There is this complete lack of understanding of what makes the Queensland Cup such a great competition.
The games are played at local grounds, $10 to get in, food and drink are affordable, plenty of parking, the play is 10 metres from you, you can have a kick on the ground at half time, there is interaction between the players and the spectators. At Wynnum, the team on occasions goes into the can bar at the end of the match to sing their victory song. They are local heroes, as I'm sure they are at Redcliffe, Cairns and Mackay.
National Reserve Grade comp - play in empty soulless stadiums, the majority of away games are unreachable, teams have no local identity - just the leftover players from an NRL club.
Do people in NSW understand that the Queensland Cup clubs are stand alone? They sign their own players, have their own supporters, have wonderful history and identity. They incorporate a handful of unwanted NRL contracted players into their teams each week, but that is not their lifeblood. They are not Reserve Grade teams of anyone. It is the players like Tim Natusch, Liam Georgetown, Steve Thorpe and Phil Dennis who play for the same club for years that shape the competition.
Is it the same honour to play 100 Reserve Grade games for an NRL club as it is to play 100 for Redcliffe or Wynnum ? Do they even celebrate it ?
Leave it alone. If it's broken in NSW, fix it there but don't touch our competition.
