Opportunity lost for Coast league to capture

Rugby League Sunshine Coast had a golden opportunity for one of the most talented local competitions in recent history and they squandered it, writes Matty Holdsworth

Stanley River’s Cory Parker being tackled by Caboolture in last year’s grand final.

SOAPBOX:

RUGBY League Sunshine Coast had a golden opportunity for one of the most talented local competitions in recent history and they squandered it.

As things stand, six senior clubs have decided to pull out of the competition as the league made the call to host the comp from one central venue.

I get the coronavirus pandemic has created never-been-seen-before headaches, but I scratch my head as to how the league has dropped the ball.

When the region slowly began to emerge from the lockdown and started to think about the season ahead, rival codes got the jump on arguably the biggest sport on the Coast.

From the get-go, Sunshine Coast Rugby Union had a date, a draw and plan of action. So did Sunshine Coast Football.

Yet the local league here did not. Clubs tell me they were left in the dark about how the comp would rally and bounce back.

They expressed concerns on how unaffordable it was to play games without revenue.

All fell on deaf ears with the league.

READ: Questions over viability of sport without supporters

What it now means is dozens of Intrust Super Cup talented players — the Dane Hogans, the Todd Murphys, the Nicho Hynes and the Geraghty brothers — won’t be running around in the local leagues.

Noosa Pirates coach Brent Winkler described the option to play out of Kawana as “ridiculous, unfair and stupid”.

A contact at another club said it was “embarrassing” to not have the comp go ahead at full capacity.

It’s like being told off by your parents: they aren’t mad, but disappointed, which is so much worse.

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