Four teams to contest 2023 NPA comp

Four teams – Alau Eagles, Bamaga Roos, Injinoo Crocs and New Mapoon Warriors are contesting a Northern Peninsula Area rugby league competition, which started this month.

Two rounds of fixtures have held at Bamaga on Thursday nights.

In round one, on Thursday 1 June, Alau Eagles 18 d Bamaga Roos 6 and Injinoo Crocs 24 d New Mapoon Warriors 22.

Round two last week saw New Mapoon Warriors 20 d Alau Eagles 16, and Injinoo Crocs 18 d Bamaga Roos 6.

QRL Region Manager Northern for Community Rugby League and Competitions Renae Kunst said the comp was great news for league followers in the area.

“Rugby league is back on the Northern Peninsula with the return of the NPA men’s comp,” she said.

“The four teams have had their first matches since the outbreak of COVID-19 and this is sure to satisfy the appetite for the game and bring plenty of other benefits for each community.

“We’ve had great support from the NPA council to get this under way because they know how many positive social benefits there are in having people engaged in rugby league.

“It’s a language everyone speaks.

“From all reports there were massive crowds and people came from everywhere to be part of it.”

Last season Alau Eagles contested the five team ZKRL comp on Waiben and performed well.

She said the ZKRL senior comp would start soon on Waiben and also looked like being a big success.

“That will follow what promises to be an epic Island of Origin carnival on Badu Island starting Friday featuring nine men’s three women’s teams,” she said.

She said she was keen about the rugby league comps in the Torres Strait, NPA, Cape York, and the Three Rivers area around Cooktown, Wujal Wujal and Hope Vale.

“This is on top of our fourteam competition in the Gulf of Carpentaria,” she said.

“Normanton, Doomadgee and Mornington Island recently participated in the first of the monthly clusters, with

Cloncurry to join them for the next cluster later this month.

“The Three Rivers competition is envisioned to kick off in the next couple of weeks.”

She said the RISE programs in Cairns, Townsville and Mackay were also going along nicely.

“Our under 15’s program is about to get underway in qualifying points table leader.

Semi finals kick off at 1pm when the highest ranked men’s winner takes on the lowest ranked winner, and at 2pm the second highest ranked winner meets the second lowest ranked winner.

At 4pm the ladies grand final will start and at 5pm the blue ribbon Men’s decider starts.

That will be followed by a presentation of trophies to winning teams and players who have won individual awards. partnership with the Queensland Hostplus Cup clubs Northern Pride, Townsville Blackhawks and Mackay Cutters respectively, which will help light the pathway into Cyril Connell Cup squads in 2024,” she said.

This popular carnival is being organised by Dhadhin Geai Warriors and supported by the NRL and QRL.

Sponsors include TSYRSA, Skytrans, Torres Strait Air, Meriba Ged Ngalpun Mab, Tagai Management Consultants, Intract TSI Quarry’s and OSCA. Entertainment during the carnival will include the Men’s and Women’s Island Sprints on the football oval.

“Many of those who will be involved were in action at the recent under 15 Michael Morgan Cup carnival, featuring 16 boys and nine girls’ teams.

“It was wonderful to see the finalists getting to play on Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium as a curtain raiser to the North Queensland Cowboys NRL match against Melbourne Storm.”

She said that participants in the QRL All Abilities program would have a similar opportunity.

“Townsville travels to Mackay on Saturday to play ahead of the Cutters game, before the return leg on June 16 at QCBS before the Cowboys versus Panthers NRL game,” she said.

“Once again this is proof rugby league as a game without boundaries for anyone who wants to participate.

“It’s part of a huge few days in Townsville, featuring the arrival into camp of the Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons women ahead of their deciding fixture, with a fan day on The Strand on 17 June sure to draw a crowd and encourage the community to get right behind them after a wonderful win in enemy territory last week.”

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