Townsville Q Cup team for 2015?

[Lockyer4President!]

Expansion bid ready to go in 2015
By Steven Ross, North Queensland Correspondent
NRL.com
12:20pm Fri 25th July, 2014

The city of Townsville could be just days away from announcing its second rugby league franchise, with final consideration being given by the NRL that could see the Townsville and Districts Blackhawks enter the Intrust Super Cup competition in 2015.

An announcement on the bid, led by Brothers Leagues Club Townsville, is expected sometime in the coming week after the NRL confirmed it is close to finalising its review of a proposal requesting additional funding for the bid.

Brothers Leagues Club Townsville CEO Justin Wilkins says every possible box has been ticked and they are currently in the last stages of negotiation with the NRL, which is the final step in securing the license to become the competition's 14th team.

"The Queensland Rugby League has accepted us into the competition in 2015, however it is dependent on us receiving additional funding through the NRL for an expansion team to come in; so that's our only hold-up at this stage. We had been advised that we should have an answer by the end of July," Wilkins told NRL.com.

"The club has been working behind the scenes and has already started putting plans in place as though the bid were to be successful. We have a number of sponsors ready to go if we do get in, and it's surprising the number of sponsors that are keen to jump on board as soon as we are given the nod.

"We're also working on uniforms and have been doing strength and conditioning training with squads all over town, and that has been happening for the last couple of months."

With North Queensland Cowboys feeder teams currently in Cairns (Northern Pride) and Mackay (Cutters), the expansion outfit will become a third channel for the NRL club, which will be able to tap into a larger local talent pool as a result of improved pathways for Townsville juniors.

Cowboys CEO Peter Jourdain is fully supportive of the bid, saying that it is a smart investment in the growth of aspiring professionals in the region.

"An Intrust Super Cup team in Townsville really makes sense. I've counted that we have about 70 players that come through the Cowboys junior system in North Queensland that are playing elsewhere in competitions, whether it's other NRL clubs or in the New South Wales Cup or other Intrust Super Cup teams. So we're producing the players and I think it just makes the pathways a lot clearer for those coming through," Jourdain said.

"Obviously in North Queensland we have the Pride and the Cutters and they have a natural progression through under-16s and 18s, and they can come into our 20s if they want, or they can go into their own Intrust Super League teams.

"With the current situation in Townsville, there's a little less choice. They come through the 16s, 18s and if they don't make our 20s or higher they will have to go out of town to Cairns or Mackay to progress through so I think it makes sense."

With an emphasis on creating the best possible environment for the development of rugby league players, Jourdain says this is a major improvement in the system, and stressed the need for the Cowboys to maintain involvement in the broader North Queensland area.

"We are and have to be a North Queensland club, so keeping in touch with the whole region is vital," he said.

"It means that we're investing more to grow our academies in centres like Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton. It's a mechanism where those kids can stay in their home environments until they have all finished school and they've all got similar pathways through to the top level if they are good enough."

http://www.nrl.com/expansion-bid-ready-to-go-in-2015/tabid/10874/newsid/80507/default.aspx

 

[Diesel]

The Q Cup is just getting stronger, great news for NQ, I just hope the competition doesn't expand too quick with the Cutters, PNG and the possibility of the Blackhawks all coming in within a few years of each other.
It's good to see the 2nd tier comps getting new teams (NSW Cup getting a Fiji team) and would like to see the Pirates and a NT team join the NSW/Qld Cups too.
Was interested to read this is a Brothers backed club, I wonder if this will have a positive knock on effect to an NRL expansion side?

 

[CC_Roosters]

Q cup on the right track by getting all of the major centres in the state represented. I guess Toowoomba is one of the bigger towns currently not involved.

 

[Eddie Rattlehead]

Great idea, but are they going in as an expansion team or are they replacing another team?

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Great idea, but are they going in as an expansion team or are they replacing another team?

Everything seems settled so I can't see any clubs dropping out, and it'd bring the comp back to an even number of teams/no byes.

 

[Eddie Rattlehead]

Everything seems settled so I can't see any clubs dropping out, and it'd bring the comp back to an even number of teams/no byes.

Awesome. I just had this bad thought that they might drop the Hunters out which would be a rubbish idea.

 

[Brostocow]

Awesome news!!

 

[The Partisan]

So two weeks on - do we have any further updates / news ?

