Maroons star backs Country Week

FORMER Red Ant Chris McQueen will be keeping a close eye on the results of the Intrust Super Cup this weekend with the competition taking games out to regional Queensland, including his home town of Kingaroy.

“As a Kingaroy Red Ants junior, I am pumped to hear the Intrust Super Cup is coming to my home town,” McQueen said in a Facebook message for Queensland Rugby League fans.

“Congrats to the QRL and Queensland Government for teaming up and bringing a game to the country.

“I have some fond memories of my days at the Kingaroy Red Ants.”

As well as being played in the town where he grew up learning to play the game, the Queensland State of Origin forward also has a vested interest in seeing how his former Cup club the Wynnum Manly Seagulls will fare in this week’s TV game against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

This enticing match-up between two top-five sides is just one of the great games being taken to a regional centre this weekend for the Get in the Game Country Week round, which is being jointly presented by the QRL and State Government.

Other towns to host games across the weekend include Mareeba, Moranbah, Emerald and Longreach.

However, as well as hosting a top Intrust Super Cup game, each venue will also see an action-packed lead-up to their main game, with a number of school visits, coaching clinics and dinners to be attended by the participating Cup clubs.

Each regional venue will also see one of the NRL's One Community Ambassadors (Petero Civoniceva, Michael Crocker, David Peachey, Ben Ross and Josh Perry) attend the match and also participate in a number of the pre-game activities.

A brief outline of what is happening with the NRL ambassadors at each venue can be found below:

*The sixth game of round 23 will see the PNG Hunters host the Ipswich Jets at Kalabond Oval, Kokopo.