Fixtures lost, seasons pushed back as Cairns leagues sidelined
The Far North’s major sports leagues are scrambling to make contingency plans following an extended ban on community sport in Cairns and Yarrabah.
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The Far North’s major sports leagues are scrambling to make contingency plans following an extended ban on community sport in Cairns and Yarrabah.
The lockdown for Cairns and Yarrabah was lifted on Wednesday afternoon but a range of restrictions remain in place – including a ban on the community sport – until 4pm on Sunday, August 22.
It created chaos for leagues in the region, with their seasons – many of which were nearing the finals – facing disruption and schedule changes.
While some codes are hoping to put their competitions on hold and push their fixtures back the two weeks, others have no choice but to lose two rounds from the season.
AFL Cairns president Gary Young said the league was still deciding “the right way” to proceed, but was adamant finals dates would not change.
“We’ve got three rounds left so two will have to be cancelled,” he said.
“We’re just working through what’s the best and fairest way to finish the season.
“We haven’t made a decision yet but we’ll probably go along the lines of what AFL Queensland did for south east Queensland, and that will be calling each game in those two rounds a draw, and then we play the final round.
“We’re just working out whether or not teams with the bye get the points, and whether it distorts things unfairly.”
The women’s competition, which is aligned with the seniors, will also lose two rounds, while a decision on the juniors, which were scheduled to start finals this week, is expected in the coming days.
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“With so many teams in competitions – seniors, reserves, women’s, and then all the juniors – we don’t have much flexibility,” Young said.
Cairns District Rugby League secretary Pat Bailey said she would discuss possible contingency plans with clubs, with a preference to extend the season one or two weeks.
She said the CDRL was considering playing games on the evening of Sunday, August 22, with restrictions set to ease 4pm that afternoon, and push the season back one week, with the grand final on October 2.
The other option would see the competition return to play on the weekend of August 28-29, wrapping up with the grand final on October 9.
Cairns Netball had planned to return to the courts on Wednesday night and play out the final round of its regular season, but that plan was also thwarted by the extended ban.
Operations manager Tanya Dearns said the league would meet with clubs next Monday night to discuss their options.
“We’ll see what the consensus is and what their ideas and thoughts are,” she said.
“I really don’t think it’s reasonable for us to ask our community to keep extending our season, it has a huge impact on the rest of their lives.”
She said while it was frustrating, leagues needed to be “adaptable and resilient”.
Meanwhile, the Queensland Rugby League announced the duration of both the Intrust Super Cup and Hastings Deering Colts competitions would be extended by two weeks to ensure as many rounds and games as possible can be played following the current suspension of fixtures due to Covid.
This means the grand final is now scheduled for the weekend of October 9-10.
Under the ban, organised sport of any description including community, club and recreational sport are not permitted to operate, including fun runs, park runs, soccer, football and netball.
Tennis and golf are permitted as forms of exercise, as long as there are small groups and everyone is socially distanced and wearing masks. However, players cannot participate in organised matches or fixtures.
Any sport that involves large groups and contact, and where social distancing was not possible, is banned.
FNQ sports sidelined as Cairns plunges into Covid lockdown
Fixtures will be postponed and training sessions cancelled until further notice after the Queensland Government announced Cairns and Yarrabah would be plunged into a three-day snap lockdown.
FREEDOM FOR SEQ BUT CAIRNS PLUNGES INTO LOCKDOWN
Cairns was plunged into a three-day lockdown after a case was infectious in the community for 10 days.
The 40th Coral Coast Triathlon was able to get away Sunday morning with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s announcement coming well after the first finishers crossed the line.
The crucial FNQ Premier League clash between Leichhardt and Innisfail United scheduled for Sunday evening has been postponed.
A FQ Nar North and Gulf statement stated no football activity is permitted in Cairns during the suspension, which will run until 11.50pm on Wednesday, August 11.
The statement reads that no football activity of any kind is permitted in Cairns during this suspension, including any and all forms of training sessions, matches, committee meetings, coach and referee sessions and all other football-related gatherings (unless these can be held online).
Training and football activity in other parts of the zone may continue as normal.
