First Qld State Schools Cup for open rugby league teams in Rockhampton

Open rugby league teams will contest the inaugural Queensland State Schools Cup in September. Meet the man who created the event and his motivation for it.

North Rockhampton High players Chanelle Williams and Michael Moore.

A rugby league carnival akin to Confraternity but for state high schools will kick off in Rockhampton this year.

The Queensland State Schools Cup, hosted by North Rockhampton High, will be played at Victoria Park from September 18 to 20.

The Rockhampton Leagues Club has come on as the naming rights sponsor for the event, which is expected to attract 10 to 12 boys teams and four to six girls teams.

NRHS staff member and passionate footy coach Tyron Harvey is the driving force behind the carnival, designed to inspire the next generation of rugby league stars.

He decided to organise the competition after watching the ongoing success of the Confraternity Carnival, which this year drew a record 72 teams from Catholic and independent schools.

Queensland State Schools Cup organiser Tyron Harvey with some of North Rockhampton High's rugby league talent.

He had also seen some aspiring footy talent switch to private schools because of the exposure provided by Confraternity, which has been the launching pad for a host of future NRL stars.

“The Confraternity is a wonderful product and I wanted to provide the same sort of opportunity for state school kids,” Harvey said.

“We need something for them to aspire to and look forward to.

“I can remember, going back a few years, talking about the idea but then it was just a pipedream.

“It finally got to a point where I thought it was time to stop talking and to actually have a crack at delivering something like this.”

A record 72 teams competed in the 2025 Confraternity Carnival in Rockhampton.

Harvey is part of a five-member organising committee for the Cup, which he said would run under the auspices of Education Queensland.

He started putting feelers out to schools in September last year after having information discussions with them.

“There was plenty of interest but I had to make sure it wasn’t just lip service, that they were keen to get involved,” he said.

“When we got some solid responses, we started putting together details on what the carnival would look like, where we would have it and how we would fund it.

“About a month ago, we decided we were good to go and we’re locking it all in now.”

Local rugby league identity Walson Carlos has been appointed Cup convenor, freeing up Harvey to coach the North Rocky team.

Rugby league players from North Rockhampton High will compete in the inaugural Queensland State Schools Cup in September.

Schools from Far North Queensland to Wide Bay are set to line up in the inaugural event.

Harvey is hopeful the Cup will follow a similar trajectory as the Confraternity Carnival, which started with just six teams.

“It will be great if we can get a couple of new teams each year,” he said.

“We want to keep it in Central Queensland for probably three years until it’s established and we’ve got some real momentum behind it.”

Harvey said he was excited to deliver the ground-breaking event.

“I’m pretty pumped but scared and nervous at the same time,” he said.

“This has the potential to be something really special and if it works it will be awesome.”