Latest news with #MagicRound
Herald Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- Herald Sun
The logistics behind Broncos and Dolphins double header on the at Suncorp Stadium
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News. Followed categories will be added to My News. It's the Suncorp sister act leaving NRL fans – and stadium staff, seeing double. For the first time in its hallowed history, Suncorp Stadium will on Saturday host two separate NRL games, with an extraordinary logistical undertaking required to pull off the rare feat. Rescheduling caused by the mayhem of Cyclone Alfred back in March has led to a scenario where both the Broncos and Dolphins will host home games at Suncorp on the same day, requiring an almost military-scale operation to clear the venue and be ready for another kick-off just a few hours later. Suncorp has hosted plenty of double headers – and even triple headers during Magic Round, but this is the first time the stadium has hosted two separate events on the same day, with more than 40,000 spectators from the Broncos-Warriors match required to exit the arena before an estimated 30,000 arrive for the Dolphins v Rabbitohs encounter. In the three hours or thereabouts between full-time in the Broncos' game and kick-off for the Dolphins, about 1500 staff members will take part in a frenetic effort to clean the grandstands, repair divots, change signage and logos and scour for any opportunistic fans trying to hide in the toilets. Stadium management have stressed the message that both events require a separate ticket and fans from the first game will not be allowed to re-enter the venue unless they have tickets to both matches. Suncorp Stadium general manager Alan Graham said all parties had worked hard to ensure the day runs like a well-rehearsed backline play. 'We'd like to thank the Broncos for their co-operation in making this happen as well as the Dolphins who have made some concessions on their normal entitlements to achieve this,' he said. 'We've worked with all stakeholders in particular Queensland Transport and Queensland Police and believe we have the correct plans in place. 'We're looking forward to a great double spectacle of rugby league.' Lizzy Mahoney from the venue presentation team said she was confident of being able to pull off the necessary changes to the stadium in the tight window available. 'It will be a huge effort especially in the short time between games but we're excited for the challenge of turning the venue around for the Dolphins,' she said. The historic double act came about after the Dolphins were forced to move a home game against the Bunnies back in March to Sydney as Alfred bore down on the Queensland coast. It meant the return fixture – which was due to be played in Sydney, was moved back to Brisbane on a weekend when the Broncos were already scheduled to host one of their biggest home games of the year, against the high-flying and well-supported Warriors. With about 80,000 fans expected across both games, Caxton Street is also set for one of its busiest days of trade for the year, rivalling the mega performance of Magic Round. Originally published as How Suncorp Stadium will go from Broncos Maroon to Redcliffe red in just two hours
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Pickers premiership hero Alchin returns for Coalfields derby as a Bulldog
Maitland Pickers three-time premiership hero Reid Alchin returns to the Maitland Sportsground on Saturday as a Bulldog. It will be Alchin's first game against his old club after taking up a contract to play for St Gaudens in the French Elite 1 competition after winning his third premiership with Maitland in the Newcastle RL in 2024. Alchin's father Mick is a former Bulldogs president and his brother Jono plays with the club, so the pull back to his junior club proved too strong for his on his return from France. "Jono my brother and I got to play our first game together at Kurri on the weekend and we won against Cessnock. It was pretty special," Alchin said. "I spoke to a lot of people before I came back. I've had a bit of success in the last years, and it's just another sort of challenge at Kurri. "My first job was as a boilermaker and I spoke to my old boss, Glen Messenger who played in the (1993-95) grand finals for Kurri before coming back and just a lot of community people. "My family links and their support to go back made it the right call." Alchin was a surprise inclusion in the Bulldogs memorable Magic Round win against the Northern Hawks, which ended a 43-game losing streak. The Bulldogs defeated Cessnock for the second time this season last Saturday to take their season record to four wins and four losses. Alchin said he expects a tough game against Maitland, but has nothing but affection for the club which gave him so many opportunities and cherished memories. "I don't have any grudges with anyone there. They're all my good friends," he said. "I have a lot of respect for