QLD Premier Rugby 2025

[PhilClinton]

At this level rebuilding’s got nothing to do with a draft or whether it’s amateur. It’s about culture and winning – and that’s everything in this type of comp. I’ve played at clubs that didn’t have it, and we struggled. Then I moved to one that did, and we found success because everyone bought in. Coaches, players – we played for each other and the jersey. It’s not about the few bucks you might get in QPR, it’s about rocking up every week knowing the bloke next to you wants it just as much as you and GPS used to have that in spades and from what I am hearing its gone or hardly exists and that what they need to rebuild in my opinion

Also depends how you define success as a club. The guys I know hanging around in 2nds - 5ths seem happy enough. At least they’re winning a fair few games.

The culture issues seem to be from the top, which will become a problem.

Unfortunately I think Sio and Kelevi will have to go. And I’m not sure how much value Steve Meehan has added recently. Again, he’s a great bloke but he’s always been playing across a few lanes and had other priorities. I’m not even sure if he’s still involved in the day to day anymore since getting that international role.

 

[Adam84]

For GPS, Marist College Ashgrove have had a few grim years within AIC, which doesn't help as a major feeder for the club.

 

[Heavensgame]

Also depends how you define success as a club. The guys I know hanging around in 2nds - 5ths seem happy enough. At least they’re winning a fair few games.

The culture issues seem to be from the top, which will become a problem.

Unfortunately I think Sio and Kelevi will have to go. And I’m not sure how much value Steve Meehan has added recently. Again, he’s a great bloke but he’s always been playing across a few lanes and had other priorities. I’m not even sure if he’s still involved in the day to day anymore since getting that international role.

Steve Meehan’s fingerprints are all over this along with the Ashgrove Mafia - it was Meehan who got rid of a number of successful coaches in 2023 and brought in Kelevi as the new coaching genius - the club really needs to have a major sweeping review at seasons end

 

[Heavensgame]

Also depends how you define success as a club. The guys I know hanging around in 2nds - 5ths seem happy enough. At least they’re winning a fair few games.

The culture issues seem to be from the top, which will become a problem.

Unfortunately I think Sio and Kelevi will have to go. And I’m not sure how much value Steve Meehan has added recently. Again, he’s a great bloke but he’s always been playing across a few lanes and had other priorities. I’m not even sure if he’s still involved in the day to day anymore since getting that international role.

For the club over the last few years the underlying focus has been “profit margin” from Saturdays game rather than improving the rugby side

 

[PhilClinton]

For GPS, Marist College Ashgrove have had a few grim years within AIC, which doesn't help as a major feeder for the club.

Agreed and alongside that, with young families being priced out of Ashgrove/Bardon I've heard there are some decent numbers heading down to Everton Park Roosters rather than GPS for juniors. There is a strong chance those players may end up at Norths if they're living around Enoggera/Everton Park/Stafford area.

 

[Spamnoodle]

For the club over the last few years the underlying focus has been “profit margin” from Saturdays game rather than improving the rugby side

Gotta pay for the new club house somehow. 10 dollars for a scrawny B&E roll on Saturday and Sunday mornings will only go so far.

 

[Spamnoodle]

Agreed and alongside that, with young families being priced out of Ashgrove/Bardon I've heard there are some decent numbers heading down to Everton Park Roosters rather than GPS for juniors. There is a strong chance those players may end up at Norths if they're living around Enoggera/Everton Park/Stafford area.

Yet GPS junior teams have at least half a dozen teams per age group.
I've also heard that GPS were pushing the BJRU to only play the other major clubs for juniors as they don't want to play the great unwashed in the outer regions.... Or something along those lines. This was from someone from one of the great unwashed clubs who read the minutes of the meeting.
So much for growing the game.

 

[FNC Rugby]

Will be interesting to see who gets held to account in the season review at GPS.

There is a serious lack of top end talent at the club. Even 2nds who started the season quite well could possibly fall out of finals. The 3rds and 4ths seem quite stable and could go all the way.

I’ve said it before, GPS had a really blessed run of players from the early 2000s until recently. The Marist catchment of players were actually very strong. Particularly during the 2005-2010 period Marist had a heap of QLD schoolboys and a few Aussie schoolboys and they all came down to GPS.

Alongside that crop of players, there was an injection of talent from the Picone era and a number of those blokes stuck around or brought their mates down over the years.