AFL Cairns, Cairns District Rugby League and other major codes were able to get all of their senior fixtures away on Sunday.
The AFLQ Schools Cup, scheduled to be held in Townsville this week and featuring six teams from Cairns, has also been postponed.
The championships celebrate the best of the best in school football from Rockhampton to Cairns.
More than 150 teams and 3, 000 students have competed in regional gala days across North Queensland this year to earn their place in the NQ Championships.
AFL Queensland is working with all schools and stakeholders impacted by the postponement of the Championships and will communicate new dates in due course.
Cairns Netball has postponed this week’s fixtures, with all remaining fixtures pushed back one week.
Week 15 games now to be played on August 17-18, with finals to start on August 24-25 and the grand finals on September 7 and 10.
Swimming Queensland has also advised the Queensland Short Course Championships have been postponed.
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The emergence of a positive Covid case in Cairns – a reef pilot who was confirmed to have the Delta strain – instantly put a spotlight on sport in Far North Queensland.
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The case emerged as Brisbane and south east Queensland endured a lockdown extended to contain its own Covid outbreak, and that included the cancellation of community sport.
Some sports clubs chose to cancel training sessions as a precautionary measure, though at this stage, community sport will not be affected in Cairns.
And that includes the Coral Coast Triathlon, with organisers to push ahead.
“Unless the Government chances everything we’ll be going ahead,” said Cairns Crocs Triathlon Club president Sean Hampson.
The event has lost a number of athletes from Brisbane and south east Queensland, including Mirriwinni multisport legend Brad Beven, who was set to host an information session in Cairns then compete in the event.
But the World Triathlon Hall of Fame member and four-time World Cup champion was forced to cancel his trip north after SEQ’s Covid lockdown was extended until Sunday afternoon.
“There’s a few people who have done the Coral Coast 15 times but they’ve had to withdraw,” Hampson said.
“A lot of the entries are local. But it is disappointing for those people to miss out.
“We’re bit light on numbers compared to other years but you usually do get a big rush closer to the date.”
Defending champions Megan Hendry and Tim Green will both be back and are expected to be tough to beat.
On Tuesday, junior Far North sports clubs moved to cancel training sessions in response to the positive Covid case in Cairns.
A childcare centre on the Cairns northern beaches was closed and children were sent home following the detection, and it didn’t take long for sports clubs to act.
CAIRNS CASE CONFIRMED AS DELTA, NOT LINKED TO BRISBANE
Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs’ juniors cancelled their training sessions scheduled for Tuesday night, as did baseball’s Cairns City Reds.
Both clubs are based at Trinity Beach Sporting Complex.
FULL LIST OF COVID EXPOSURE SITES IN CAIRNS
Fellow tenant Marlin Coast Rangers released a statement to state attendance was “entirely at the discretion” of participants.
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AFL Cairns president Gary Young said Cairns Saints also made the decision to cancel Tuesday night’s training.
“The only sort of possible indirect connection we have is with an assistant coach from one of our girls teams at Cairns Saints,” he said.
“What we’ve advised them is just not to do training, and they’ve just decided to cancel it as a precaution.
He said this weekend’s fixtures would still go ahead at this stage.
“We’re waiting on more information to come from Queensland Health, and that’s the advice from AFL Queensland,” he said.
“We’re in sort of no-man’s land in terms of making decisions. We’ve got to take the appropriate precautions, but we don’t want to push a button and cancel this week’s round of footy and then find we didn’t have to.”
Football Queensland North have not sent out a directive to stop training, with the decision in the hands of clubs and participants, though referees have cancelled their training session.
The Northern Pride were the first Cairns team to have fixtures affected, with last weekend’s clash with Sunshine Coast Falcons cancelled and this week’s Intrust Super Cup round already postponed.
NBL1 North teams, Cairns Marlins and Dolphins, played at Mackay and Rockhampton last weekend but the league has already postponed this weekend’s fixtures.
The under-12 state championship finals, which would have included a Cairns team, has also been delayed for a second time.
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
Originally published as Fixtures lost, seasons pushed back as Cairns leagues sidelined
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