Maitland and everyone that was there. I've got mates for life from there. "Even though I chose not to go back there this year, it's got nothing to do with footy or anything. It's just purely I wanted to play with my family." Alchin said he wasn't going to make any predictions about the result other than to say the Bulldogs will be very competitive and trying their utmost. "We're just going to show up and, do our job and hopefully come away with a win," he said. "I know (coach Paul) Stringer is going to be passionate about it. "He loves his footy. He's doing an awesome job at Kurri. "We got an absolute serving at half-time against Cessnock, and I think the boys pulled their finger out after that, which was good." Alchin is impressed with the players Stringer has brought with him including his son Jack and his good mates Brae Verheyen and Connagh Takairangi. "Jack is just an absolute workhorse. If there's no play called, he will just say, 'Get out the way and throw me the ball'," Alchin said. "Jack and Brae are best mates along with Connagh and they all played footy together down in Sydney. They've all got similar traits. They just put their hand up and go as hard as they can for as long as they can." Another new teammate Mitch Garbutt was nearly Alchin's coach at St Gaudens until Garbutt's deal fell through. Alchin said playing in France was an awesome experience and one he will always cherish. "My partner went over with me. We had Joseph Besgrove from the Entrance and Jay Bell, from Lakes, as well. So we all played together. "It was just a great experience. I encourage anyone who gets the chance to go there and experience something different." Maitland Pickers three-time premiership hero Reid Alchin returns to the Maitland Sportsground on Saturday as a Bulldog. It will be Alchin's first game against his old club after taking up a contract to play for St Gaudens in the French Elite 1 competition after winning his third premiership with Maitland in the Newcastle RL in 2024. Alchin's father Mick is a former Bulldogs president and his brother Jono plays with the club, so the pull back to his junior club proved too strong for his on his return from France. "Jono my brother and I got to play our first game together at Kurri on the weekend and we won against Cessnock. It was pretty special," Alchin said. "I spoke to a lot of people before I came back. I've had a bit of success in the last years, and it's just another sort of challenge at Kurri. "My first job was as a boilermaker and I spoke to my old boss, Glen Messenger who played in the (1993-95) grand finals for Kurri before coming back and just a lot of community people. "My family links and their support to go back made it the right call." Alchin was a surprise inclusion in the Bulldogs memorable Magic Round win against the Northern Hawks, which ended a 43-game losing streak. The Bulldogs defeated Cessnock for the second time this season last Saturday to take their season record to four wins and four losses. Alchin said he expects a tough game against Maitland, but has nothing but affection for the club which gave him so many opportunities and cherished memories. "I don't have any grudges with anyone there. They're all my good friends," he said. "I have a lot of respect for Maitland and everyone that was there. I've got mates for life from there. "Even though I chose not to go back there this year, it's got nothing to do with footy or anything. It's just purely I wanted to play with my family." Alchin said he wasn't going to make any predictions about the result other than to say the Bulldogs will be very competitive and trying their utmost. "We're just going to show up and, do our job and hopefully come away with a win," he said. "I know (coach Paul) Stringer is going to be passionate about it. "He loves his footy. He's doing an awesome job at Kurri. "We got an absolute serving at half-time against Cessnock, and I think the boys pulled their finger out after that, which was good." Alchin is impressed with the players Stringer has brought with him including his son Jack and his good mates Brae Verheyen and Connagh Takairangi. "Jack is just an absolute workhorse. If there's no play called, he will just say, 'Get out the way and throw me the ball'," Alchin said. "Jack and Brae are best mates along with Connagh and they all played footy together down in Sydney. They've all got similar traits. They just put their hand up and go as hard as they can for as long as they can." Another new teammate Mitch Garbutt was nearly Alchin's coach at St Gaudens until Garbutt's deal fell through. Alchin said playing in France was an awesome experience and one he will always cherish. "My partner went over with me. We had Joseph Besgrove from the Entrance and Jay Bell, from Lakes, as well. So we all played together. "It was just a great experience. I encourage anyone who gets the chance to go there and experience something different." Maitland Pickers three-time premiership hero Reid