The Sandfire Bulls set out to select a team of predominately Mount Isa and Cairns players, making a truly representative team: The North Queensland Dragons.

It was the hard work of Club Boss Donna Ah-One to push things along arranging fundraising events throughout the year. The teams raised enough money for their trip to Nowra where the men’s competition comprised of 15 teams and women’s 12.

Men’s coach, Frank Lawler, said it was a tough competition.

“When we arrived in Nowra we received the draw and realised that last year’s grand final winners, Sydney and Brisbane were in our half of the draw,” Lawler said.

“Our first game was against a team from the south coast of New South Wales which we had a draw.

“We then played back to back against Sydney in the next game, which we lost, followed by Brisbane, which we also lost.

“The boys didn’t have time to recover from the game against Sydney and we were straight into the next game. It was tough on the team and we were knocked out of the competition but continued to play our remaining games.

“The men’s team finished in sixth position, an improvement on last year.”

The women’s team had a bit more luck then the men’s, making it to the quarter finals.

“They won a few games and progressed throughout the competition well,” Lawler said.

“They were knocked out of the quarter finals by the grand final champions from last year, Illawarra.”

The North Queensland team’s focus from the start of the year was to go to Nowra and have players in both the men and women’s teams picked to represent Australia.

“This to some was an impossible dream but not for the locals of the Sandfire Bulls,” Lawler said.

“In fact the women’s team had one player Regan Rankine picked to represent Australia with Jayden Dempsey from the men’s team also picked. This is a major achievement that the Bulls are very proud off.”

Players will travel with the Australian team to New Zealand in January 2018 to compete against the New Zealand Maurois.