A year away from home playing in southern Queensland has given forward Tate Brombal extra incentive to be a part of the Burdekin Roosters A grade side this season.
After being in and out of the top grade in 2022, Tate decided to test himself in another League.
Last year took him south to Warwick where he signed with the Warwick Cowboys under coach Col Speed, a man highly regarded in the coaching ranks in the state.
Speed last year coached Toowoomba in the 47th Batallion Trophy which is played between leagues like Bundaberg, Gympie and Maryborough.
The Cowboys play in the 12 team Toowoomba League with both country and Toowoomba city teams.
Tate said they played against country teams like Goondiwindi, Pittsworth, Dalby, Oakey and Wattles and city teams Valleys, Brothers, Highfield, Souths and Newtown.
“The football is very hard in that competition with a number of young and older players coming from Sydney and Brisbane to join the clubs,” the player said.
He added that there were also a lot of Pacific Islanders working in the area and they played it hard.
The support for Rugby League in that area is huge with big crowds turning out to watch the local games.
“Places like Roma, Dalby and Goondiwindi usually have packed grounds and they support their teams full on,” Tate said.
The forward, who has bulked up to over 110kg, says he is looking forward to one thing especially ... “a Burdekin winter .... it is absolutely freezing at times down there.”
“At times it is so cold and foggy it gets hard to see the other end of the field.”
When asked about the comparison between the Townsville and Toowoomba styles of play, he thought Townsville would be quicker, but Toowoomba would be a lot harder.
The returning Rooster said he hopes to play anywhere in the forwards in A Grade for the Roosters but just to be out there would suit him.
He thought training was coming along well under new coach Daniel Beazley and players should learn a lot from his experience.
Contributed by Brian Carnes
Forward Tate Brombal has returned to the Burdekin after a season in southeast Queensland. Photo supplied