Alchin returns to the Maitland Sportsground on Saturday as a Bulldog. It will be Alchin's first game against his old club after taking up a contract to play for St Gaudens in the French Elite 1 competition after winning his third premiership with Maitland in the Newcastle RL in 2024. Alchin's father Mick is a former Bulldogs president and his brother Jono plays with the club, so the pull back to his junior club proved too strong for his on his return from France. "Jono my brother and I got to play our first game together at Kurri on the weekend and we won against Cessnock. It was pretty special," Alchin said. "I spoke to a lot of people before I came back. I've had a bit of success in the last years, and it's just another sort of challenge at Kurri. "My first job was as a boilermaker and I spoke to my old boss, Glen Messenger who played in the (1993-95) grand finals for Kurri before coming back and just a lot of community people. "My family links and their support to go back made it the right call." Alchin was a surprise inclusion in the Bulldogs memorable Magic Round win against the Northern Hawks, which ended a 43-game losing streak. The Bulldogs defeated Cessnock for the second time this season last Saturday to take their season record to four wins and four losses. Alchin said he expects a tough game against Maitland, but has nothing but affection for the club which gave him so many opportunities and cherished memories. "I don't have any grudges with anyone there. They're all my good friends," he said. "I have a lot of respect for Maitland and everyone that was there. I've got mates for life from there. "Even though I chose not to go back there this year, it's got nothing to do with footy or anything. It's just purely I wanted to play with my family." Alchin said he wasn't going to make any predictions about the result other than to say the Bulldogs will be very competitive and trying their utmost. "We're just going to show up and, do our job and hopefully come away with a win," he said. "I know (coach Paul) Stringer is going to be passionate about it. "He loves his footy. He's doing an awesome job at Kurri. "We got an absolute serving at half-time against Cessnock, and I think the boys pulled their finger out after that, which was good." Alchin is impressed with the players Stringer has brought with him including his son Jack and his good mates Brae Verheyen and Connagh Takairangi. "Jack is just an absolute workhorse. If there's no play called, he will just say, 'Get out the way and throw me the ball'," Alchin said. "Jack and Brae are best mates along with Connagh and they all played footy together down in Sydney. They've all got similar traits. They just put their hand up and go as hard as they can for as long as they can." Another new teammate Mitch Garbutt was nearly Alchin's coach at St Gaudens until Garbutt's deal fell through. Alchin said playing in France was an awesome experience and one he will always cherish. "My partner went over with me. We had Joseph Besgrove from the Entrance and Jay Bell, from Lakes, as well. So we all played together. "It was just a great experience. I encourage anyone who gets the chance to go there and experience something different." Maitland Pickers three-time premiership hero Reid Alchin returns to the Maitland Sportsground on Saturday as a Bulldog. It will be Alchin's first game against his old club after taking up a contract to play for St Gaudens in the French Elite 1 competition after winning his third premiership with Maitland in the Newcastle RL in 2024. Alchin's father Mick is a former Bulldogs president and his brother Jono plays with the club, so the pull back to his junior club proved too strong for his on his return from France. "Jono my brother and I got to play our first game together at Kurri on the weekend and we won against Cessnock. It was pretty special," Alchin said. "I spoke to a lot of people before I came back. I've had a bit of success in the last years, and it's just another sort of challenge at Kurri. "My first job was as a boilermaker and I spoke to my old boss, Glen Messenger who played in the (1993-95) grand finals for Kurri before coming back and just a lot of community people. "My family links and their support to go back made it the right call." Alchin was a surprise inclusion in the Bulldogs memorable Magic Round win against the Northern Hawks, which ended a 43-game losing streak. The Bulldogs defeated Cessnock for the second time this season last Saturday to take their season record to four wins and four losses. Alchin said he expects a tough game against Maitland, but has nothing but affection for the club which gave him so many opportunities and cherished memories. "I don't have any grudges with anyone there. They're all my good friends," he said. "I have a lot of respect for Maitland and everyone that was there. I've got mates for life from there. "Even though I chose not to go back there this year, it's got nothing to do with footy