Maroochydore and Gympie rugby league clubs without 2023 A-grade teams

Two Sunshine Coast rugby league clubs, including the 2022 premiers and another celebrating its 25th season, will be without competing A-grade teams in 2023. Read why here.

Maroochydore Swans and Gympie Devils 2022 A-grade teams.

The Sunshine Coast rugby league senior men’s competition will be reduced to seven teams in 2023 with the reigning premiers Maroochydore Swans and the Gympie Devils unable to field A-grade sides.

It’s a disappointing start to the season as the Swans were looking to defend their 2022 premiership and the Devils were celebrating the club’s 25th anniversary.

The news comes after the Coolum Colts confirmed they would compete in the A-grade division for the first time in their club’s 34-year history.

Swans senior president Simon Graye said it had been tough news.

“It’s unfortunate and very disappointing to state the obvious and it’s from a collection of circumstances,” he said.

“We had an ageing team to start with, we lost the grand final in 2021 which kept everyone together to win one which meant a lot of players were already on borrowed time.

“We had a number of retirements due to age, we only had one player that transferred to another club in the off-season, we had a few players go up to play in the Queensland Cup with the Sunshine Coast Falcons and the Toowoomba Clydesdales and one of the underlying structural issues was during Covid-19 the state level competition went from under-20s to under-21s.”

Graye said the changes had stymied the return of several players from the higher competition.

“To a much minor extent this year it’s changed from under-18s to under-19s so our boys won the competition last year and are keen to go back-to-back this year before moving into A-grade,” he said.

“You add all those things together and it left us with about five of our A-grade players from last season.”

Maroochydore Swans celebrate their 2022 grand final victory. Picture: Nicola Anne Photography

The Swans, who were voted as the Sunshine Coast’s best grassroots sporting team in 2022, will field a reserve grade and under-19s team in 2023.

“The reserve grade side is the same core of who’s always been in that side and not all of them want to or can play A-grade,” Graye said.

“Pleasingly we have very, very strong numbers in our under-19s and we’re pushing them to do as well as they can with the view they’ll form the basis of our A-grade side in 2024 and beyond.

“All in all it’s tough news but it’s nowhere near the end of our club and it’s nowhere near catastrophic failure for us as now we’ll start rebuilding.”

The 2022 Gympie Devils A-grade team before a match against Kawana. Picture: Facebook

Gympie Devils senior president Andrew Noy said it was disappointing for his club in their milestone season.

“For some reason we can’t get the numbers this season and there’s a lot of teams in the same boat,” he said.

“Quite a few of the boys have headed down to other clubs for whatever reason.

“Being the 25th year it’s very disappointing not to field an A-grade side but we’ve got a few in that reserve grade side and our women’s team that can continue on.”

The news comes after 2022 Devils hooker Haydin Elsebach was voted as Queensland’s best A-grade rugby league playmaker.

Noy said the idea to alter the teenage divisions should help in the coming years.

“The whole idea of going from 16s and 18s to now 17s and 19s will benefit every club in the long run,” he said.

“Maybe not this year or even next year but the change should definitely see a lot more numbers in that A-grade and reserve grade group.”