By Tallon Smith

Rugby league in Central Queensland is set for another shake-up after calls have resurfaced to again merge the Rockhampton and Gladstone District senior competitions.

The two competitions have combined many times in the past, with the most recent period being from 2018 until 2022 (only at A Grade level), before the competitions split at the start of this year.

Tannum Sands player and coach Axel Maeyke said that the proposal is straightforward, and has the backing of the majority of people in the region’s rugby league community.

“The Gladstone teams [would] head into the Rockhampton competition to play against the Rockhampton sides, which would end up being an eight or nine team competition [across all three grades],” he said.

“From us, we’re pretty keen on it, we have been for a few years, [and] I believe a couple of the other Gladstone teams are fairly keen on it.

“I guarantee the stronger clubs in Rocky would be keen for it, just for the same reasons, [having] a variety of footballers, playing different teams, and [the fact that] it’s also better to win a comp when you’ve got nine teams than four.

“The teams that are successful up there would definitely like that, and that’s what we want to challenge ourselves against as well.”

Maeyke said that the merger will strengthen the game in the area by offering players the opportunity to play more sides in a season and sharpen their skills against a variety of opposition.

“[The main thing is] just to play against a different variety of players and skill levels and abilities,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of young kids coming through, who want to challenge themselves against different footballers.

“We’re probably not the best side in the competition, that’s for sure, but you’re not going to get better playing the same three teams.”

As for the game in the area, Maeyke believes it is “definitely declining” compared to previous years, pointing out the difference in player numbers.

“When I came into First Grade in 2007, we had all three grades go to Rocky every week, with a 50-seater bus all full of players,” he said.

“Now you’re probably not going to get more than 35 players going to Rocky for three grades, so it’s definitely struggling.

“We’re trying to improve that obviously by getting more players, but it’ll definitely be stronger, not immediately, but kids that are coming through behind them will definitely look at it and go ‘right, that’s what we can do.’”

“I just don’t think it’s going to continue to grow if we keep playing the same teams every week.”

The support is the same from the Rockhampton side of the ledger, with Yeppoon Seagulls President Steve Stafford also firmly in favour of a combined competition.

“I hope it goes to the combined competition, nor a separate competition, I think it’s better for both areas that we join together,” he said.

“100 percent, [it’s] better for Gladstone and better for Rocky.”

One major benefit that Stafford believes the implementation of a combined competition will have is increased public interest and attendance, something that has been on the rise in Rockhampton in recent years, but has dwindled a little in Gladstone.

“After our last Grand Final last year, the crowd was massive, I think that was because of the variation of clubs on the day that were in Finals,” he said.

“So I think having more people involved and a variation of grades and clubs only increases your attendance and makes it more interesting for everybody.”

Looking back, Stafford said that the big indicator of the potential success of a Capricornia-wide competition lies in both the success of an albeit smaller Aussie Rules league in the area, as well as the region’s rugby league history, where a competition stretching as far west as Emerald (4 hours’ drive West) thrived for many years.

“There used to be 14 or 15 or 16 [teams] back in the day, and it all changed due to mining shifts and stuff like that, and the mines not supporting [football in] those areas out west as much as they used to,” he said.

“So those clubs all sort of folded and faded, and numbers and the money wasn’t there to get people to go there any more.

“Now it’s really based on your own local area, which it’s building again […] everyone goes through phases, [but] I think league’s fighting its way back in this area again, and it is out west as well.

“So I think doing this and having that variety of clubs in different areas only strengthens [it].”

A formal decision from the QRL as to whether a merger will take place is expected in the coming weeks.

Cover Image: Tannum Sands’ 2023 First Grade team. (supplied)