Hundreds of young footy fanatics gathered at the Townsville Sports Reserve on Tuesday to see the coveted State of Origin shield first hand and get some invaluable tips from a host of Origin greats.
The event is part of Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and Suncorp Bank’s three-stop regional Origin shield tour which started in Cairns on Monday and will head to Rockhampton on Thursday.
As well as having the chance to check out the shield first-hand, children aged 5-13 had an opportunity to take part in an NRL development clinic which was run by several past and present players including Brent Tate, Matt Bowen, Johnathan Thurston, Michael Hancock, Gary Belcher, Matt Scott and Lote Tuqiri.
Also present was current Queensland Maroons coach Kevin Walters who said it’s great to come out to regional communities across the state such as Townsville to share the squads 2015 success with fans.
“I’m really enjoying the day, we’ve got a great casual atmosphere going here with the kids who might learn a new trick or two at the clinic, but above all else it’s about everyone having fun,” Walters said.
“It’s a lot of fun see the look of admiration they get when they‘re listening to and learning from their idols,” he said.
Fans both young and old also had a shot to win two tickets to the crucial second match of the 2016 State of Origin series being played at Suncorp Stadium by recording their own pre-game fire-up speech for the Maroons on-site.
Suncorp Bank regional manager for north Queensland Chris Rothwell said the region is the heartland of rugby league and that it’s important to develop the next generation of young talent from the Sunshine State.
“I think it goes without saying that the best league supporters in the nation are in Queensland,” Mr Rothwell said.
“It’s a great feeling for us and QRL to have a chance to give back to all these communities that support the Maroon’s so passionately each and every year,” he said.
