It was a wet one at Denison Park in Bowen, with storm clouds rolling over the Whitsundays as well as the Mackay Cutters and Townsville Blackhawks during their warmups ahead of their third and final trial game.
The rainy weather was set to liven up the match on the field, with players slipping and sliding, as well as the occasional big hit, but it wasn’t the only storm brewing.
Now head coach of the Mackay Cutters, David Elliott has a history with the Hawks, previously having worked as assistant coach for the sides Intrust Super Cup team, and lending a personal narrative to the match up.
For Bowen, who only recently secured a senior rugby league return with its own Townsville and District side, the clash had its extra elements, too.
A town that can sometimes see little in terms of high-level sport, a day of Rugby League courtesy of the Cutters was a victory in its own right, but the teams were also fighting for the coveted Mike McLean Shield.
McLean, a Bowen local who represented Queensland at the Origin and had a career across New South Wales sides Eastern Suburbs and Newcastle Knights, as well as back in the Gold Coast. The second rower now has Townsville and Mackay regularly compete for the shield named in his honour.
Ten North Queensland Toyota Cowboys were named for the line up in the Queensland Cup trial match as well, adding another dab of spice to the already volatile set up.
Outside back Brendan Elliot, half Daejarn Asi, second-rower Ben Condon and prop Morgan McWhirter were named for the Cutters, while fullback Tom Chester, centre Jordan Lipp, half Jake Bourke, props Emry Pere and Taniela Sadrugu and lock Riley Price all pulled on the Blackhawks kit.
It was all to play for in the Northern Derby, especially for Mackay – from 2017 in the Queensland Cup, it had been six wins out of eight for the Hawks, one win in the Cutters favour, and a draw to share between the pair.
With the stage set, the backstories brimming, the Cutters and Blackhawks game was always set to be a good outing, and it didn’t disappoint.
Slick conditions lent for a sloppy affair, but come the end of the 80 minutes, the Mick McLean shield remained in the Townsville side’s possession, 24-18.
With preseason now coming to a close, it’s been two losses for the Cutters side and a half victory with the Young Guns match being abandoned due to inclement weather. Elliott has taken a new squad and shown they can play intricate football at times – flashes in the pan particularly noted in the Young Guns match - with consistency still the northern star.
With an emphasis on culture, and particularly developing younger lads, Elliott may very well get the Cutters “back into the winners circle” come the season. A finals football return is almost certainly on his mind, and whether he can continue to build after a disrupted, Covid-plagued preseason will tell in time.
They now look ahead at their Saturday afternoon fixture at BB Print tomorrow, where they’ll face a challenging PNG Hunters, led by coach Matt Church. They wrapped up their preseason with an 18-14 win over the West Brisbane Panthers A-Grade Side, showing some defensive improvements and discipline.
Undoubtedly, this Cutters side has the ability and the squad depth to go far, and needs the Sugar City behind them to not only take it to the Hunters, but to the whole Queensland Cup.
The Mackay Cutters will kick-off their 2022 Hostplus Cup Competition Saturday, March 19 against the SP PNG Hunters at 4:30pm.
The Mackay Cutters alongside the Townsville Blackhawks
