Rugby league training across Queensland
Queensland is rugby league country, and the junior representative competitions are fierce: a Mal Meninga Cup squad is picked from the best players in a whole region. Find your region below for the Cup club, the catchment and the season.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.
Queensland’s rugby league pathway runs through the Queensland Cup clubs. Each has a catchment of affiliated junior clubs, and its Cyril Connell Cup (under-17) and Mal Meninga Cup (under-19) teams are where talented juniors are picked. Thirteen Queensland clubs, plus Tweed Heads and the PNG Hunters, played the 2026 Cup; Wide Bay plays the under-17 competitions.
Junior representative football starts in February, so the pre-season is built through a hot, humid summer.
Choose your city or region
Each guide covers the pathway club your address belongs to, the leagues, the season and how to set the program up for it.
Brisbane
Five Queensland Cup clubs in three catchments, BRL A-Grade, and a humid summer pre-season.3 regions: North Brisbane & Moreton Bay · South Brisbane & Logan · East Brisbane, bayside & Redlands
Open the guide Rugby leagueIpswich
The Ipswich Jets and the Ipswich Rugby League — the western corridor.
Open the guide Rugby leagueGold Coast
Burleigh Bears and Tweed Heads Seagulls, RLGC juniors, and a humid summer pre-season.
Open the guide Rugby leagueSunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast Falcons and the Sunshine Coast Gympie Rugby League.
Open the guide Rugby leagueToowoomba & the Darling Downs
The Western Clydesdales, back in the Cup since 2023, and the Toowoomba Rugby League.
Open the guide Rugby leagueBundaberg, Hervey Bay & Wide Bay
The Wide Bay Bulls in the under-17 Cyril Connell Cup, and the Bundaberg Rugby League.
Open the guide Rugby leagueRockhampton & Central Queensland
The CQ Capras at Browne Park, and the Rockhampton District and Central Highlands competitions.
Open the guide Rugby leagueMackay
The Mackay Cutters — 2013 Cup premiers — and a tropical pre-season.
Open the guide Rugby leagueTownsville
The Townsville Blackhawks and the Townsville & Districts Rugby League.
Open the guide Rugby leagueCairns & Far North Queensland
The Northern Pride at Barlow Park and the Cairns District Rugby League.
Open the guideAll 3 regional guides in Queensland
The QRL ladder
- Queensland Cup (Hostplus Cup)
- Queensland’s premier open-age competition. Fifteen clubs in 2026, usually early March to late August with finals in September.
- Mal Meninga Cup
- The QRL’s under-19 competition, played by the Cup clubs.
- Cyril Connell Cup
- The QRL’s under-17 competition. Wide Bay also enters the under-17 competitions.
- Female youth competitions
- Under-17 and under-19 competitions for girls, alongside the boys’.
What you start with, by the month you join
Every block is four weeks — three building, one deload — so a free month is one complete block.
Coaching a side in Queensland?
A club licence is A$8 per player, per month (minimum 5), and every player on it gets full Train Smart membership at no cost to them. You write the block once, it lands in each player’s app, and the console shows who actually did it.
Training in Queensland: questions
What ages are the Cyril Connell Cup and Mal Meninga Cup?
Which Queensland Cup club do I trial for?
When does junior rep rugby league start in Queensland?
Where these facts come from
Checked September 2026. Zones, grades and dates change — if something here is out of date, the governing body is right and we are wrong.
- Queensland Cup — 2026 clubs and season
- QRL — 2026 junior representative draws
- League Unlimited — 2026 Cyril Connell Cup results
Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.
Your season, your club nights, your numbers
Pick your sport, answer a few questions, and the program is built around the calendar you actually play on.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.