Now pretty much that whole generation of players is retired and GPS have done fuck all recruitment or future planning. In fact this season they’ve had to pull a few blokes outta retirement to try and give Prems depth. It’s not working.

That loss at home yesterday against Brothers on Old Boys day has gone down as one of the worst performances at Yoku in history.

When GPS have to bring that fairy Avery Thompson up from colts you know things arent good. Ive watched Avery since Bond Pirates days on the Gold Coast, he would not knock the top of a custard tart with his lack of aggression. He and Riki Siaoloa (reds 15s #8 last year) are some of the most questionable signings made by the Reds in recent times.

 

[FNC Rugby]

Yet GPS junior teams have at least half a dozen teams per age group.
I've also heard that GPS were pushing the BJRU to only play the other major clubs for juniors as they don't want to play the great unwashed in the outer regions.... Or something along those lines. This was from someone from one of the great unwashed clubs who read the minutes of the meeting.
So much for growing the game.

Forget about the juniors, the BJRU competition is absolutely cooked. As an example, the u16 Division 1 competition supposedly the strongest club competition in the state has a 5-team division 1 structure. Of those 5 teams 3 of the 5 are unable to fill a full 15 players each week. Brothers, Yarrabilba/Yatala & Easts. Even though Easts are leading the comp they have been playing with 14 players the majority of the season.

 

[new recruit_ brisbane]

Forget about the juniors, the BJRU competition is absolutely cooked. As an example, the u16 Division 1 competition supposedly the strongest club competition in the state has a 5-team division 1 structure. Of those 5 teams 3 of the 5 are unable to fill a full 15 players each week. Brothers, Yarrabilba/Yatala & Easts. Even though Easts are leading the comp they have been playing with 14 players the majority of the season.

I don't think the U16 comp is helped by fact AIC/GPS kids don't play as they are playing/preparing for the seasons.

 

[SouthernX]

Agreed and alongside that, with young families being priced out of Ashgrove/Bardon I've heard there are some decent numbers heading down to Everton Park Roosters rather than GPS for juniors. There is a strong chance those players may end up at Norths if they're living around Enoggera/Everton Park/Stafford area.

Just some feedback - multiple of my wests team mates back in the day have their kids running down at Yoku road/Crosby Road or Shaw Road

the idea of being priced out of Ashgrove/Bardon might not be the main case but rather there’s not much residential growth for the region when it’s on the door step of a forrestry mountain range

junior rugby numbers could continue to be further impacted with the housing crisis. don’t imagine a lot of young people can afford to have children and buy homes close to some of these clubs.

 

[PhilClinton]

Just some feedback - multiple of my wests team mates back in the day have their kids running down at Yoku road/Crosby Road or Shaw Road

the idea of being priced out of Ashgrove/Bardon might not be the main case but rather there’s not much residential growth for the region when it’s on the door step of a forrestry mountain range

junior rugby numbers could continue to be further impacted with the housing crisis. don’t imagine a lot of young people can afford to have children and buy homes close to some of these clubs.

Yes, it will be interesting if/when Marist College numbers get impacted. I think the school still holds a lot of appeal and old boys will have their kids travel to attend.

At the moment it doesn't seem to be any issue, they've got wait lists and are knocking back students. There are few co-workers at my firm who have recently bought in Ashgrove and all of their kids are enrolled at Grammar (and they happen to be Grammar old boys/girls).

Just for the sake of comparison, back when I went through, I'd say 95% of students in my cohort lived in either Ashgrove, the Gap, Bardon or Paddington area. I had one mate out at Albany Creek and another Indooroopilly way.

 

[PhilClinton]

Yet GPS junior teams have at least half a dozen teams per age group.
I've also heard that GPS were pushing the BJRU to only play the other major clubs for juniors as they don't want to play the great unwashed in the outer regions.... Or something along those lines. This was from someone from one of the great unwashed clubs who read the minutes of the meeting.
So much for growing the game.

Yeh I think GPS are going to have to make some more effort if they want to keep their junior's numbers high though.

For example, the Pony Club still gets good numbers, at the moment about 50 kids under 5 running around on a Friday night. But then the families go and try another similar thing at the local rugby league or soccer clubs and I can tell you it is 1000% times better organised and value for money. Can't keep rolling out the same thing and just expecting old boys (and girls) to keep fronting up and dropping their dosh when there are better options out there.