From little things, big things grow

Blackall – a town nearly 1000km north west of Brisbane – has always been a famous rural sheep centre. It is now also famous for TRL!

Natalie Dendle (pictured immediately below) who grew up in Blackall, discovered TRL whilst living on the Gold Coast. When she moved back to Blackall and took a job as the local Sport and Recreation Officer for the Blackall-Tambo Regional Council, she could see the potential for TRL in the region. Fast forward a few months and with the backing of Council, the competition was born.

Playing on a Friday night in town, the competition has already drawn in 5 teams with more likely to join in the New Year. (See below snap taken from their come and try night).

Dendle is extremely chuffed:

“A lot of hard work has gone into setting up the competition so it is great to see it coming to fruition. We got NRL legend and former TRL administrator, Brent Tate down for our sign-on…we have been going big to get the word out there!”

The Competition is in part, subsidised by Council which has made it affordable and accessible to the local community. Tom Longworth, CEO of TRL Australia, had this to say:

“The Blackall-Tambo Regional Council has absolutely made this competition a reality. Their support in helping cover fees as well as purchasing relevant equipment and apparel should be commended as an initiative to drive community engagement and opportunity.”

The sport is the talk of the town (and realistically “towns”) with players coming in from all over the region to play. The talent is also immense and it is this talent which will drive up to three representative teams at the upcoming QLD State Championships. Dendle is incredibly passionate about the sport and has already stoked interest in neighbouring towns such as Longreach and Emerald.

“There is no reason TRL cannot be played in every outback town in the Country. It is an inclusive game and it brings the community together which is important. TRL is the excuse for people to get together, have a laugh and maybe a beer afterwards.”

For more information on TRL in Blackall and to keep up to date, please visit www.trl.com.au/blackall/

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