or anything. It's just purely I wanted to play with my family." Alchin said he wasn't going to make any predictions about the result other than to say the Bulldogs will be very competitive and trying their utmost. "We're just going to show up and, do our job and hopefully come away with a win," he said. "I know (coach Paul) Stringer is going to be passionate about it. "He loves his footy. He's doing an awesome job at Kurri. "We got an absolute serving at half-time against Cessnock, and I think the boys pulled their finger out after that, which was good." Alchin is impressed with the players Stringer has brought with him including his son Jack and his good mates Brae Verheyen and Connagh Takairangi. "Jack is just an absolute workhorse. If there's no play called, he will just say, 'Get out the way and throw me the ball'," Alchin said. "Jack and Brae are best mates along with Connagh and they all played footy together down in Sydney. They've all got similar traits. They just put their hand up and go as hard as they can for as long as they can." Another new teammate Mitch Garbutt was nearly Alchin's coach at St Gaudens until Garbutt's deal fell through. Alchin said playing in France was an awesome experience and one he will always cherish. "My partner went over with me. We had Joseph Besgrove from the Entrance and Jay Bell, from Lakes, as well. So we all played together. "It was just a great experience. I encourage anyone who gets the chance to go there and experience something different."
The Age
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Souths finally name first-choice back line – 17 rounds into season
South Sydney are set to field their first-choice back line for the first time this season after welcoming Cody Walker and Campbell Graham back from injury. It has taken until round 17, but coach Wayne Bennett finally gets the chance to name a 1-7 of Latrell Mitchell, Alex Johnston, Jack Wighton, Graham, Tyrone Munro, Walker and Jamie Humphreys for Saturday's clash against the Dolphins. Every NRL club has been hit hard by injuries at different stages this season, but the Bunnies have only been able to field an unchanged back line once in 2025. Halfback Humphreys was relieved to see the return of representative stars Walker and Graham, who have been out with a calf injury and back spasms respectively, as well as hooker Peter Mamouzelos, who plays his first game since dislocating his elbow at Magic Round. 'We would have liked this [full-strength line-up] before round 17, but it's super exciting, and it's something I'm really keen to play off the back of,' Humphreys said. 'We've been down on troops, all we want to do is build some consistency, and hopefully get a chance to name the same team week in week out. 'I played the first five games with Cody, we were 4-1 and playing good footy, but since then we've not been in and out. Everyone knows how difficult it is when there's no consistency with your spine, especially in the halves. 'What Cody brings for me is that experience and leadership. He takes a lot of weight off my shoulders and allows me to play my own game. He's played so many games and been in so many big moments, it's something I definitely lean on – he genuinely makes me a better player.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Souths finally name first-choice back line – 17 rounds into season
South Sydney are set to field their first-choice back line for the first time this season after welcoming Cody Walker and Campbell Graham back from injury. It has taken until round 17, but coach Wayne Bennett finally gets the chance to name a 1-7 of Latrell Mitchell, Alex Johnston, Jack Wighton, Graham, Tyrone Munro, Walker and Jamie Humphreys for Saturday's clash against the Dolphins. Every NRL club has been hit hard by injuries at different stages this season, but the Bunnies have only been able to field an unchanged back line once in 2025. Halfback Humphreys was relieved to see the return of representative stars Walker and Graham, who have been out with a calf injury and back spasms respectively, as well as hooker Peter Mamouzelos, who plays his first game since dislocating his elbow at Magic Round. 'We would have liked this [full-strength line-up] before round 17, but it's super exciting, and it's something I'm really keen to play off the back of,' Humphreys said. 'We've been down on troops, all we want to do is build some consistency, and hopefully get a chance to name the same team week in week out. 'I played the first five games with Cody, we were 4-1 and playing good footy, but since then we've not been in and out. Everyone knows how difficult it is when there's no consistency with your spine, especially in the halves. 'What Cody brings for me is that experience and leadership. He takes a lot of weight off my shoulders and allows me to play my own game. He's played so many games and been in so many big moments, it's something I definitely lean on – he genuinely makes me a better player.
