Sport
11 February, 2025
Wattles Gear Up as Season Draw Released
The starters flag has dropped on the 2025 Toowoomba Rugby League season with the recent release of the much anticipated 18 Round Draw along with the four-week final series.
While Wattles won’t run on in their initial official new season fixture until April 6th when they draw swords against formidable opposition in the Dalby Diehards at Dalby, they will have the opportunity to test their skills in the Barrett Family Shield against country cousins the Warwick Cowboys on Saturday March 22nd at Father Ranger Oval.
To say top grade mentor is playing his cards regarding 2025 season recruitment close to his chest is more than an understand, former NRL star Travis Burns committed to the element of surprise it seems, perhaps until his first-grade line up reveals itself against the Cowboys.
Wattles hit the ground running last year in steady mizzling rain that never muddied their challenge for the silverware honours pulling up convincing 22 – 12 Barrett Family Shield victors.
The hotly contested annual season opener that will this year be contested for the 33rd time, saw the Warriors secure a 13th Shield success last season with an outstanding performance to claim the much sought after prize introduced back in 1993.
Wattles first grade team will boast a few new faces this season, and Coach Burns feels he has the team that can usher the Shield back to the Platz Oval trophy cabinet again this season, as well as mounting a significant challenge for TRL honours come the business end of the season.
Burns is more than happy to see pace king and former Clydesdales three-quarter Austin Jennings return to the green and gold fold after missing last season due to a pre-season injury.
“But it’ll be a double barrel Jennings attack this season” winked Burns, with Austin’s brother and former Toowoomba representative Daniel Jennings also booking a slot in Wattles slick back line.
Quicksilver Austin, a premiership winner with Wattles in 2022, is a former Toowoomba Rugby League ‘Top Try scorer’ award winner who can run 100 metres in eleven seconds in his playing gear.
Brother Daniel is a former Brothers Leprechauns and Gatton Hawks back who signed for Wattles in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to COVID 19.
Since then, he has worn the colours of Gatton and Brothers again before two seasons with the Fassifern Bombers in the Ipswich Rugby League, where he also played representative level with the Ipswich Diggers.
His ability to play in the threequarters and the back row will be an immense advantage for coach Burns.
Along with the Jennings brothers, another family affair to continue this season concerns hard toiling forward Jacob Leach and his flying edge finisher brother Issac Leach, both lining up again in club colours.
Jacob has been a consistent forward pack performer over the past two seasons since joining Wattles from Highfields, while winger Issac showed plenty of ability in reserve grade after joining Wattles last year earning numerous calls up to first grade.
Wattles’ forward pack will again be a formidable challenge for opposition sides, with Leach, classy bookend and Clydesdales representative Cooper Tate-Roche and seasoned back-rower Nick Van Der Poel within a nucleus all itching to take the field.
Home grown Van Der Poel, a graduate from Wattles Junior Club and joint winner of Wattles A Grade ‘Player’s Player’ award with Matt Duggan last year, and former A Grade premiership winner captained the Warriors top graders often over the past season when regular leader Ty Gardner was lost to injury.
There are few tougher than the more than capable back-rower who seems overdue for a representative call up at senior level.
A Barrett Family Shield win is paramount for Wattles top graders to build on their 2024 confidence, a season where all three Wattles senior grade teams battle out the TRL finals series.
Burns is all smiles currently seven weeks out from his side taking the field, due to the impressive numbers of keen players rolling up for training in all grades.
Having said that, the club Coach Director is issuing an invite to any players keen on a season with Wattles to roll up to training at Clifton’s Platz Oval on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.00 pm.
The famed Madsen-Rasmussen Trophy, the former prize for Toowoomba Rugby League A Grade mid-season supremacy returns in its former format in 2025 and will take place on July 5th, with President’s Cup silverware contested in all other grades.
- Glyn Rees
