Queensland Reds 2026

[Major Tom]

back to the Reds 2026 season.

McDermotts injury/recovery time frame has been listed(tentatively) as 6 months which puts his return date as around around 9, the home game at Suncorp versus the Crusaders.

Fortunate to have re-signed Kalani Thomas and reflects well on the decision to seen Louis Werchon off to play URC for Benneton. Puts more pressure on the Reds to lock up U20s player James Marten now as well IMO. His passing and attack off the ruck looks first rate for his age.

Yeah I thought it would be a 3 monther like Flooks one but probably depends on healing abilities and recovery complications.
You don’t wish injuries on any player but the silver lining is it’s hit an area of strength for us. Fantastic planning from the reds.

 

[Wilson]

back to the Reds 2026 season.

McDermotts injury/recovery time frame has been listed(tentatively) as 6 months which puts his return date as around around 9, the home game at Suncorp versus the Crusaders.

Fortunate to have re-signed Kalani Thomas and reflects well on the decision to seen Louis Werchon off to play URC for Benneton. Puts more pressure on the Reds to lock up U20s player James Marten now as well IMO. His passing and attack off the ruck looks first rate for his age.

It's thankfully the one position we could best cover a long term injury to a starter in, but Tate will still be missed. Hopefully the others stay fit and firing to allow Tate to ease back in too, I imagine it'll take a bit of time for him to hit his stride.

 

[Red Runner]

Lots to be happy with at 9. Thomas still getting starting time in SAU, and showing some leadership. Werchon starting for Benetton. And Martens looking really good off the bench for QLD. Meanwhile Cartwright is training with Aussie 7s. Hes a talent but for a scrumhalf spends surprisingly little time at scrumhalf

 

[Adam84]

Lots to be happy with at 9. Thomas still getting starting time in SAU, and showing some leadership. Werchon starting for Benetton. And Martens looking really good off the bench for QLD. Meanwhile Cartwright is training with Aussie 7s. Hes a talent but for a scrumhalf spends surprisingly little time at scrumhalf

7s makes sense for him, as a playmaker understudy to Maurice Longbottom.

Cartwright is rapid for QPR, but I think pushing to the wing was at the detriment of his chance of getting a fulltime Super Rugby contract. He is fast but not standout fast for Super Rugby, he isn’t a Corey Toole. For the Reds he is another small bodied outside back, which they already have an abundance of. Probably should have stuck with improving himself and skillet at halfback.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

It's perfect for 7s. They'll see him like Gonzalez in that group who was a long term 9 for Eastwood but has covered the Wing when required with natural athleticism.

Tate's an obviously big out, but of all the positions it could be for QLD it's the most covered by quality players. Maybe Hooker could challenge that.

 

[Major Tom]

It's perfect for 7s. They'll see him like Gonzalez in that group who was a long term 9 for Eastwood but has covered the Wing when required with natural athleticism.

Tate's an obviously big out, but of all the positions it could be for QLD it's the most covered by quality players. Maybe Hooker could challenge that.

Back row seems stacked. With Latu and Robinson coming through.

 

[Spamnoodle]

Even during those 'down years' the Broncos still averaged more than double the current Reds home crowd attendance. Important to note they also finished 3rd in 2011 so it's not like they were fully crap the whole time, although for most of the other mentioned seasons they sucked.

2010 - 34k
2011 - 33k
2012 - 33k
2013 - 30k

The Reds crowd figures seem to be more difficult to track down during that period, but I reckon from 2010-2012 at least they would have been on par with the Broncos.

All that tells me is it's a league town. Always has been. What's the point in getting uptight about it? You can't change decades upon decades of league DNA in the general population.
Aussie rules only became popular with the great Victorian migration early 2000s that coincided with the
stretch of success with multiple premierships. You aren't going to convert that particularly strange religious like fervoured group.
We need to accept that Rugby is a pretty well funded boutique sport in this part of the world, striving to punch above it's weight.
Could be worse. Could be like hockey.

 

[Major Tom]

All that tells me is it's a league town. Always has been. What's the point in getting uptight about it? You can't change decades upon decades of league DNA in the general population.
Aussie rules only became popular with the great Victorian migration early 2000s that coincided with the
stretch of success with multiple premierships. You aren't going to convert that particularly strange religious like fervoured group.
We need to accept that Rugby is a pretty well funded boutique sport in this part of the world, striving to punch above it's weight.
Could be worse. Could be like hockey.

League is so popular in Brisbane because it’s incredibly easy to understand and there’s been a heap of success.

