Early pub closes are a balls- up

“WE’RE more than a one- pub town like Rockhampton,” Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill this week proudly announced.

Her tongue- in- cheek remark was an attempt to illustrate why the Townsville City Council could ill- afford to leave $ 18.5 million slated for the Adani airstrip languishing in a bank account when there were other works to fund.

It prompted this hilarious response from Rockhampton Mayor Margaret Strelow: “We have an amazingly healthy night- life scene, we’ve got some great restaurants as well.”

But while I’m all for a bit of friendly rivalry, there’s a North Queensland night- life issue more pressing than the true quantity of drinking establishments in Rockhampton.

I’m talking of course, about the difficulty many a diehard football fan, oh sorry I mean “soccer” fan, found trying to catch the full World Cup game between Australia and Denmark on Thursday night. And not even Optus is to blame. With large overseas sporting events, the live televised times are rarely optimal for Australian viewing.

For the most part, this can be mitigated by settling down at home with an ice- cold brew, or maybe a cup of tea, and enjoying the entertainment from the comfort of your own couch.

But some events just aren’t made for being snuggled up at home, and the World Cup is certainly one of them.

The Socceroos’ game was expected to go past midnight and, although most pubs in Townsville’s CBD start to shut at 11pm on weeknights, I had expected an exception.

So if you are a diehard soccer fan, you can imagine my surprise when several “sport- focused” venues said they would be shutting early as usual.

I’m not going to name bar names here, but given Australian fans usually only get three high- level soccer games every four years, it was sad to be struggling to find a suitable location to watch it.

I’m scared to imagine what it will be like on Tuesday for the Roos’ qualifying decider against Peru, because that game actually kicks off at midnight.

Here’s hoping between now and then a few more Townsville pubs put out the green and gold and pledge their large- screen TVs, comfy bar stools and crisp beverages to the Socceroos’ cause.