Cape to feast on carnival
NORTHERN Pride will get their chance to exact revenge against the Ipswich Jets in Cooktown after the Cape community was named as a venue for the Queensland Rugby League’s 2018 Country Week carnival.
Pride winger Shawn Bowen is likely to be the hometown hero of sorts, hailing from nearby Hope Vale, and will hope to continue his Intrust Super Cup try-scoring form.
Northern Pride CEO Greg Dowling said it was easy to see the appetite for rugby league in Cooktown after a visit there last year and he expected a good crowd to travel from across the southern Cape region.
“Everyone looks forward to it, they really do,” he said.
“They’ll come from everywhere around that area in a couple-of-hundred kilometre radius, but you’ll get people travel from Cairns too, because over the years we’ve had a good record in Country Week games.”
QRL Northern Division assistant division manager Robbie Moore said it was a nod to Cooktown’s commitment to maintaining and developing the game in seniors and juniors
The region’s junior league had 120 players in 2017 and 60 players were registered to the Open Men’s Three Rivers competition while an under-14 girls competition is set to be launched this year.
“It will be a good boost for Cooktown: Northern Pride v Ipswich Jets Normanton: Souths Logan v Wynnum-Manly Bowen: Mackay Cutters v Sunshine Coast Maryborough: Burleigh Bears v CQ Capras Goondiwindi: Redcliffe v Easts Tigers Hughenden: Tweed Heads v Blackhawks Lae, PNG: PNG Hunters v Norths them, because they don’t get to see that sort of quality football,” Moore said.
“It highlights the support from the game getting out to those areas and we obviously want more players playing our game and they’re not forgotten.”
NRL game development teams, former league greats and QRL directors and staff will engage with local communities in the lead-up to the matches.
Gulf Country town Normanton, home of former Pride player Davin Crampton, has been named to host a match between Wynnum-Manly and Souths Logan.
The other venues are Goondiwindi, Bowen, Hughenden, Maryborough and Lae, Papua New Guinea.
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