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Sport

5 June, 2024

NQ United teams ready for Outback Challenge in Cloncurry

Players from the Mount Isa and Gulf Cluster competitions will join forces.

By Matt Nicholls

NQ United players Hannah Clarke, Hannah Smith, Gordon Barry, Gabrielle Holder, women’s coach Mal MacRae, Chyma Henley and Yasmin Crebbin at Alec Inch Oval on Monday night.
NQ United players Hannah Clarke, Hannah Smith, Gordon Barry, Gabrielle Holder, women’s coach Mal MacRae, Chyma Henley and Yasmin Crebbin at Alec Inch Oval on Monday night.

The best rugby league players in the Mount Isa and Gulf Cluster competitions will join forces this Saturday to represent North Queensland United in the Outback Challenge.

Both coaches were bullish about their respective side’s chances on home soil.

Men’s coach Darren Munns has dusted off his clipboard to return to the game and said he was happy with the quality of talent picked from across the region.

“I’m looking forward to getting back into it,” the former Redcliffe and Burleigh star said.

“I’ve coached the Outback under-19 side before but this is my first time coaching the NQ United team.

“There are some very good players running around in Mount Isa and up in the Gulf and I think we’ve got a squad that can win it.”

Munns, who also played and coached for Town in the Mount Isa competition, said the only negative about taking the reins was not being able to get in proper training sessions.

“If we had a few runs under our belt I’d be a bit more confident,” he said.

“But we’ll get to Cloncurry on Friday and have a captain’s run and see if we can get some connections happening.

“They all know how to play footy, it’ll just be about energy and backing each other up.

“I expect the competition to be pretty tough but I think we can win it, for sure.”

Women’s coach Mal MacRae is in his second year and said he believed this year’s squad was even stronger than the one which beat the Southern side last time around.

“Our forwards look very good, although we lost Gracie Ryder on the weekend – she hurt her knee playing over in Western Australia,” he said.

“But we’ve got a lot of depth, especially from the Gulf. I reckon they are strong enough up there to have their own side next year.”

The Outback Challenge kicks off at 10am on Saturday at Eddie Lee Fields in Cloncurry.

The NQ United men’s team will taken on Central West first, followed by the first of two women’s matches between NQ United and Southern.

The final match of the day is scheduled to kick off at 3.45pm.

Players will then be selected to play for Queensland Outback in a representative match in Kingaroy on July 13-14.

In previous years, Queensland Outback had played NSW Outback for top honours, however this year the rep team will play a match against the 47th Battalion.

SATURDAY’S DRAW

10am: NQ Men v Central West

11.30: NQ Women v Southern

1.10: South West v Central West

2.30: NQ Women v Southern

3.45: NQ Men v South West

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