Queensland Cup 2013

[Big Pete]

Cam Cullen is looking mighty good for the Dolphins.

Him and Joe Bond combined for a long range effort against the Bears to snatch the win. Highlights available on the QRL website.

 

[Alec]

Did he get promoted from the babby comp?

 

[Big Pete]

54 minutes gone

Tweed Heads lead Wynnum 20-0 on the Channel 9 game of the week.

Not good signs for Granville and not a good week for Norman.

Tweed has Ryan James and former Broncos NYC player of the year Chris Binge lining up for them.

 

[wilson61]

You kidding. Granville made 2 of wynnums linebreaks

 

[Big Pete]

Wasn't commenting on his performance but rather the scoreline wouldn't do his chances any good.

 

[Fozz]

Easts beat Ipswich at Langlands today.

T2 went down an injury early in the first half (didn't see exactly what) but got up and played through it, didn't come back on in the second half though. Tommy Butterfield had a pretty good game, scored a try himself.

 

[Big Pete]

Jets/Seagulls is on 9 right now.

Tasi, Granville and Norman playing.

 

[Alec]

Norman is looking pretty decent.

 

[vertigo]

Maranta loses the ball, commentators proceed to give him wraps and say he does everything with aggression, runs good lines and has a future in the 13 jersey.

Mind boggling.

 

[Big Pete]

Maranta Watch:

Was watching the highlights of the last round. One of the tries scored against Norths featured Maranta lumbering up, taking his eyes off the guy with the footy and casually allowing him to jolt right through a gap.

Scored a try, but was benched.

He's in dire form.

 

[1910]

Media Release
The Queensland Rugby League (QRL) has today announced the North Ipswich Reserve as the venue for the 2013 Intrust Super Cup grand final.

The competition’s showpiece match will be televised live on Channel 9, with the day’s program to also feature the FOGS Colts and FOGS Cup grand finals.

“We’ve selected a south east venue to cater for all competitions,” QRL chief executive officer Robert Moore said today.

“We see it as our responsibility to promote grand final day and provide a memorable experience for players from the three grades who have played all year.

“It’s our marquee day and we’re looking forward to taking our grand final back to a community venue.”

Ipswich City Council mayor Paul Pisasale and his team are supporting the move, which will see the Reserve host its second Cup grand final.

“We believe the North Ipswich Reserve is an ideal venue following the recent refurbishments,” Moore said.

“It has a new corporate facility and caters for families as well as the footy traditionalists who love watching rugby league from the hill.”

Moore said the September 29 event would also provide a major boost for the code in the region.

“In light of recent announcements from other sports in the Western Corridor, as a game we feel this will be of strong benefit to the region,” he said.

Suncorp Stadium has hosted the past three Intrust Super Cup grand finals, but before that premiership deciders were held on the Sunshine Coast (2009) and Ipswich (2008).

Redcliffe’s Dolphin Oval was also the venue for three Cup grand finals from 2001 to 2003.

“A lot of factors were taken into account before we reached a decision on this year’s venue and this whole process reinforces the need for a boutique rectangular stadium in south east Queensland,” QRL chairman Peter Betros said.

“The fact that we don’t have this type of facility worked against us at the start of the year when the options for the Origin Under 20s match were being discussed.

“At the recent Parliamentary Friends of Rugby League launch, patron Vaughan Johnson MP highlighted the need for rugby league to have a central home which could include a boutique stadium.”

But for now the spotlight will be on the 2013 grand finals at the North Ipswich Reserve, a ground that QRL competitions manager Jamie O’Connor says is steeped in rugby league tradition.

“Suncorp Stadium is a wonderful venue which has captured some great theatre, however we anticipate the theatre to continue at the North Ipswich Reserve,” O’Connor said.

“Our fans have so much to look forward to. This year’s Intrust Super Cup is the closest on record with six teams this weekend vying for the final three places in the top five.

“We’ve also got our Gala Dinner coming up next Wednesday night featuring the presentation of The Courier Mail medal and the XXXX People’s Choice award.

“Today’s grand final venue announcement also provides an opportunity for fans and teams to plan ahead for the biggest day of the season.”

• Ticketing and transport information will be published on www.qrl.com.au at a later date.

 

[Jeba]

 

[Dexter]

I've been dragged from the pig pen to be touchie at junior games but I've never seen it happen for first grade before. That will never be lived down, the poor ****.

 

[Big Pete]

Melbourne continue to play silly buggers - naming Gareth Widdop in a Colts game he was never going to play in so he could represent Easts in the finals and get some match fitness.

