QLD Premier Rugby 2025
- Thread starter Coleman Rees
- Start date
Wilson
Phil Kearns (64)
I don't know how many times it has to be said, but the QRU don't have the authority to send players to specific club. It's up to players to nominate the club they want to play for.
eldiablo
Ted Fahey (11)
Say it again, because I don't believe it! Haha, just joking. Here I was giving QRU credit for bolstering Norths and Sunnybank squads with Hodgman and JTA last year!
Seems like I've missed this conversation previously, and don't want to open a can of worms again(?), but maybe they should have SOME guidance and/or involvement in that process for new recruits. We can move on if it pleases the thread.
Wilson
Phil Kearns (64)
They can give guidance or suggestions but they have no power to direct a player anywhere (other than QPR in general). This seems to come up every season and it's frustrating to see people start the conversation by blaming them for something entirely out of their control.
As far as what guidance they offer those players I don't think a broad spread of talent is going to be (or should be) the number one concern. High performance concerns (at least for younger/developing players) are much more important from a reds perspective and will take precedence - e.g. build combinations amongst the 3rd front row, get a good young lock working with a coach particularly specialised in lineouts, etc.
This is still all only guidance though, the fact that CBA protects a players choice means the QRU (or any other union) have little to no room to associate any carrot or stick with it. At the end of the day most players are still going to choose based upon their own reasoning, with things like friends, family, location, culture, history with coaches, and yes, money or prestige offered by a particular club feeding into that.
have heard the same
The Whisperer
Alfred Walker (16)
Current allocation of reds players:
Bond: 4 (Blake, Blyth, Canham, Nongoor)
Brothers: 7 (Faessler, Flook, McReight, Pakeho, Smith, Ryan, Wilson)
Easts: 3 (Craig, Goldsbrough,Wright)
GPS: 0
Norths: 2 (McCulloch, Toomaga-Allen)
Souths: 4 (Bryant, King, Salakai-Loto, Vest)
Sunnybank: 4 (Asiata, Daugunu, Hodgman, Fa’agase)
UQ: 7 (Brial, Campbell, Gibbon, McDermott, Lynagh, Thomas, Nasser)
Wests: 6 (De Lutiis, HMP, Paisami, Uru, Werchon, Henry)
TBC: 3 (Anderson, Gibbs, Murray)
Bond: 4 (Blake, Blyth, Canham, Nongoor)
Brothers: 7 (Faessler, Flook, McReight, Pakeho, Smith, Ryan, Wilson)
Easts: 3 (Craig, Goldsbrough,Wright)
GPS: 0
Norths: 2 (McCulloch, Toomaga-Allen)
Souths: 4 (Bryant, King, Salakai-Loto, Vest)
Sunnybank: 4 (Asiata, Daugunu, Hodgman, Fa’agase)
UQ: 7 (Brial, Campbell, Gibbon, McDermott, Lynagh, Thomas, Nasser)
Wests: 6 (De Lutiis, HMP, Paisami, Uru, Werchon, Henry)
TBC: 3 (Anderson, Gibbs, Murray)
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Pretty sure Vest is at UQ
The Whisperer
Alfred Walker (16)
Moved for the 2024 season to Souths. Has he gone back to UQ?
Spamnoodle
Larry Dwyer (12)
Lukhan and Vest nominated at Souths on the Reds contract list.
That's what I've heard,
The Whisperer
Alfred Walker (16)
Hearing Jude Gibbs to Brothers
Spamnoodle
Larry Dwyer (12)
Lots of ears to the ground here, another way to get cauliflower ears?
Upthemaroon!
Frank Row (1)
Just got the news from Shaw Road that Jack Peoples is moving up to Sydney this year. He'll probably leave a big hole in the back line of Norths for the upcoming season. Any news on new recruits/replacements for the eagles?
Oracle83
Bill McLean (32)
Bummer he was developing well - they have some quality young backs that will hopefully fit the slot nicely.
They have also been advertising for local Accom for anew talent coming to their club but no access to names - love to see Duncan Paui’aua come back when not playing OS he’s been playing the house down over there
I believe Wynnum are quite interested but yeah agree, it would take a decent amount of time (and momentum) , 5-7 years before it materialised.
Agree that best placed clubs for expansion would be Wynnum or Caboolture being within greater Brisbane.
Wynnum probably has the best location for a rugby club in all of Brisbane, with the most basic clubhouse. Huge potential.
JRugby2
Bob Loudon (25)
I think any argument for expansion is trumped by a lot of the deep rooted systems in place around QPR that keep the clubs and competition more broadly very insular.
QPR clubs are as big and successful, and attract/ retain players for a number of reasons. History, family connections, friendship groups, commercial partnerships, nepotism. It's a lot to ask for any new club to compete with.
Despite Wynnum and Cabooltures apparent geographical advantages - ultimately you need players to want and go and play there, consistently year on year.
QPR doesn't have a salary cap like SS does so their could be a financial carrot for some players at the top, but then that can be fraught with risk (Sunny Coast great example of this).
It truth I don't ever see QPR expanding in my lifetime.
QPR clubs are as big and successful, and attract/ retain players for a number of reasons. History, family connections, friendship groups, commercial partnerships, nepotism. It's a lot to ask for any new club to compete with.
Despite Wynnum and Cabooltures apparent geographical advantages - ultimately you need players to want and go and play there, consistently year on year.
QPR doesn't have a salary cap like SS does so their could be a financial carrot for some players at the top, but then that can be fraught with risk (Sunny Coast great example of this).
It truth I don't ever see QPR expanding in my lifetime.
Outsider
Peter Burge (5)
It's an interesting question but a Wynnum would ideally work with Redlands Rugby to build enough mass, just like Ipswich would need to work with Springfield and Goodna. But as someone said it's tribal and they don't play well together. So the QRU need to develop a strategy to work with these areas (not clubs) to build the momentum and realize that is where the future lies and invest people and $$$$. I know this opinion will not be popular with the QPR brigade though. But it's for the good of the game.
LevitatingSocks
Watty Friend (18)
It seems like Hunter down in Shute Shield struggles a bit, and they have the entirety of Newcastle to pull players from as opposed to just Caboolture.
A Brisbane or Sydney based player probably wouldn't consider playing for a club an hour or more outside the city, so the clubs are reliant on locals. Out of those locals, how many are willing to travel all the way into the city most saturdays as opposed to playing the local comp?