Roosters Return Home As Club Rugby League Resumes

Club Rugby League will resume in the RLT District this weekend, with the Burdekin Roosters playing Norths at Bendigo Bank Park on Saturday across three grades.

In other matches, Western Lions will be at home to Souths, Brothers will host Charters Towers, and Centrals will travel to Ingham to meet Herbert River.

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Further changes have been made to Bendigo Bank Park, with new goal posts now installed on Field 1. The field layout has also been moved three metres towards the Ayr High end, so the centre line will now be in line with the centre of the Norm Dea grandstand. These are part of ongoing changes to the area.

The Roosters will meet Norths in three grades at home on Saturday and will be glad to do so after being on the road for seven of their nine fixtures so far this season. In the next five weeks they will play at home against Norths, Western Lions, Centrals, Herbert River and Charters Towers.

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Saturday, July 18, will also feature the popular Ladies Day, which looks set to be special this year after selling out in two days. That day will also double as Home Hill reunion day, with all ex-players from the Home Hill Devils invited to remember the past, especially those from the 1986 era, when the A Grade and Under 17 sides won the last premierships played for in the Burdekin Rugby League club.

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Games this Saturday will get underway at 3.00pm with Under 19s, followed by reserves at 4.30pm and A Grade at 6.00pm, with the canteen and bar open.

The Under 19s are currently level first on the ladder with Brothers, the team they beat by two points in Ayr three weeks ago. After a couple of players out injured, they were beaten by Norths, but this time are expected to field a strong side.

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The only setback could be the Burdekin Catholic High boys, who will have played this week in the Confraternity Shield matches in Brisbane. Since that loss to Norths, they have beaten Herbert River twice and the equal top side Brothers, playing smart, structured footy. Burdekin sit on 12 points, with Norths fourth on 7.

Souths are leading the competition in reserve grade, having lost only one game this season, and that was to the Roosters. They have led on a number of occasions only to be run down, so if they can put it together they could pull off a win over the second-placed Devils.

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The A Grade side went on a four-game winning streak before going down to undefeated Souths last start by two points, a controversial Souths conversion the difference. Coach Steve Lansley will welcome back two forwards from that narrow loss, Cooper Fletcher and Nash Beck. Front rower Fletcher, 18, and hooker Beck have been standing out in recent games. Last start Fletcher was recovering from a head knock, while Beck was attending a wedding.

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Dual captain Lachlan Shepherd has been leading the way after moving to lock with the injury to Hayden Munro, and he will welcome those boys back. Lansley will know this week which Cowboys players he will have available, but he does have Nemia Nawave and Tama Rupena in good form.

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The Roosters would have one of the fastest, if not smallest, backlines in the competition. Every one of them can score a try, and they can defend as well.

Halves Jye Olsen and Mitch Brown combine well and use a variety of plays to gain ground for centres Jones Munro and Jake O’Brien. O’Brien has played wing and fullback but the coach tried him at centre, where he has found a home, scoring three tries in two matches with his swerve and pace.

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A number of players have improved through the season, but none more than winger Malik Ogameni, who can smell a try and has scored accordingly. Joseph Doyle was called into the Cowboys Under 21 team last Saturday and scored two tries in a win over the Broncos, so he may not be available. If not, Terry Connors could come off the bench; he is handy, having scored two tries recently against Herbert River.

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Adam Camer is an A Grade cricketer and shows that in his safe handling at fullback under the high ball, while also moving well into the backline.

The Roosters are currently fifth, but a win and favourable results elsewhere could lift them to third.

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The Blackhawks are coming to Ayr to play the Burleigh Bears during Country Week on Saturday, July 25. On that day the Little Roosters will be playing in all grades, while the senior Roosters will meet Herbert River as well.

Supplied by Brian Carnes

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