2020 will mark the beginning of a new era in rugby league in Brisbane with the revamp of the historic BRL A-Grade competition and new affiliations between Intrust Super Cup and local Clubs.
In 1996 the BRL morphed into the state-wide Queensland Cup (Intrust Super Cup as we now know it) with Brisbane’s traditional clubs playing a full season against city and regional teams. Historically Intrust Super Cup clubs in the South East corner used the BRL competition to field their own reserve grade teams which gave clubs the ability to move Intrust Super Cup players up and down across the two competitions during the season.
The BRL competition from 2020 will not feature the traditional BRL Clubs including the Redcliffe Dolphins, Wynnum Manly Seagulls and Easts Tigers. Clubs have instead been asked to affiliate with two local league clubs each with the aim of forming a 10 team competition that Cup players can drop back to when they are not playing in the State’s flagship Intrust Super Cup competition.
It’s a big change for Clubs like the Dolphins who have traditionally signed 54 players for their Intrust Super Cup/BRL squads. From 2020, all Intrust Super Cup clubs can sign a maximum of 34 players to their top squads. This means that players numbered 18 to 34 who are not selected to play Intrust Super Cup will play at one of the Club’s affiliates.
For the Dolphins, this means that players will be allocated to one of two affiliate partners, the Pine Rivers Bears or the Brighton Roosters. Both clubs will be charged with the responsibility of making sure their allocated Dolphins players are ready to step up when called on by Head Coach Adam Mogg.
“Theoretically it’s the same process as the Broncos-Dolphins affiliation which sees contracted Broncos playing for us when not selected in the 17 man Broncos team any given weekend,” Grant Cleal, General Manager Football said. “We have long standing and successful affiliations with the Bears and the Roosters at the junior level and it is through those relationships that we have gained confidence that both clubs can also perform at a high standard as a senior affiliate partner of the Dolphins,” he added.
During the off season Pine Rivers and Brighton have been busy appointing coaching and other on field staff as well as recruiting in the player market. “The revised competition now acts as the immediate pathway into the Intrust Super Cup competition so for any player with the aspiration and desire to play at such a high level the best way to do that now will be through the Bears or the Roosters,” Cleal said.
Players interested in playing for the Brighton Roosters or Pine Rivers Bears should make contact with the Clubs directly:
Brighton Roosters
Phone Head Coach Dylan Slater 0405 570 672
Pine Rivers Bears
Email emc@pineriversbears.com.au or phone President Dan Blair on 0410 428 935