Dempsey at home in emotional 'Red Men' return

Author: Jacob Grams QRL community content producer
Timestamp: Fri 31 Mar 2023, 11:31 AM

‘Up the Red Men’ will be bellowing out once again when Souths Bulls return to the fray in A grade for the first time in 21 years this weekend.

The Townsville club is steeped in history and talent and on paper could even be the team to beat but it’s the connection to history giving it extra meaning to people like Curtis Dempsey. He was in nappies the last time his dad Mick pulled on the famous colours behind the ‘Red Men’ moniker.

“It’s a pretty emotional time for me and my family. Dad played for Souths and he’s a ‘Red man’ through and through and mum (Kelly) played footy a little bit back in the back for Souths as well,” Dempsey said.

“Souths is a big thing in my family. It’s where I played my junior footy, at the Redbacks, which were the Souths juniors and it feels good to be back home I guess.”

“That stuff will definitely be lingering in my mind. Its been lingering the past week or month or so.

“Dad’s among the team and helps out around the club and he’ll definitely be around the sheds so I’ll make sure I go see him before I run out and I know he’ll probably shed a tear or two, but I’ll try to hold them back until after the game.”

Curtis Dempsey playing Foley Shield for Townsville in 2022.

Adding to the emotion is how he was able to overcome the challenges of an offseason foot injury, it he’s not letting it get in the way of hopes of carving out an 80-minute hooker role for the Bulls.

“I’ve not long ago come off injury. I missed about two months of pre-season, I was in a moon boot for two weeks, so that was a bit of recovery for me, but if there’s one thing I’ve been trying to work on the most through that is fitness,” Dempsey said.

“The last few years I think that’s what has really been lacking and if I really want to go further with my footy and play Foley Shield and that this year it’s something I really need to get on to.”

Souths Bulls president Andrew Walters said Dempsey was one of a number of players who had relatives who previously played for the club.

Mick Dempsey is on the coaching staff and re-establishing the connection right through to seniors was one of the goals of the 2021 name change.

“We had a club forged off the leftovers from the Souths’ fallout called United Suburbs Redbacks. A couple of years ago I took over that club as president and went to the new committee and tossed up changing the name back, just to mostly get support around history and people who were involved with the club in the past,” he said.

Shaun Nona, Ari Baban, Colin Scott, Kolby Walters, Gene Miles, Leo Payton and Andy Walters at the Bulls season launch. Photo: Supplied

Now the club is on the rise with a junior base of more than 400 players, many who Walters and others connected to the club hope will become the Bulls of the future.

Dempsey hopes success can be part of the inspiration for every generation to support the club – but said the team needed time to jell despite names such as Shaun Nona and Jaelen Feeney on the books.

There's also plenty more like Dempsey who have experienced the Blackhawks’ junior system, and several other 2022 Foley Shield representatives.

Either way he will be out to do his family and Old Boys proud.

“Every Souths Old Boy I’ve spoken to said they’ll be somewhere in the grandstand when we run out,” Dempsey said.