Anzac Hostplus Cup Side Selected; First 21s team named & U18s Unchanged for Grand Final
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Mendi Blackhawks coach Aaron Payne has named his team to take on Tweed Seagulls in round six of the Hostplus Cup and the side should be raring to go, given its last match was at the start of the month. Townsville had a bye last weekend, when the competition resumed, after breaking for Easter. Payne expects his troops to have plenty of energy on Sunday.
“Obviously, our last outing against the Pride wasn’t the result we wanted so that’s made the break probably feel even longer. We’ve had a bit of a freshen up over the past few weeks and the players are certainly eager to get back out there and produce a good display.”
The hosts have extra motivation to deliver a strong performance against the Seagulls in their annual Anzac encounter. There’ll be a pre-game ceremony just before the clash kicks off at 1pm.
“It’s always a massive event, given we represent a garrison city. We have a strong military connection at our club, which we tend to highlight during the build up to the match and game day itself is a special occasion. Hearing the last post and the ode certainly inspires the guys to work hard for each other.”
Our under 21s begin their Hastings Deering Colts campaign at Jack Manski Oval, at 11am. Three Premiership winners from last season will line up in Royston Baira’s side, Ragarive Wavik at fullback, Jai Hansen as the hooker and Tyreice Baira-Gela at lock. Meanwhile under 18s coach Zeb Kyle has gone with an unchanged team for the Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup Grand final in Brisbane. Townsville’s tussle with Redcliffe is at 1pm on Sunday.
