Thunder primed for rep fixture

THE best rugby union players from across north Queensland will face off in the annual battle between Cairns and Townsville this weekend, and you won’t miss a minute of the action.

The Cairns Post, along with News’ other Queensland mastheads, will livestream seven games from the North Queensland Championships at Barlow Park.

The games, which feature the best players from the FNQ Rugby competition against Townsville District Rugby Union, serve as selection trials for the North Queensland team to compete at the Queensland Country Championships later this year.

Mackay used to be involved but they have since moved to Central Queensland, where they dominate.

It is the first time Cairns has hosted this tournament in this format. Townsville travelled to Stan Williams Park in 2019 but that was part of the Queensland Country Championships.

FNQ Rugby president Bradyn Boske said it shaped as a massive weekend, as the Thunder and Brolgas faced off for spots in the NQ teams.

The senior men’s teams will face off on Saturday, with the women’s rep sides to play twice in two days. That decision is due to limited game time both region’s female footballers get in the 15-player format.

All games on Barlow Park’s main field will be streamed taking in seven games of junior and senior rugby.