On a side note I see this issue is mentioned by Petero C in this months Rugby League Review when discussing their NSW Cup entry ( Fiji ).

Also makes reference to a QRL focus on another SEQ team entering the comp. Mmmmm....

 

[Lockyer4President!]

So two weeks on - do we have any further updates / news ?

On a side note I see this issue is mentioned by Petero C in this months Rugby League Review when discussing their NSW Cup entry ( Fiji ).

Also makes reference to a QRL focus on another SEQ team entering the comp. Mmmmm....

Ohh, interesting. Has to be Toowoomba surely. New airport will make it a lot easier to get to.


There's a site that has been up for a while where you can suggest names for the team (http://www.townsvilleiscbid.com.au/name-the-super-team) but no other public news.

 

[beave]

2/3's of the city are gonna turn their back to this team if it's backed by Brothers.

The hatred for my old club is strong throughout the region, you either love the 'fish' or you hate them.

 

[steeden.]

So two weeks on - do we have any further updates / news ?

On a side note I see this issue is mentioned by Petero C in this months Rugby League Review when discussing their NSW Cup entry ( Fiji ).

Also makes reference to a QRL focus on another SEQ team entering the comp. Mmmmm....

what wouldn't I give for a new SEQ team to be Wests! (although that'll never happen). Toowoomba would be good though

 

[beave]

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/blackhawks-to-lift-off/story-fnjfzr2z-1227036851969

THE Intrust Super Cup is set to expand again with Townsville’s hopes for entry next season likely to be ratified at an ARLC board meeting today.

The Townsville Brothers bid team has already begun informal recruitment for next season and have a squad of local players training each week.

Rugby league’s senior officials meet today with one of the agenda items expansion funding for the Townsville team to play in the Intrust Super Cup from 2016.

The Queensland Rugby League has given Townsville Brothers conditional approval to enter the competition next season, which will make the Intrust Super Cup a 14-team competition.

Funding is a major condition and without an injection of around $200,000 from the governing body they will not be ready.

NRL chief executive Dave Smith is a firm believer in expanding the state-based competitions and is understood to support the Townsville bid.

Townsville is the third biggest city in Queensland and is Australia’s tenth fastest growing city according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The team would play out Townsville Brothers’ home ground next door to the North Queensland Cowboys’ 1300 Smiles Stadium.

The Brothers club is a powerful entity in Townsville and anticipate average crowds around 1000.

“We have given the Townsville bid conditional approval and funding is a major condition,” Intrust Super Cup general manager Jamie O’Connor said.

“There are a few other conditions as well they need to tick off but the extra funding is the main one.

“The competition in Townsville is strong and this will be a major help in the pathway for players up there.

“We need extra funding from the ARLC in order for Townsville to be viable next season.”

The PNG Hunters have been a major success this year in the Intrust Super Cup, increasing crowds at every venue they play at.

Toowoomba is the next expansion option, after Townsville, for the QRL but that would be several years away while they also have designs on a team in the Wide Bay region between Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton.



Again, if this team is gonna play out of the brothers ground, good luck getting anyone down to watch a game as 2/3 of the city hate that club with a passion. Calling them the 'Blackhawks' is a thinly veiled attempt to distract the masses but its not gonna work, see what happens i guess.......

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Confirmed the Townsville Blackhawks will be in the comp for next season..

Blackhawks to join Intrust Super Cup as 14th team
RHYS O’NEILL THE CAIRNS POST SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 4:41PM


TOWNSVILLE will today be officially unveiled as the 14th Intrust Super Cup club for 2015.

After months of speculation, The Cairns Post can reveal the Blackhawks’ entry will be announced by the QRL at tonight’s Courier Mail Medal dinner in Brisbane.

The inclusion of a Townsville franchise, a year after PNG became the competition’s 13th team, is set to have a significant impact on the Northern Pride.

The Pride and Blackhawks will join Mackay as part of a three-club feeder system for NRL outfit North Queensland from next year.

The clubs have long been in discussions over how a beefed-up feeder relationship would work.

With their partnership expiring this year, the Pride and Cowboys had been forced to agree to two different contract terms — one on the basis Townsville got admitted and another in case they didn’t.

It will be the first time since the North Queensland Young Guns folded in 2007 that Townsville will field an ISC team.

