BEARS’ Q CUP MISSION
TWO very special people will be missing when the Burleigh Bears board the team bus for tomorrow’s trip to the Queensland Cup rugby league grand final.
But don’t stress, boys – they’ve decided to catch the supporters’ bus.
“It’s like they’ve become part of the coaching staff on those trips,” Burleigh chief executive Damian Driscoll said of Jeff and Maureen Jones, who love the Bears so much they nearly always travel to away games with the players.
“You just expect them to be on the team bus and when they’re not there, it feels like they’re missing.”
While the retired couple won’t be on board, there’s no way they would miss the Bears’ first shot at Queensland Cup glory in more than a decade.
Jeff, 75, and Maureen, 79, adopted the Bears when they moved to the Gold Coast from Brisbane in 1999.
They have become a fixture on the hill at Bears home games and have travelled as far as Cairns to watch them play. They’ve ridden the highs of premiership wins and the lows of a decade without a finals appearance.
And, year after year, they’ve been embraced by player after player.
“I’m the only woman on the team bus but they’re all so good to us,” Maureen said. “I get hugs and kisses from them when they’ve won.”
And when they’ve lost? “They still say hello and I get a high-five.”
“It’s not just the top grade either,” Driscoll said. “When the Queensland Cup team is playing in Papua New Guinea or Cairns, they’ll travel with the reserves or colts to wherever they’re playing in southeast Queensland.”
Sometimes Jeff even receives the highest honour of all after an away win: a spot on the back seat.
“In fact, last time the Queensland Cup team played in PNG, I went away with the colts (to Brisbane) and took a bottle of rum for them for the trip home. They sure enjoyed that.”
The Burleigh Bears and Redcliffe Dolphins will vie for the Queensland Cup at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow.