Footy finals time is one of the most exciting times of the year... there is so much passion and emotion on display with teams and supporters getting wrapped up in the hype of the occasion.
This weekend, it is grand final day for Rugby League Ipswich and the Gold Coast’s junior stars will also shine for their grand final matches. In Brisbane, there are also some junior finals being played, as well as in the Opens.
It’s exciting to have so much great footy to look forward to.
It is a huge time for the game and everyone is excited, but it is also a time to remember that our kids are watching us and learning how they should act from the way we behave.
We need to remember to support your team, but don’t cross the line.
The QRL launched the Positive Environment Program earlier this year in a bid to empower volunteers and create a safe, positive environment for all and focus on building respect when out watching games.
Finals are an emotional time and it’s great to enthusiastically cheer on your team – but remember not to cross the line.
We should also be celebrating the fact we have made it to the finals after a tough few seasons for rugby league.
Our community has been extremely resilient through the last few seasons and this year has been no different, and it’s fantastic to get to this time of the year and see some celebration of our game and of the people who have worked really hard to get to this point of the year.
It takes more than just the players on the field; it’s the parents, the coaches, the club officials, our match officials to get to this point of the year. There has been a lot of dedication given to the cause and I really think it’s a chance to celebrate what our game’s good at, and that’s bringing people together to achieve something great.
Through floods and being worried about COVID and season schedule number four and number five, that’s what we have been up to, and it is actually quite amazing that we didn’t delay our season, we learnt our lessons through COVID on how to adapt and change quickly and we were really agile with how the season was then run and we still get to this point and finish at the right time, without a delayed season.
We have also already held some successful grand final days, including the huge showcase of women’s rugby league for the SEQ Women’s competitions, including the Holcim Cup which was won by Goodna Eagles.
It was awesome to see and the crowd at Mustangs was amazing as well, when we look at the strength of our female game and certainly the growth in it, you can certainly see not jut the growth in numbers but the growth in skill development.
While the women’s finals have wrapped up, girls in the region will have the opportunity this weekend to take the next step in developing their game and receive some quality training as part of the South East regional trials for City selection.
They have done the skills training and physical testing at the QAS and they were able to get all that experience through multiple training sessions.
With the three teams taking part this Sunday, this will allow them to showcase the skills they have learnt and some of them will be lucky enough to get picked for the Queensland Under 17 City squad which will go into camp and to play against Queensland Under 17 Country on the Hostplus Cup grand final day.
For all of them who have been a part of it, which is the broader group of around 70 to 80 girls, it actually provides wider skill development for next year, to apply those skills to whatever grade they wish and I think this type of program helps lift the overall quality of the football that we see in female rugby league.
Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons coach Tahnee Norris led the selection of the squads, so she kept an eye on them through the Harvey Norman Under 19 competition and the Under 18 competition we have run this year in QRL South East, and players were invited to take part in the Talent ID day.
They were selected and came in and did all the skills development and had the Cup strength and conditioners in there as well, so it was a really good environment for them to learn.
They have now selected three teams and they have been training the last couple of weeks and will play on Sunday for that final City selection.
They get to go to camp as well and experience for the first time what it takes to approach their game more professionally, so going into camp first and staying together and playing the game as the City squad is exciting.
Main image: Rugby League Gold Coast juniors promote their upcoming finals. Photo: Amy Jordee Photography
