The XXXX Chair's Challenge will see the best players from the South East region go toe-to-toe in men's and women's competitions.
Last year’s competition saw Gold Coast win both the men’s competition, as well as the inaugural women’s competition.
For Gold Coast Vikings Women head coach, Neil Richards, it may be his first year as the head coach of Gold Coast’s representative side – but he’s no stranger to Gold Coast rugby league.
“I’ve been involved in Gold Coast representative teams for well over a decade now, from pathways to Under 20s and now with the Gold Coast Titans NRLW academy.” Said Richards.
As far as his Gold Coast team goes, Richards is excited to see his side grab this competition with both hands.
“We have a good team; there’s a good mix of girls who are coming through and those with a lot of experience playing in the Gold Coast area.” Said Richards
“One great thing about the Chair’s Challenge is that it provides these women a great opportunity to step up and to get themselves noticed by BMD squads.
“It’s a development opportunity, and if you play well then you can either impress your coaches if you’re on the fringe of a squad, or it can be an opportunity to announce yourself on a stage.” Richards explained.
Though the Gold Coast are reigning premiers, Richards isn’t coming into this year’s Chair Challenge with the philosophy of win or fail, but instead he wants his team to show pride wearing the Gold Coast jersey.
“There’s a lot of players who would have never put on a Gold Coast representative jersey before - representing your community and the area you’re from is always a great thing.
“Even if people prioritise other things, you’re still representing the community and the area where you live, and I think that’s very exciting.” Richards explained.
Over in the men’s competition, last year’s Chair’s Challenge went down to the wire, with the Gold Coast Vikings narrowly beating Brisbane Red on the final day to secure their place as champions.
After the Ipswich Diggers failed to win a game last year, head coach Scott Ireland is choosing to embrace the underdog mentality in 2025,
“We’re under no illusions; we know that we’re the underdog in this competition, having the smallest footprint out of the regions and only having the one Hostplus Cup team filtering into our side.” Explained Ireland.
“I was disappointed with last year’s performance, not necessarily with the efforts of the side – but because we’d normalised winning one of the two games.”
The Ipswich Diggers possess a much younger core this year, with Ireland crediting the synergy between the Ipswich Jets and local community clubs for fostering the next generation of players within the Ipswich area.
“After COVID it took a few years to recuperate the time and standards which were lost during that period.” Said Ireland.
“But there has also been a lot of investment from the Ipswich Jets in that time – they’ve reached out and collated with local clubs and it’s really paying dividends in terms of that talent we have now.”
Despite the younger side, the Diggers still have plenty of leaders in their side ready to lead from the front.
“We still have a great mix of experience and youth in this team, the likes of Ono So’oialo, he’s someone who turns up and leads the Diggers year in year out.” Said Ireland.
“We also have some great youth, whether it’s Henri Stocks or Zac McMinn.”
But despite Ireland’s optimism regarding his squad makeup, he still understands what is most important about these community carnivals.
“I’m still big on enjoying your footy. These players can at times fall into the grind of playing week in week out trying to chase the Hostplus Cup system and trying to establish themselves.” Explained Ireland.
“[The Chair’s Challenge] is a big opportunity, so I’ll be telling my players to show gratitude – but to also have fun and make good memories from this weekend.”
Everything you need to know - XXXX Chair's Challenge 2024
Key information
When: Friday, July 4 to Sunday, July 6
Where: Logan Metro Sports & Events Centre
Broadcast: Qplus.tv (Round Pass - $4.99)
Points system: Two (2) points available for winner of each half, and two (2) points for winner of the match
Entry Fee at Grounds - $7 (adults) – free (pension, concession, children)
Schedule
July 4, Friday
Women: Brisbane Poinsettias v Gold Coast Vikings 7:30pm
July 5, Saturday
Men: Brisbane Red v Ipswich Diggers 12:30pm
Women: Gold Coast Vikings v Ipswich Diggers 2:00pm
Men: Brisbane White v Gold Coast Vikings 3:30pm
July 6, Sunday
Men: Brisbane Red v Gold Coast Vikings 11:30am
Women: Brisbane Poinsettias v Ipswich Diggers 1:00pm
Men: Brisbane White v Ipswich Diggers, 2:30pm
