Souths Logan Magpies captain Rory Ferguson believes the Broncos triumph in the NRL Pre-Season Challenge highlights the strength of the Hostplus Cup.
The Queensland Rugby League competition kicks off today, with the landscape looking vastly different from season 2023 after a number of clubs formed new NRL affiliations.
While defending champions Brisbane Tigers – along with Sunshine Coast Falcons – have maintained their fruitful affiliation with Melbourne Storm, there has been plenty of movement amongst the other clubs.
The Broncos fielded vastly different teams across their two Pre-Season Challenge wins, with the side that defeated Manly made up predominately of players from the Magpies, Wynnum Manly Seagulls and new affiliate, the Burleigh Bears.
After completing pre-season with Brisbane on a train-and-trail deal, Ferguson said it was a good experience for all the Cup players to contribute to the club’s victory.
“It was really exciting to win the Challenge … I thought everyone stood up in that game,” Ferguson said.
“Going into that game, people probably thought that Manly might have been too good for us because there was more NRL experienced players [like Brandon Wakeham and Brad Parker].
“Us Broncos boys; we had a lot of boys that play in the Cup and it just shows that this level is quite good. It was exciting that we could compete with those NRL boys.”
This year, Burleigh have parted ways with the Gold Coast Titans – a club they were aligned to since 2007 – to join with Brisbane in a three-year deal, while the Titans have strengthened their relationship with Tweed Seagulls.
The Titans have also added the Ipswich Jets as a feeder club, and will provide players not featuring in the NRL to both clubs each week.
“It’s important for us to have a number of feeder clubs to allow those not in the NRL top 17 the opportunity to still be playing regularly," Titans chairman Dennis Watt said.
"Our new partnership with the Jets, alongside our long-standing affiliation with Tweed, will allow us to continue our quest to bring success to the Gold Coast.”
The Jets will continue their pathway partnership with Sydney Roosters, whose halfback Sam Walker is an Ipswich junior.
Former Broncos affiliates Norths Devils have signed with The Dolphins in another big move announced in June last year, which was met with the Broncos thanking the club before cutting ties early, re-allocating players to Wynnum Manly and Souths Logan.
This year, the Devils join the growing stable at the Dolphins that already includes Redcliffe and Central Queensland Capras.
The Dolphins also provided a development opportunity for PNG Hunters players, continuing a program initiated last year.
“To have the Devils join us as an affiliate is going to be a great thing for our club and the game in the North Brisbane area,” Dolphins CEO Terry Reader said when announcing the Devils partnership.
“It will allow the Dolphins to help build the game through junior clubs at grassroots level and also give local players greater connection to our elite NRL and NRLW Dolphins Academy, where we are developing the NRL and NRLW players of the future.”
In 2024, the Western Clydesdales – who have a similar agreement with the Bulldogs as Ipswich do with the Roosters, the Hunters and Townsville Blackhawks will be the only clubs that won’t have players returning from the NRL to play each week.
Undoubtedly, the biggest shakeup to the QRL affiliates this year has been the North Queensland Cowboys and Blackhawks parting ways, with the Blackhawks forming a relationship with South Sydney for the next two seasons.
After years of sending their players to Townsville, Cairns and Mackay, the Cowboys will now allocate players in Cup and the junior statewide competitions to the Northern Pride and the Cutters, but have vowed to increase their investment in Townsville’s junior local league pathways.
“The North Queensland Cowboys are delighted to enter this new and exciting partnership with Rugby League Townsville District,” Cowboys CEO Jeff Reibel said.
“Since our inception in 1995, our club has been committed to growing the game at the grassroots level throughout our region and this partnership not just continues, but expands that work.”
Former Canberra Raiders great Terry Campese has taken over as head coach of the Blackhawks and said while the arrangements had changed, he was looking forward to the challenge ahead with the club needing to source additional players during the season from the local A Grade competition.
“This year it’s a completely different arrangement,” Campese said. “With South Sydney being an affiliate, we won't be getting players back each week like the majority of the Cup teams and any players not playing Cup will filter back to A Grade.
“I think the local comp’s going to be stronger and better off for the new arrangement.
"Roy Baira, who was the Under 21s coach the past two years with great success, is an assistant coach, and one of his roles will be working with A Grade players and being that transition coach so they can get some really good feedback and if they need to play Cup, they're ready to go."
Four players – Nicholas Halalilo, Richard Holani, Cade Maloney and Harry Quinlan – also travelled to Sydney for pre-season training with the Rabbitohs and all played in the trial against Manly.
“This has been a great opportunity for them, Campese said. “All four of them have come back better players, and they're going to definitely contribute to the squad and make our squad a lot healthier.”
While many of the club affiliations may have switched up for this year, the QRL’s support for this model – as opposed to what is in place in New South Wales – remains resolute.
QRL CEO Ben Ikin said Queensland’s statewide competition model was born out of wanting a “decentralised pathway to NRL and NRLW” that matched the decentralised nature of the state.
“Queensland's the most decentralised state in the country, it has the largest population base living outside major metro centres, particularly the capital city,” Ikin said.
“The New South Wales model was born out of the old New South Wales Rugby League; so that competition existed in Sydney. It's got a long history and it was fit-for-purpose in that jurisdiction.
“But our Origin teams and our network of competitions here came well before we had NRL clubs, so trying to retrofit something in Queensland after the NRL clubs came, didn't really make sense.
“There's no right or wrong way. There's just what we believe to be the best and most fit-for-purpose solution for how the game gets delivered in Queensland.
“The view for us is that if you do things well in regional locations, not only do you expand your footprint, but you have rugby league at a higher level and can touch more people across the state which keeps them connected.”
