Community rugby league is ready for kick off

A number of community rugby league competitions across Queensland are ready to kickstart season 2020 all over again, but it has not been an easy road back. SEE THE FULL LIST HERE.

Rikki-Lee Arnold

4 min read

June 29, 2020 - 9:18AM

Narangba Rangers RLFC players, Sunday, June 28, 2020 – Picture: Richard Walker

Local Sport

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FOURTEEN community rugby league competitions across Queensland have committed to reviving season 2020, as the QRL ramp up preparations for a return to play.

Leagues throughout the state will make their final decisions on whether they restart their seasons within the next fortnight following the coronavirus-enforced shutdown.

While 14 competitions are already locked in to resume from next month under state government and QRL guidelines, 16 leagues have been cancelled for 2020 and another 14 are yet to make a call either way.

Leagues and clubs are facing a number of hurdles, including costs, limitations on how many people are allowed at a venue at one time and rules around sanitisation.

However, many are determined to push ahead with Rugby League Brisbane Juniors one competition that will commence a staggered return from July 18.

Narangba Rangers RLFC players Noah Steley and Hank Dingle (front) with Liam Hartwig, Brock Walker, Duke Guild, Grady Guild, and Lachlan Doggett (L-R, back) are ready for the season to return. Picture: Richard Walker

The Narangba Rangers are ready for kick off as part of that league, but it has certainly not been an easy road back.

The club got on the front foot from the start, implementing a COVID committee and then asking each of their 22 teams, from juniors to seniors, to have a COVID officer.

And club president Emmett Bailey said that while there were concerns as to whether they’d make it back on the field in 2020, he always wanted to persevere for the kids.

“Doing all of this, it’s not for us. It’s for the kids to get out and play football,” Bailey said.

“We’re nervous to start (playing). We’ve got through the first hurdle of return to training so we’re a bit nervous for the next step but we’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it.

“We’re just trying to work with it all and make it easy for everyone. There’s no use being negative. We have to be positive.”

Central Queensland meanwhile has been hit hard by the COVID-enforced delays, with 13 leagues cancelled for the remainder of 2020.

Rockhampton Junior Rugby League won’t return in 2020. Picture: Jann Houley

Rockhampton Junior Rugby League spokesman Michael Fletcher said their decision to call off their season was due to a number of factors.

The Rockhampton competition usually runs from February to July to avoid a clash with the popular schoolboys season that starts in term three.

However, with the delays, the only way to avoid that conflict for the under-13s to 18s was to cancel the Rockhampton season.

Another hurdle they faced, particularly for their under-6s through to under-9s, was the limited

field capacity in the region.

With only 100 players allowed at any one ground at a time, Rockhampton would not have been able to accommodate all their players.

“We don’t have the field capacity to run those competitions,” Fletcher said.

“For some of the parents and grandparents, that’s the highlight of their weekends.

“By the time you take in players, officials and volunteers, 100 wasn’t enough to cover what we needed to cover.

“That was a difficult decision that had to be made but we’ve had a lot of support.

“The comments we’ve seen is that they understand the committees have worked hard from all eight clubs up here and they understand the rationale behind it.

“I know the clubs are looking to 2021. You have young men and women that are missing out on what they love.”

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