WOMEN’S LEAGUE RETURNS:

TWEED SEAGULLS REACT TO NEW HOLCIM CUP

TWEED Seagulls’ Holcim Cup coach Mike Castle says his side has returned in quality condition as they prepare for the resumption of football.

Queensland Rugby League’s South East Region, through the support of clubs, coaches and players, will provide a women’s rugby league opportunity that will allow elite players to press their case for State of Origin selection later this year.

The Holcim Cup will begin on Saturday, August 1, and is being staged to provide muchneeded game time to help bolster the preparations of the Queensland Maroons squad, who will be aiming to claim the Origin shield in November.

The teams taking part are Burleigh Bears, Easts Tigers, Souths Logan Magpies, Tweed Seagulls and West Brisbane Panthers.

An innovative competition format has been designed to accommodate five teams, with all matches each round being played at one location. Each round will consist of five 30minute halves, with all teams playing 60 minutes each weekend to avoid a bye.

Under this format, it is not possible to play each other exactly the same number of times, but everyone plays the same number of halves.

The five teams will play across five rounds, with finals scheduled for September 5.

The dates have been structured to align as much as possible with the proposed NRLW competition.

Castle said the new format would make things interesting.

“One week you’ll play a full game of footy against one team, but the next week you might play 30 minutes against one team and have to back up against a fresh one,” he said.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how each side respond each week. The girls have come back looking strong. They’ve obviously been working hard while at home which was great to see.

“We’ve only had a few short weeks to prepare, so we’ve had to use our time wisely.”