Townsville, Mackay All Abilities players set for NRL curtain-raiser

All Abilities rugby league will hit Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Saturday with the annual clash between Mackay and Townsville, the two teams vying for the Endeavour Cup.

The curtain-raiser to the North Queensland Cowboys v Canberra Raiders NRL clash is the culmination of months of skills training and matches facilitated by Queensland Rugby League staff Kerri Ritchie (Townsville area manager) and Jade Johnson (Mackay area manager) in their respective regional centres.

Mackay's Damian van Blerk has become a veteran of the contest and the 18-year-old can't wait to run around the stadium again with his teammates and support them with his speed and "relatively good passes".

"The one thing I love most about rugby league would be working with your teammates, because that's the main part of it," he said.

"You have the ball, you're trying to get the ball from point A to point B and you need to use your teammates to get that ball from point A to point B, and yeah, someone might get tagged, but that doesn't matter, you get back into position and you keep the ball moving until it gets to its destination - the try line. Once you get the ball there, you get points.

"My main skills would be... I'm good at running. I can quickly go from one side of the field to the other within a few seconds, quite fast, and not to mention I need to make sure everyone's in line.

"I'm always excited to go (to training), because it's good fun to play a sport that involved you running around, you get exhilarated from trying to get the ball to the try line and the struggle you get trying to fight off against the opposite team to see who will win in the match."

'Blerky', as he is known to his mates, isn't a big watcher of the game, but loved playing the sport and encouraged others to get involved.

"Go ahead, nothing is stopping you. You'll meet some great people who are just as enthusiastic about the whole game as you yourself might be, or you just want to try something different, make social connections between friends, get some skills, have fun," he said.

The Mackay side has once again benefited from the coaching guidance of Queensland State of Origin legend Martin Bella.

For the home side, Aidan Powell was bursting with excitement for his upcoming opportunity to play for the Rob Hall and Scott Nosworthy-coached Townsville side at the Cowboys' home ground.

Powell was introduced to rugby league growing up in Kenya - where his mum Cathy was an international aid worker - where he watched the game on pay TV and adopted the Cowboys as his favourite team ahead of the family relocating to Townsville.

Through getting involved in the All Abilities Rugby League program, he has been lucky enough to meet Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow - still his favourite player despite moving clubs - and his favourite NRLW player might just be Krystal Blackwell after the Cowboys fullback helped out with one of their training sessions earlier this year.

Powell said he liked playing sport with his friends and loves to score tries, when he's lucky enough to cross the line, and has been telling everyone about playing at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

"It's good, it's big. It's amazing," he said.

The 25-year-old said he was a fast runner, and he also likes to help some of the younger participants with their game.

Powell's mum Cathy Beacham said All Abilities rugby league was a wonderful pathway for people with disabilities to gain physical activity and social connectedness.

"The program offers so many benefits to participants - building friendships, confidence and communication skills, among many others. None of this would be possible without the wonderful and committed volunteers who are passionate about empowering young people with disabilities through inclusive sports," she said.

Kickoff for the Endeavour Cup is on Saturday 4pm.

The program has received wonderful support from the Mackay Cutters, Mackay Regional Council, Feros Care, Townsville Blackhawks and Rugby League Townsville & District, and the Cowboys for facilitating the match.

Bundaberg will also host an All Abilities match this weekend as a curtain raiser to the Bulldogs v Dolphins NRL clash at Salter Oval, involving the participants of the Walk With Me 4 Autism All Abilities Rugby League program, which this year was shortlisted for Club of the Year in the 2024 QRL Community Volunteer Awards.