Sydney Morning Herald
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
These coaches are facing the darkness on the edge of town
Maguire signed for three years, uprooted his family including teenage kids, bought a house a suburb away from the club's Red Hill base and, according to some, trained them too hard in the Queensland sun and the shrinking violets all melted. Oh they breed them tough in Queensland because, that's right, they're Queenslanders. What rot. The Broncos' biggest problem is not Maguire. It's off the field and has been for a long time. Consider this. Front office gobbledygook said there were no cultural issues at the club, but sacked Walters and brought in a hard nut who made the players put shirts back on at club headquarters to kill the rock star image. Then head office said again 'what rock star image?`′ They also said Walters would be staying on at the club as some sort of ambassador because the Broncos loved him so much. It never happened. It was a softener to appease fans. Being a publicly listed company, there's no one properly at the top who runs the place with an iron fist, like a Chair with true passion such as Nick Politis or a hired gun like Phil Gould. Then there's the club's low-level middle managers who call and swear at journalists who write constructively about how the team, or a certain player, aren't going that well as the losses rack up. Who does the buck stop with? Shareholders? They're the last consulted, if they're consulted at all. Strange joint the Broncos. Loading North of Sydney, there's no way Adam O'Brien will make it, despite a win over the Dolphins on Saturday. Unfortunately for him, bagging Newcastle fans will do him in in the end. The consistently inconsistent form can't be tolerated, and to get angry at working-class supporters after a win with your chest all puffed out is poor. At least he spiced things up for once. As a former long-serving NRL and Kangaroos coach said to him over a drink during Magic Round: 'Your team plays like your press conferences - boring.' Anthony Seibold is on the brink at Manly. Once Daly Cherry Evans channelled Springsteen's anthemic Hungry Heart by saying he was going out for a drive and never coming back, the season was derailed. Then there's Tom 'Turbo' Trbojevic looking like an Alpine perennially at the back of the Formula One grid rather than the purring Ferrari he is when his hamstrings fire. With Turbo unwilling, or worse, unable, to shift from third gear through fourth and fifth and beyond, then he's no good to them. Sadly. Short on time to save himself, and short on patience with his bumbling team, Seibold used the bye week to experiment with speed dating, conducting seven-minute interviews with each member of his squad. How you crunch 15 rounds of sputtering form where black smoke has been spewing out of the exhaust into seven minutes is anyone's guess. Surely a few of them were told 'sorry, but you're not for me' and quickly shuffled out. Others may have been put into the 'maybe' file. It was a perilous strategy. No one likes to be told straight out what their faults are. It kind of wipes the self-esteem which was already vulnerable when they entered the speed dating scene. Benji Marshall is battling way admirably after the game's boom teenager Lachie Galvin publicly gave him the old 'it's not me, it's you' and bailed after a brief courtship. Galvin is in the Born to Run category, deciding to get out while he's young. Loading Marshall's hanging on in the safe-for-now file but if Jarome Luai ghosts him by activating his get-out clause it may be one break-up too many. Todd Payten and the Cowboys are surely in marriage counselling. They're trying to make it work but their love may be too cold. To Shane Flanagan at the Dragons, who's on the ultimate rebound in coaching, finding a new partner down the road at the Dragons after his Sharks relationship ended.
