THE spirit of rugby will be kept alive in drought ravaged Western Queensland with clubs from the Central Highlands set to play a six week pre-season competition in Barcaldine starting February 13.
The competition will allow players from throughout Western Queensland to travel to Barcaldine and play six different teams from the Central Highlands on each of the Saturday nights in the run up to Easter.
The Western Queensland rugby union competition has been devastated by the drought and has seen both Longreach teams, the Jumbucks and Rustlers, fold. That left the Barcaldine team without a competition.
Western Queensland Rugby Union president Mick Campbell said the pre-season competition was very welcome.
“The drought has been tough on rugby just like it has been tough on everything else,” Mr Campbell said.
“The WQ team will be made up of predominantly Barcaldine players but we will have some pretty handy players coming across from the other centres that will give us a more than competitive team.
“We’re really looking forward to some good rugby and keeping the sport alive in the west.”
Despite the set backs, WQ has traditionally fielded some guns teams. WQ has not lost a game at home against other representative sides in the past four years.
Eddie Shaw, an organiser of the pre-season competition, said it was vital to keep rugby alive in the west.
“Rugby is such a great non-work outlet that brings together people from all walks of life and helps vitalise communities,” Mr Shaw said.
“It’s a sport that has a very long and proud tradition in the west and we want to make sure it continues despite the drought.”
It’s been a long time between matches for many of the players. The last game in Western Queensland was played Anzac Day when WQ took the field against Central Highlands.
The first match of the pre-season competition will be against the Central Highland invitationals touring team the Bushwackers on February 13. WQ will then line up against the Rolleston Roos on February 20, the Blackwater Basilisks on February 27, the Moranbah Bulls on March 5, the Clermont Bush Pigs on March 12, and the Capella Cattle Dogs on March 19.
“We chose Barcaldine as the location for all of the games because we recognise just how far a lot of the Western Queensland players will have to travel,” Mr Shaw said.
“Our real motivation is to keep rugby alive in the west. We want to make as easy and simple as possible.”
The pre-season competition will also allow a WQ representative team to play in the Central Queensland championships which will be held in April.
