FNQRL title race blown open as contender docked points
A club’s hopes of securing a vital top-two finish in the FNQRL A-grade competition have been rocked after the team was docked points.
Brothers’ hopes of securing a vital top-two finish in the FNQRL A-grade competition have been rocked after the team was docked points.
The powerhouse club was in a three-way tie for first, alongside Ivanhoes and Innisfail, in what has been an intense battle for the minor premiership.
A Friday night clash with the Knights shaped as a massive fixture in the context of both teams’ futures, with victory and the two competition points absolutely crucial to securing the bye in week one of the finals.
Instead, Brothers have been docked three competition points and slid from a tie with the leaders to sixth after breaching the Queensland Rugby League’s Positive Environment Program.
Striking charges out of the club’s spiteful clash with Yarrabah on July 16, in which the Brethren ran out massive 62-12 winners at Stan Williams Park, has pushed the club over the demerit point threshold which has triggered the loss of competition points.
Opposing centres Brothers’ Patrick Lewis and Yarrabah’s Menmuny Murgha were both sent off in that game, with 10 charges applied by the match review committee.
Yarrabah’s Gabriel Stephen was also sin-binned during the game and copped five weeks worth of suspensions.
FNQ Rugby League nor QRL North issued any public statement about Brothers’ points loss, with changes applied to the competition ladder.
Brothers head of football Tim Rumford did not want to comment beyond stating the club’s current position - they will consider their options and may appeal.
The points loss may galvanise the defending champions in their hunt for a second successive A-grade premiership, who will be even more motivated to win the title.
It is the second time Brothers have lost points this season, with the reserve grade side losing four points after what was described as an administrative error earlier in the season.
Brothers’ reserve graders should be three points clear atop the table, but are instead in the fight for the top six.
At this stage, Brothers are the second senior club to fall afoul of point deductions after Southern Suburbs lost two competition points earlier in the season.
Suburbs’ deduction didn’t affect their position on the ladder, with the two-point penalty instead rubbing salt into the wounds of a team which sits on -2 points after 14 losses from as many games.
The PEP is described as a “program that empowers volunteers to proactively tackle behaviour issues and create a positive environment at community rugby league games”.
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It is a program introduced to “prevent poor behaviour and violence before it escalates” and allow the sport to be promoted as a “safe, positive and inclusive sport” - and the loss of competition points is among the deterrents.
Yarrabah was stood down from the FNQRL competition for one round last August under the PEP after incidents during games.
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
Originally published as FNQRL title race blown open as contender docked points
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