Sport
13 July, 2026
Local athletes part of Country union win
TWO young Tablelanders were part of a winning Queensland Country rugby union team in Brisbane recently.
David Debela and Max Lloyd, both avid members of Atherton Junior Rugby League, represented their state in the U13 Country vs City Championships.
The boys play union in the rugby league offseason, with Debela playing for the Tableland Reds and Lloyd for the Mudcrabs (Cairns Northern Beaches Rugby Union).
After showing plenty of talent in their matches, both boys were selected to represent Far North Queensland at the Queensland Country Rugby Union Championships in Townsville earlier this year, where Debela also ran out as co-captain.
From there they were then chosen to represent Queensland Country in the U13 Junior Heelers side.
Country won its first game against City but drew in the second, however, they had managed to do enough in both games to get over the line for the competition win.
Debela’s mother, Mandy Barr, said she was very proud of the two boys.
“I think it’s just fantastic what they’ve accomplished,” she said.
“I don’t think the boys even thought that far ahead in the tournaments leading up to it.
“Everything they were achieving was just a bonus on top of being selected, and to win it, that was just amazing.”
She said the competition was an invaluable experience for the young locals.
“They went to a training camp for three or four days prior to the carnival, which was another really good learning curve for them I think – just them being away on their own without their parents,” she said.
“They were so excited to be chosen in the team, and I think that reiterated to them that they both worked hard to get there. The team actually gelled really well and they trained hard, and that was enough for them to come away with the win.”