 

[rugbyAU]

The Reds just need to start winning

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

There’s always room for a lot of sides. Concerning yourself with the success of others is only a distraction to what should be done to engage fans.

People can and will support multiple sides even if it’s just through viewership which pays in the long run.

 

[Red Runner]

League is so popular in Brisbane because it’s incredibly easy to understand and there’s been a heap of success.

and the only newspaper in town owns them. Kinda.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Sports an entertainment business if you want to make money and grow. We love the intricacies of the game in here but you have to lean into the entertainment side of it if you want to engage the peripheral support. In turn you will make a few of them die hard fans of the game.

A lot of us have a sports style of NIMBYism when it comes to loud music, pyrotechnics and all that at the games we like. I'm making a BIG generalisation here but a very large portion of potential bums on seats only support the game because they want to support their partners interests.

If you make it a good, fun family event suddenly Wives, Girlfriends, Boyfriends like the idea of coming and bringing the kids because it's a nice time out. Stuff the routine on a Friday night because the event was valuable. If you keep it a run of the mill footy game, guess what? You just get given a leave pass every couple of weeks because it's not worth trudging everyone out past bedtime.

I have to give sports like the BBL and NBL credit for doing this.

 

[Strewthcobber]

wow, slightly unexpected news but Les Kiss has said Liam Wright is near return from injury and could take part in Super Rugby Aus... I was all but expecting him to announce his retirement:

Door open for Petaia at Reds, Wright nears return, says Kiss

Reds coach Les Kiss is aiming for a top-three Super Rugby finish next year, as Liam Wright nears a return and a favourite son continues his journey.

www.rugby.com.au

Any update on Wright? Obvs the SRau didn't happen. Must be getting close to decision time

 

[emuarse]

League is so popular in Brisbane because it’s incredibly easy to understand and there’s been a heap of success.

Union is to League like chess is to draughts . Or in the northern hemisphere, to football (soccer). The bogans prefer league (football) because they have trouble understanding rugby union.
Although some of the interpretations by referees even the commentators find difficult for the latter.

 

[Ignoto]

The bogans prefer league (football) because they have trouble understanding rugby union.

Lets not get high and mighty. After last weeks game against the All Blacks and the Lions series, the decisions by the Referee team makes me think I don't understand rugby.

I can't tell you what is legal and illegal in a maul, what horizontal is, what dangerous contact with the head is and what constitutes coming in from the side.

 

[Strewthcobber]

There's a very old joke that's been around so long that former Wallaby Dally Messenger probably heard it, that goes something like........ rugby league is for the working man who doesn't understand the laws of rugby union, and rugby union is for the private schoolboy who doesn't understand the laws of rugby union.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Lets not get high and mighty. After last weeks game against the All Blacks and the Lions series, the decisions by the Referee team makes me think I don't understand rugby.

I can't tell you what is legal and illegal in a maul, what horizontal is, what dangerous contact with the head is and what constitutes coming in from the side.

I had this conversation with my boss who is these days a big RL man but played Rugby growing up. He turns on the Bledisloe games but says it's just so hard to watch and understand what the calls are going to be this time. All I can really respond with is "yeah I get it"

 

[Wilson]

I had this conversation with my boss who is these days a big RL man but played Rugby growing up. He turns on the Bledisloe games but says it's just so hard to watch and understand what the calls are going to be this time. All I can really respond with is "yeah I get it"

Broadcast is a issue there, as much as I get that they are sharing our frustration in some of the calls, the focus needs to be on explanation and education there. I'd love to see them invest in better solutions for communicating decisions and explaining how they were arrived at, in the same way the stadium product has started to improve on this front recently (it was noticeable how much of a step back Eden park was to Australian stadiums this weekend gone).

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Probably doesn't help to have the commentators tee off as well even if the gripes are genuine. It is a green light to bash it when the former players are as well.

 

[Sword of Justice]

Philosophically speaking, Rugby is from another era where new viewers didn’t have tik tok and therefore had the time and appetite to learn something new. Asking for 10 minutes to explain something marks you as a cancer in our society needing absolutely expunging. Yes I’m aware of how old this makes me sound.

How to combat this? Cultural relevance is the only way. Take the NFL as an example. I would argue it’s even more complex than Rugby and teams constantly find ways to not play the game to advantage. Let’s be honest, it’s a shit sport (sorry BH and Ghost) but people care. Half the viewers wouldn’t know what the fuck is going on but watch because they want to know what happened in the ‘big game’.

The only path to relevance is winning internationally significant matches. Everything else is a gimmick. We’ve got a bit of money now and a stage in the RWC on home soil. Time to put everything on red.