THE Mount Isa Rugby Union District representative team will be clear underdogs when they compete at the 2015 North Queensland Rugby Championships today.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Ta Ta’s will play three matches against teams from Cairns, Mackay, and Townsville over 15th–17th May in Airlie Beach at the Whitsundays.
The clock has to be rewound back to 1981 for the last time a Mount Isa team won the, back then, Queensland Country Carnival, which involved 12 teams.
This year’s event will be the first time all four teams will be brought together at one location on one weekend for a round-robin tournament to select the North Queensland representative side.
Despite not having participated in a North Queensland tournament since 2012, Ta Ta’s assistant coach Tom Robertson is optimistic that this year his team can come away with some success.
“It’s a pretty solid team,” said Robertson.
“We didn’t even field a team last year, so we’re pretty happy to be coming over with such a large squad. We’re quietly confident we can surprise the other three more-fancied teams and cause an upset or two. They won’t rate us.”
Mount Isa Rugby Union president Michael O’Connor expects a tough weekend for the Mount Isa players but believes the team may hold a slight advantage over the rest.
“We might be a bit more match-fit,” O’Connor said.
“We’ve got a full season under our belt and they’ve just started.”
The Ta Ta’s, who haven’t played away from Mount Isa since 2012, will line up with 14 grand finalists in its side including Euros captain James George and Cloncurry captain Hamish Chrisp.
When asked about their opponents, Robertson was quick to list Townsville as the team to beat while Cairns and Mackay could present an opportunity for a result.
“Townsville will be hot favourites. They have got four grades of rugby in their local competition. But we are capable of getting a win or two against Cairns or Mackay.”
MOUNT ISA TA TA’s
DISTRICT TEAM
Hamish Chrisp, Liam Giudes, Joshua Wagner, Calem Fegan, Samuel Brisbane, Jack Yeomans, William Evert, Newman Ambia, Casey Kempson, Luke Harm, George Kalin, Stacie Campbell, Joel Carter, Cody Saltmere, Daniel Seitula, Cameron McKerrow, Thomas Wilcox, Dylan Buckingham, Craig Curtis, William Teaukura, Eliu Pena, Neville Rainey, Shayden Kereke, Alan Tokawa, Corey Carlson, James George, Matthew Toby, Ethan Macminn, Eddie Shaw, Alex Weller, Robert Campbell (Coach), Tom Robertson (Assistant Coach), Daniel Leyden (Manager).
