Suburbs suffer a flogging

FNQ Rugby League officials will face a tough decision after Southern Suburbs were blown off the park in their first game day of the season.

An 11th-hour effort to recruit and register players saved Suburbs’ participation less than a fortnight before kick-off, but a Sunday afternoon trip to Atherton resulted in a combined 196-26 result across their three grades.

Both A-grade and reserve grade teams conceded more than 70 points each, with Atherton’s A-grade side – themselves only formally locked in at the same time as Suburbs – running in 14 tries to utterly crush the visitors.

Repeat Set isn’t bagging the players who trained, travelled to Atherton, and tried to bring pride to the Southern Suburbs jersey. But members from other clubs have already questioned why Suburbs were given the green light, and why they didn’t join forces with neighbouring clubs like Edmonton, especially at the under-18s level.

The club has struggled for numbers in the U18s in recent years, and with a host of former reserve graders making up the Cockatoos’ A-grade team the gulf in class could be too much.

Based on the form shown in the opening rounds, there could be some triple figure scores recorded if Suburbs can’t compete.

They face Ivanhoes twice in their next three games, with a home game against MossmanPort Douglas in between. Then they travel to defending premiers Brothers and host a Kangaroos club which has recruited brilliantly.

That is as tough a run as it gets in this competition, and the fact they’re down on troops will make it harder.

It is sad to see any club be forced to withdraw from a competition, but it’s almost better than sending out a bunch of committed footballers to get smashed week after week and potentially lose them from the game.

But the club won’t give up. “I would just like to thank all the boys from all three grades that put in the top effort they did today,” read a post on the club’s Facebook page.

“It was always going to be a tough hitout being the first of the year as new teams and most of all, a new club.

“I take my hat off to the boys that stuck it out to the very last whistle.

“The scoreboard was a blowout in all three grades but guess what? None of the lads threw the towel in.

“We have a long season ahead of us and it was good to see some supporters there backing the boys right to the end.”

Repeat Set has been a part of some clubs that copped triplefigure trouncings in the past. It’s not fun, it’s definitely not easy, but you do it for the jersey and those who wore it before.

Good luck to everyone involved at the Cockatoos.