Epic rivalries to kick off Blackhawks Queensland Cup campaign

The QRL announced the draw for the 2024 Hostplus Cup on Wednesday, revealing a relatively favourable draw for the Blackhawks. Read the team’s reaction to the biggest games.

Incoming Townsville Blackhawks coach Terry Campese with 2024 signing James Tamou. Picture: Supplied.

The Townsville Blackhawks will face regional rivals Cairns in a round 3 home-opener before hosting Mackay the following week with the potential to play many of their Cowboys-contracted 2023 players in the opening month of the 2024 season.

The Queensland Rugby League (QRL) announced the draw for next year’s Hostplus Cup on Wednesday, revealing a relatively favourable draw for the Blackhawks who begin their next chapter as a club.

Blackhawks football operations manager Adrian Thomson said hosting the Northern Pride was the perfect opponent for their first home game.

“We’ve got a great rivalry with the Pride and the Pride are going along very well, their last couple of seasons making finals,” Thomson said.

“It’s a first (home) game that should generate a fair bit of interest and it is rightfully so a Rivalry Round.”

James Tamou playing for the Townsville Blackhawks in 2023. Picture: Supplied.

Townsville coach Terry Campese said there would be no trouble getting his squad hyped to take on some of their former teammates in consecutive weeks.

“To have them back to back is going to be a lot of energy for the boys because normally when you’re playing against a rival, there’s a lot that goes into the week and your energy goes through the roof, you want to get out there and win those games,” Campese said.

“So to have it back to back, that’s something else that we have to plan and see how we can get the most energy out of the players.”

The Blackhawks will commemorate Anzac Round with a home game against the Redcliffe Dolphins on Sunday, April 28.

“We’re very happy to have Redcliffe playing here around Anzac Day, which will coincide with a Cowboys game which will be on the Saturday, and our game will be on the Sunday,” Thomson said.

Cade Maloney will be the first Townsville Blackhawk to sign with the South Sydney Rabbitohs under the club's landmark agreement with the QRL club. Picture: Evan Morgan

Once the four junior age groups – including the inaugural under-17 girls’ competition – have wrapped up, Thomson said the club would work with local RLTD A Grade sides to prelude home games.

Campese said the Blackhawks would have a renewed focus on the happenings in local rugby league with assistant coach Roy Baira working in a role to help players transition from club land to Q Cup.

“Local A Grade is very important for us. We’ve got 40 players at the moment training so there’s going to be a lot of players that go back,” Campese said.

Townsville Blackhawks forward Jamal Shibasaki scores in the Queensland Rugby League Hastings-Deering Colts grand final victory over Brisbane Tigers. Picture: QRL / Zain Mohammed

“We’ll be looking at the local A Grade games every week to see who is playing well and who’s pushing for Queensland Cup duties.”

Townsville will host 10 home games and hit the road for nine, with Country Week locked in for the weekend of July 27-28.

Thomson said while the destination was yet to be confirmed he expected it to be somewhere in the club’s footprint in North Queensland.

“They haven’t confirmed the venues of Country Round but we anticipate that it will be in our region somewhere. We’re hopeful that it will come back,” Thomson said.

“Country Round last year was fantastic, albeit we were helping the Clydesdales going down there in their region and rightly so. But we’re hopeful that it will be in our footprint.”

Originally published as Epic rivalries to kick off Blackhawks Queensland Cup campaign