Bushranger squads named for junior championships

The QJRU Xstrata Coal Country Muster last weekend has produced 90 players in three junior squads who will vie for the chance to become "Bushrangers" at the junior state championships in September. The three squads - in Under 13, U15 and U17 - have drawn players from Cairns, Mt Isa, Mackay, Central Highlands, Central Queensland, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay, areas which would otherwise not have been represented at the state championships.

The two day carnival and "Bushranger" country representative concept was conceived by the QJRU as a way of providing a talent pathway for those districts, regions and towns that currently can't provide a full complement of teams to the State Championships. With assistance from Xstrata Coal, players at the Country Muster were accommodated in free in mining quarters, community halls or camp sites for family groups, with low cost meals provided at the Miners Mess Hall in Tieri. Organisers said the event could not have gone so smoothly without the assistance of Mrs. Tam King, Event Coordinator for Xstrata Coal and volunteers from Central Highlands Junior Rugby, led by Mrs Dana Jones. The preliminary squads announced in the wake of the two day Country Muster at the Xstrata Coal mining town of Tieri, 90km north east of Emerald in central Queensland, will be reduced to 23 ahead of the Sunshine Coast event in September, where they will compete as Bushranger representative sides. A fourth "merit" squad of 15 players was chosen from the Under 14 age group, however this age group was under-represented and under strength at the selection carnival and will not attend the state titles. These were regarded as the top players in their respective positions. Bushranger squads and merit team: Under 13 David Ahboo Cairns Mikaere Bell Cairns Sam Campbell Central Highlands Liam Coles Mackay Dalton Alex Cairns Josh Dobbins Mackay Nathan Ford Mackay Kyle Glover Central H ighlands Mace Hartley Central Highlands Hayden Herbert Mt Isa Jason King Central Highlands Morgan Laffer Central Highlands Blake Laybutt Bundaberg Danyon Lister Bundaberg Kilan Major Bundaberg Rhys Martin Central Highlands Rory McHugh Cairns Jordan Nugter Mackay Blair Bretag Bundaberg Bryce Rogers Bundaberg Tom Russell Central Highlands Daniel Ryan Mackay Liam Smith Bundaberg Kyle Spry Bundaberg Gabe Steel Mackay Alec Walker Mackay Ty Wenipeiha Central Highlands Connor Wilton Mackay Matthew Wright Cairns Tom Yeomans Mackay Under 15 Taylor Barrett Bundaberg Blake Bradford Central Highlands Angus Campbell Central Highlands Jake Campbell Central Highlands Jack Dalton Bundaberg Jack Death Central Queensland Andrew Dittman Central Queensland Patrick Edwards Mt Isa Marcus Grant Central Queensland Jacob Gregory Cairns Tom Gregory Bundaberg Mita Harvey Central Queensland Thomas Hoolihan Central Queensland Zac Kaur Central Queensland Mark Kelly Cairns Kyle Laybutt Bundaberg Tyler Lousick Central Highlands David Lui Cairns Joey Marshall Central Highlands Kurt Nicholls Central Queensland Duncan Paia'aua Central Queensland Jonah Placid Central Queensland Andrew Profke Central Queensland Conrad Quick Cairns Jearome Rangihaeta Hervey Bay Cameron Scott Cairns Craig Simpson Cairns Will Swain Central Queensland Tyrone Turaga Bundaberg Dan Tyson Central Queensland Jordan Wells Bundaberg Under 17 Cruze Anderson Cairns Daniel Bennett Central Highlands Khalyn Birda Central Queensland Gerrard Brennan Central Highlands Jacob Brockfield Bundaberg Alex Capitano Cairns Jason Chateris Cairns Sam Clayton Central Highlands Aidan Cunningham Bundaberg Tyrone Currie Central Highlands Liam de Waal Mackay Mitchell Gallop Cairns Brenton Goodie Mackay Blaise Hartley Central Highlands Tim Hayes Bundaberg Ashley Heberlein Central Queensland Ashley Hema Mt Isa Joey Hulands Cairns Tom Marshall Central Highlands Isaac Marsson Central Highlands Ashley McIntyre Central Highlands Adrian Meering Bundaberg Jordan Milburn Central Highlands Cameron Morgan Central Highlands George Rasova Mt Isa Lloyd Steigler Central Highlands Sam Stewart Mackay Nick Trost Bundaberg Dion Wauters Cairns Under 14(Merit Side) Matthew Cornelius Hervey Bay Grylls Central Queensland Cody Johnstone Central Highlands Blayne Johnston Central Highlands Josh Jones Central Highlands Connor Laud Hervey Bay Zach Lavelle Hervey Bay James McCrae Hervey Bay Jack McGuiness Central Highlands Blake McManus Cairns Seamus O'Donoghue Central Highlands Curtis Spence Central Queensland Bryan Steigler Central Highlands Sebastian Swain Cairns John Tamati Mt Isa Devon