Partnership Keeps Magpies Alive

The Canberra Raiders strong ties to Queensland will be displayed in full on Saturday against the Broncos, as they use their trial match against Brisbane to highlight the importance of their relationship with Souths Logan.

Not only will the official NRL trial be played at Queensland’s historic home of rugby union, Ballymore Oval, the game will also be used to help raise revenue for the Magpies ahead of the 2010 season.

The Raiders have had a special relationship with the Brisbane based Souths Logan club from the days of Mal Meninga and Gary Belcher, right through to the current crop of stars such as Daniel Vidot and Travis Waddell.

However the future of this relationship has been put under pressure over the past few months as the NSWRL looks to force the Raiders back into the domestic NSW competition, in a move which would signal the end of this proud relationship.

Without the financial and physical support of the Raiders, the Magpies could face the possibility of folding their commitments in the Queensland Cup and could lose a junior base of players which currently stands at around 3,500.

Saturday’s trial against the Broncos at Ballymore gives the Raiders and Magpies a chance to show rugby league powerbrokers how much the relationship means to both parties.

Raiders CEO Don Furner said the trial was more than just a preparation for the upcoming season.

“One of the main things about the trial this weekend is our relationship with Souths Logan,” Furner said.

“The reason we play the Broncos in Brisbane for pre-season trial games is because it assists Souths Logan financially as they get to keep the revenue from the match.

“Financially this match is a big shot in the arm for them and if we were forced to end our relationship, matches like this would not occur and we would have to take them somewhere else.”

Furner said the Raiders and Magpies have forged a strong bond over the years and said it would be detrimental to the Magpies if their relationship came to an end.

“The situation at the moment is a win/win for both us and Souths Logan as we get to help them out financially by having trials in Brisbane and contributing to their development programs, while at the same time we are giving their players a pathway into the NRL,” he said.

“It would be a sad day if we were forced to discontinue our relationship in 2011.”

Souths Logan CEO Jim McClelland echoed Furner’s comments on how important it was for their club to remain affiliated with the Raiders and said their future was on the line if the Raiders are forced to break their ties to the club.

“I’ve spoken to the QRL as late as last week and highlighted to them the impact that our relationship with the Raiders has on our future in the Queensland Cup as a top tier team,” McClelland said.

“It’s quite simple for us in the fact that if there are no Raiders involved with our club we would not be able to continue to participate in the Q-Cup.”

McClelland said the fallout of a split between the two clubs would be catastrophic to grass roots rugby league in the region and would kill off the chance of some rising stars to progress to the game’s elite level.

“There are 3,500 junior kids who we look after with the help of Raiders development and this would also be put at risk if we were forced to split our ties with Canberra,” he said.

“We’re committed to producing high quality players from our region who can make their way through to the NRL through the Raiders and we would be devastated if this was to come to an end.”

McClelland said his club was committed to ensuring the future of their ties to the Raiders and said it was more than just winning matches.