Sport
10 July, 2024
Cloncurry juniors thrive on the big stage
The young Eagles relished their time at the Laurie Spina Shield.
You couldn’t wipe the smiles off the faces of these Cloncurry junior rugby league players when they returned to school – the junior Eagles were still beaming after a most memorable footy carnival.
Not only did they get to test their skills against juniors from across North Queensland, but they also got to grace the same turf of the Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
Cloncurry was one of several teams picked to play an exhibition match as a curtain-raiser to the NRL match between the Cowboys and Manly on Saturday night.
Parents cheered from the grandstands and took photos of their kids playing footy on the big screen.
The Eagles were in Townsville as part of the annual Laurie Spina Shield, named after the inaugural captain of the Cowboys.
Over two days, the under-11 team from Cloncurry had matches against sides from Innisfail, the Torres Strait, Yeppoon, Mackay and Townsville.
And while they didn’t have as much success on the field as they would have liked, Cloncurry officials were rapt with the level of exposure given to the players.
All players in the Laurie Spina Shield were given access to several Cowboys players for a signing session, while some lucky players even picked up signed boots from the Cowboys game on Saturday night.