action

South East Queensland’s continued Covid restrictions have caused havoc to Mackay’s sporting fixtures. Here is what has been cancelled or postponed so far.

South East Queensland’s continued Covid restrictions have been felt as far as Mackay, with major sporting competitions postponed across the state.

The decision to restrict community sport has meant competitions like the NBL1 North, NPL and QRL will remain postponed, while junior tournaments and carnivals have also fallen victim to the Covid outbreaks.

NBL1 North

The league has shut down operations as South East Queensland is home to nine of the league’s 14 teams.

Mackay is positioned well during the shutdown of the league, with the Meteors positioned second and the Meteorettes in fourth place.

Teams will vote on Friday to fix an end to the season, with coaches deciding whether to play the remaining games in the season or go straight into finals with the current top-eight sides.

Meteors coach Joel Khalu said the side was focused on what they could control.

“It’s a challenge finding different ways to keep the boys motivated,” he said.

“We’ve been creative with our training, playing some soccer and some touch footy, but also getting plenty of run into the legs and making sure we get our shots up.”

QRL

The QRL has suspended all activities during the community sport restrictions, meaning the Cutters will not take the field again until potentially August 28, when they host the Blackhawks.

Round 15 matches have officially been cancelled, with no plans to reschedule the lost weekend of football, but round 16 has been postponed.

The league has not announced if missed games will be rescheduled or cancelled.

Blackhawks action gallery

The league shutdown did not come at a good time for Mackay, with the Cutters securing two wins in its last month of football.

NPL QLD

Mackay and Whitsundays is not expected to take the field until August 28, with the NPL QLD announcing the suspension of all activities in South East Queensland.

Magpies Crusaders were languishing at the bottom of the table when the season was suspended, and will not have to play ladder-leaders Peninsula or third-placed side Brisbane Roar.

NPL has not yet announced if replacement games will be scheduled for the cancelled matches, but said Football Queensland would “meet with clubs in the coming days to discuss options for the completion of the 2021 season.”

Magpies Crusaders are still allowed to train, despite many of the league’s teams restricted to individual fitness work.

AFLQ Schools Cup

No official announcement has been made on the rescheduled football carnival.

Four Mackay teams were set to compete in the Aussie Rules tournament in Townsville, but with lockdown enforced in Cairns the competition was postponed just days before the sides were to travel.

Eatons Hill state school student Jethro Grills was awarded best on ground in the primary boys grand final in the AFLQ Schools Cup. Picture: Tom Threadingham

Six of the 23 schools that had qualified for the tournament were based in Cairns, causing AFL Queensland to postpone the championships.

The winners at the North Queensland tournament will travel to the premier Queensland finals, that are set to be played in October on the Sunshine Coast.

Vicki Wilson Cup

Mackay State High will not travel to Brisbane for the Vicki Wilson Cup after the tournament final was postponed.

The senior netball side finished first by defeating St Patrick’s College in the regional final, and progressed to the Cup final at Nissan Arena in Brisbane.

The lockdown forced the postponement of the competition, but there are still plans to play the final at a later date.

Aaron Payne Cup

Mackay State High and St Patrick’s College missed games in the Aaron Payne Cup after Covid cases were detected in Rockhampton.

St Patrick’s was set to host Rockhampton Grammar at BB Print Stadium and Mackay High was travelling to Rockhampton to play Shalom College, but both games were cancelled the night before.

Kirwan vs St Patrick's

Mackay High rescheduled its match for the following week, while St Pat’s may not get the opportunity to play Rockhampton.

No sport Saturday: Covid outbreak cancels rounds – August 5

Mackay’s sporting teams have had their seasons thrown into chaos with the fear of Covid-19’s rapid spread throughout Queensland.

The Meteors, Cutters and Magpies Crusaders will have their fixtures postponed as the Brisbane cluster grows and cases pop up in Cairns and Rockhampton.

Local leagues such as Rugby League Mackay and District and AFL Mackay will still go ahead despite the statewide restrictions on senior competitions with the QRL and NPL.

Meteors coach Joel Khalu said it was frustrating not knowing how the rest of the season would unfold, but his side was prepared for anything.

“At any stage our season could come to an end and based on that, the league could have multiple options about how they finish the year,” he said.

“The whole dynamic could change based on those circumstances so for us it’s so important for us to be in a top two spot in case the league has to shut down.”

The Cutters will not get the opportunity to host Ipswich Jets on Saturday after finding good form in the back half of the season

Brisbane Roar’s youth team cannot travel to Mackay, and as a result the NPL match has been postponed.

At this stage, both games will be rescheduled but no dates have been confirmed from the respective leagues.

Townsville Blackhawks against Mackay Cutters at Jack Maski Oval. Cutters Sean Mallary. Picture: Evan Morgan

The Meteors’ clash in Rockhampton has been slated for August 17, following a double-header against Townsville and Red City at the Crater on August 13-14.

The Townsville clash was already rescheduled after a NBL1 North postponement, when Townsville went into a snap lockdown at the end of June.

The postponed sport round follows the Aaron Payne Cup and Cowboys Challenge clashes cancelled on Wednesday.