Merged team CityBok Barbarians culled for remainder of 2024 MRU season
The Mackay Rugby Union competition has been dealt a significant mid-season blow. Discover why the league remains optimistic and how it plans to move forward.
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Mackay Rugby Union’s makeshift CityBok Barbarians are no more.
Having initially hoped to field seven teams before the 2024 season, the senior men’s MRU competition has been reduced to five before the season’s remainder.
As a result of their struggle for player numbers throughout the pre-season, the Mackay City Redmen and Kuttabul Camelboks merged to form the CityBok Barbarians ahead of round one.
After several forfeits throughout the opening six rounds, the tough decision was made by the MRU to cull the Barbarians.
“The MRU has to make some tough decisions for the integrity of the competition,” MRU president Sam Miller said.
“There’s still a passion from both clubs to remain relevant going forward and to continue with their strong histories in Mackay Rugby, but this year has just proved to be beyond them.”
The issue of dwindling player numbers in the code is not limited to Mackay Rugby. Earlier this year, Townsville District Rugby Union lost its second A-grade club in the space of 13 months.
“There’s a definite interest in rugby in Mackay,” Miller insisted.
“There’s still a drive and there’s still people that want to play.
“We need to look to the future in generating interest from the young generation, the next generation of players coming through is where we want to support these clubs.”
Miller said that moving players from junior to senior rugby was one of the league’s biggest hurdles.
Despite only five teams remaining in the 2024 competition, the league will continue to utilise four-team finals model of previous years.
All competition points and for and against that resulted from matches against the CityBok Barbarians have been removed from the competition ladder.
Seven rounds into the season, last year’s grand finalists Moranbah and Proserpine-Whitsunday have established themselves as the team to beat, with five wins apiece.
A tense battle for the final two spots in the top-four also awaits, with Slade Points, Bowen, and Brothers separated by just two points.
The MRU is willing to assist in any way possible to facilitate the returns of Mackay City and Kuttabul in 2025.
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Originally published as Merged team CityBok Barbarians culled for remainder of 2024 MRU season
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