News of the Blackhawks’ green light has been a long time coming.

Club officials assembled a train-on squad months ago after being granted conditional acceptance earlier in the year by the QRL.

Final approval, though, rested on the ARL Commission stumping up the expected $500,000 needed to inaugurate a new club.

Townsville had been initially overlooked for the funding via the NRL’s Elite Pathways program, but club officials remained hopeful of securing a specific footballing grant.

A due date on a decision had been shifted several times, significantly reducing the length of time Townsville had to formalise a playing squad.

It’s believed a revised draw for 2015 is yet to be finalised, leaving question marks over whether the season will be extended by two matches.

http://www.cairnspost.com.au/sport/...cup-as-14th-team/story-fnjpuwsz-1227053593008

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Video with this link

QRL announces Townsville's entry

Wed 10th September, 04:43PM

The Intrust Super Cup’s significant growth will continue next season with the Queensland Rugby League today announcing the inclusion of the Townsville Blackhawks in the 2015 competition.

Expansion into Townsville comes on the back of the success of the Papua New Guinea Hunters, who left an indelible mark on the Intrust Super Cup in their debut season.

Queensland Rugby League Chairman Peter Betros officially informed more than 300 guests of the Blackhawks’ entry at tonight’s annual QRL Gala Dinner at Brisbane City Hall.

The marquee competition’s 14th team are set to play their home games out of Jack Manski Oval in Townsville. The new club will have the backing of the North Queensland Cowboys, who will importantly maintain their affiliation with the Northern Pride and Mackay Cutters.

Townsville’s participation will reignite one of North Queensland’s great rivalries with discussions already underway about the possible return of the Foley Shield.

Gavin Lyons, Chairman of the successful bid team’s steering committee, said such a concept had the potential to generate further interest in the game.

The Blackhawks will now focus on laying the foundations of their club, with a number of imminent announcements, including sponsorship and staff appointments, on their radar.

“This is a great opportunity for the kids coming through,” Lyons said.

“We’ve been pushing this for a couple of years now and the rugby league players in town are excited about the opportunities it will present.”

Jamie O’Connor, QRL General Manager of Major Competitions, echoed those sentiments.

“We’ve identified for some time the need to have an Intrust Super Cup club in Townsville,” O’Connor said.

“It is the largest region outside of South East Queensland and is a market that we want a significant foothold in.

“As it stands, a gap in the player pathway exists in Townsville for players over the age of 20.

“The Blackhawks provide a great opportunity for these players to continue their development through Intrust Super Cup and hopefully onto NRL and the XXXX Queensland Maroons.”

Townsville’s entry comes after the NRL approved recent applications for increased funding, the final condition of the fledgling club’s participation.

“Potential for expansion in second tier footy was recognised in the NRL’s Elite Pathways review and Townsville was already an area identified by us,” O’Connor said.

“This is another step towards a genuine statewide competition and we look forward to their entry in 2015.

“There is now some work to be done with the existing clubs in regards to scheduling for the new season.”

http://www.qrl.com.au/news/2014/09/10/qrl_announces_townsville_s_entry.html

 

[oikee]

Q cup on the right track by getting all of the major centres in the state represented. I guess Toowoomba is one of the bigger towns currently not involved.

Toowoomba dont really need a team. They have a great local comp which covers right across the south-east down to Gatton, as far out as Roma.
The last time they put a team in the Queensland cup, the whole TRL comp fell to pieces, along with the Clydesdales.

Toowoomba is fine as it is, and is well supported. The Titans now have direct links to Toowoomba.
The city also has to support a rugby comp, a AFL comp and soccer is also big, along with netball.
You upset that balance and your just asking for trouble.

 

[oikee]

Great news. This team in Townsville will help support the bid for a brand new events arena and stadium in the city.
The final piece of the puzzle is complete, now the QRL should have pathways for island groups. Solomons, Vanautu, Cooks and Nuie and others.

 

[nqcowboy87]

i thought the whole point was the cowboys under 20s was to feed into the pride and cutters, why add a third side

 

[RUG13Y]

Er twoomba anyone?

 

[elyod138]

i thought the whole point was the cowboys under 20s was to feed into the pride and cutters, why add a third side

There is room for growth. It's a straightforward business decision.

 

[beave]

Shitful name and logo to be bluntly honest.