 

[1910]

Melbourne continue to play silly buggers - naming Gareth Widdop in a Colts game he was never going to play in so he could represent Easts in the finals and get some match fitness.

FOGS not Colts.

THE Storm are embroiled in a selection scandal after secretly attempting to qualify Gareth Widdop for the Queensland Cup finals - by naming him for a game he did not attend.
The Queensland Rugby League has vowed to launch an inquiry after The Courier-Mail exposed the Storm’s cunning plan to have Widdop match-fit for the NRL finals.
Widdop is on course for a shock return from a dislocated hip, two months ahead of schedule, but Storm coach Craig Bellamy knew the British Test star needed some game time under his belt.
And so the machinations for a selection rort began.
Despite not having played for Easts Tigers all season, Widdop was on Sunday mysteriously named on the official team sheet in jumper No.17 for a third-tier FOGS Cup clash at Langlands Park.
The clandestine move was designed to qualify Widdop for the Queensland Cup finals next week, giving him vital match fitness before his planned return for the Storm’s finals campaign the following week.
There was just one problem. Instead of actually taking his place on the Tigers’ interchange bench yesterday, Widdop was nowhere to be seen, remaining in Melbourne 1680km away.
The Storm and Tigers went to extraordinary lengths to conceal the rort.
The Langlands Park ground-announcer only read out the names of 16 Easts players, conveniently forgetting Widdop as 17th man, and Tigers officials refused to release the team sheet when asked for late changes.
But The Courier-Mail uncovered irrefutable evidence Widdop was not in attendance, taking a photo which showed the Easts Tigers were a player short on their interchange bench.
When inquiries began into why Widdop wasn’t at Langlands Park, when the official QRL team sheet suggested he was, the issue became a political hot-potato.
Easts Tigers’ head coach Craig Ingebrigtsen said he had no idea why Widdop appeared on the club’s FOGS Cup team sheet when the Storm pivot had no intention of playing.
“I don’t know, I can’t make a comment,” he said.
“We are a feeder club to Melbourne. If Gareth has come back from injury and that’s what they want to do (name him in the Easts team), that’s what they’ll do.
“We get players back from Melbourne all the time . . . sorry, you are better off asking the Storm.
“One of their coaches Adam O’Brien is here.”
When The Courier-Mail tracked down O’Brien, who will replace Kevin Walters as Bellamy’s assistant next year, he was at a loss to explain Widdop’s naming in the FOGS Cup.
“I would not have a clue,” O’Brien said.
“He had a training run during the week . . . but it’s more the physio department thing when he comes back.”
The high farce continued when QRL competitions manager Jamie O’Connor said under existing rules, Widdop only had to appear on a team sheet to qualify for the Queensland Cup finals.
That means Widdop is now free to play for Easts in the Queensland Cup finals next week, despite not having physically laced on a boot for the Tigers.
But O’Connor accepted the Storm were exploiting a “loophole” in the system and pledged to review the Queensland Cup’s qualification rules at season’s end.
“Whether he is at the ground or not, Widdop has been listed on the match-report sheet and that qualifies him,” O’Connor said.
“Is it the intention of the rules? Probably not, but there is a loophole there and if it wasn’t such a high-profile player, we would have no idea if he was at the ground or not.
“Because it is Gareth Widdop, it’s a different story.
“We will review the rules once the season is over . . . it’s important that a player should have to participate if they are named on the match sheet.”
QRL chairman Peter Betros, who attended Langlands Park on Sunday, said the organisation will investigate whether Widdop can play in the Queensland Cup finals.
“I have no idea where Widdop is,” he said.
“I honestly have to check on whether he qualifies. If he has been named and he hasn’t played today we will look into that.”
A Storm spokesman denied the club was deliberately attempting to break the rules, saying they sought clarity from the QRL in accordance with qualification rules.

 

[1910]

Storm and Easts can claim it is in the rules but that's rubbish- shows complete comtempt for the QRL and the Queensland Cup and is dishonest to name a player on a team sheet that isn't even in the same state as the game.

Having said that the QRL need to clean up the rules. It has always been to play QCUP finals you need to have played more QCUP games than NRL games that year.

 

[Kimlo]

Typical Storm, cheating scums, it's in their DNA.

 

[Dexter]

That's a bit rough on the Storm there boys. Bellamy obviously has asked what the rule is to comply and found out exactly what they were required to do.
If they had to physically present him that's what they would have done, you can't blame them for following the rules that are in place.