Townsville bid for Queensland Premier
Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:29
A bid from the Townsville and District Rugby Union (TDRU) could see their team playing in the Queensland Premier competition as early as 2010.
Premier Rugby is the highest level of rugby competition within Queensland, and the Trinity Premier competition currently involves eight teams from Brisbane and one each from the Sunshine and Gold Coasts.
Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) Chief Executive Ken Freer said a bid from the TDRU to join the competition from 2009 was given serious consideration by the QRU Board, but was eventually deferred for financial reasons.
Freer said the TDRU proposal "ticked all the boxes" as far as eligibility was concerned, however the travel and other costs of involvement was a stumbling block for 2009.
"Townsville definitely ticked the boxes on facilities, player depth and other eligibility criteria and there's a burning desire in the region to take the game in the north to the next level," Mr Freer said.
"Unfortunately, with our very tight budget for next year we couldn't responsibly commit to funding Townsville's involvement in 2009. However QRU Chairman Peter Lewis has given an undertaking to move heaven and earth to find a way to make it happen, hopefully for the 2010 season."
Freer said after a couple of very tough years, the QRU was steadily repairing its finances for 2008 and beyond, although 2009 will again be tight.
"Due to tight budgetary control we're doing better than break-even before depreciation, but while we're on the right track we don't have the luxury of increasing spending in one area without reducing it in another," Freer said.
"If Townsville came in [to Premier Rugby] in 2009 we'd have to cut funding somewhere else in community rugby and that's not really fair.
"I know this decision was a disappointing one for [TDRU President] Dan Morton and his team, but the QRU Board has promised to work closely with the TDRU to find ways of making it happen and I'm confident this is only a bump in the highway."
Delegates from all QRU-affiliated bodies including the TDRU attended the QRU Biannual General Meeting at Ballymore on Saturday. ARU directors who were in Brisbane for the Bledisloe Cup match were also invited to the meeting and attended in unprecedented numbers.
"Some of the longest serving delegates could not recall so many ARU directors attending a QRU meeting and their presence was very welcome and much appreciated," Freer added.
The meeting was given an extensive briefing by ARU CEO John O'Neill on the current state of the game in Australia and O'Neill also fielded questions from delegates on grassroots issues including age restrictions on players and Townsville's Premier Rugby bid.
