Outback U18s power to footy

Outback sides create strong force at Gladstone carnival.

The under 20 Outback Queensland boys had a successful tournament. Picture: contributed

Rugby League: Talented rugby league players came head to head at the weekend for the 47th Battalion Carnival.

Eight U18 teams and eight U20 sides travelled to Gladstone for their chance to take home the title of champion.

This year was the first year the original U20 competition introduced U18 sides to the carnival.

QRL Central assistant regional manager Rob Crow said the response from teams in light of the news was fantastic.

"The U20 side competition has been running for four years now and the Central Division Executive made the decision to expand the carnival to include the U18 grade.

"The competition proved to be very tough and there were no blow out scores in the competition which led to some very tight finishes,” Crow said.

Not only did the competition prove to be challenging on the field, but the impressive work of the teams was also displayed outside the game.

"I was also very impressed in the spirit of how the games were played. It was very tough football, but there were no incidents and really good sportsmanship. That was probably a highlight for me,” Crow said.

With the U18 sides making their debut in the competition, three talented players from Roma also made their mark in the Queensland Outback side.

Tanar Rivers, Jye Johnson and Harvey Wright, all from Roma, were selected to play in the U18 Outback side.

"Tanar Rivers was awarded one of the best players of the matches and was very strong right through all three games and definitely deserved his award,” Crow said.

The success continued for the U18 Queensland Outback side as they made the grand final against Toowoomba.

"It was a game where they certainly had their chances to win, but Toowoomba were a little too strong for them.

"Overall the carnival matches didn't have that much between the score lines and that made for entertaining games for the crowd and got everyone involved,” Crow said.

In the U20s competition, Rockhampton Rustlers powered through to win.

Originally published as Outback U18s power to footy