Port Douglas Rugby 114 years on from its beginnings....
Records indicate that Rugby Union started in Mossman in 1898 and in Port Douglas in 1899. Captain for the Port Douglas team was J. M. Coker.
Around 1907 six brothers from the Connolly family arrived at Mowbray from the Northern Rivers of NSW to cut cane. All six of them played for the Port Douglas team for a few years against Mossman teams, and were all talented players.
Back then there were no ambulance services so if you were injured you were dragged over the side line, so the game could continue.
One story tells of a Port Douglas player whose nickname was “knock-out Jonnie”. They were playing Mossman one Sunday afternoon when he was knocked out as usual, so some of his team mates picked him up and threw him over the side line into the long grass. After a few customary drinks in the local hotel it was realised that “Knock-out Jonnie” was still in the grass. A couple of the Connolly brothers went to see if he was okay, and met him as he was just leaving the grounds....
With the development of the Cairns Port Facilities and the 1911 cyclone which devastated Port Douglas much of the town sports including rugby dwindled away. Never to recover by 1960 this once booming town ended up with a population of about 100 people.
In the early 1980s Union was reinstated and played for a few years. Locals including Don Murday, Greg Watson, Shane “the Yank”, Bob Milgate and Steve Simpson formed a team and played against Cairns invitational sides, but with numbers low the club went into hibernation again.
In 2000 one hundred years from its original beginnings the Port Douglas Rugby Club “Reef Raiders” was entered into the Cairns and District Rugby Union competition. The founding fathers of this rebirth were again Don Murday and kiwi rugby tragic George Humphries.
George Humphries advertised in the local paper calling for expressions of interest to create a Rugby Club. This first meeting was held at the then Radisson Reef Resort, about 20 people turned up, and it was decided that the club should be formed.
Port Douglas Reef Resorts put up an initial $5000 in sponsorship to help establish the club. George who left the meeting early to attend a radio interview returned to find that in his absence he had been voted in as the inaugural Club President.
Ian Ferrier who was at the time Chairman of the ARU and also sat on the board of Port Douglas Reef Resorts is to be thanked for approving the initial $5000 instigating the rebirth of rugby in Port Douglas.
The original training field was a cricket oval inclusive of cement pitches in the middle. Located on the main road into Port Douglas many a curious onlooker and passersby beeped horns trying to decide what this particular group of men was actually training for.
In the first 2 years a team was entered into the reserve grade competition of the CDRU and with 'not so strong' competition for positions in the side, the team bus with coach in toe would drive around Saturday mornings convincing prospective players that their talents were wasted lounging around on a Saturday in the local pubs.
The game they play in heaven was beckoning them!!!.
Home games would mean Saturday line marking and the erection of goal posts in the middle of an Aussie Rules Oval before kickoff. This was carried out by players an unusual warm-up but effective.
After 2 years competing in reserve grade it was time to get serious and get competitive. The Raiders decided to move into First Grade leaving behind the former more social outings of reserve grade Saturdays.
With booming development and tourism growth throughout the Port Douglas Shire player numbers and rugby supporters from all over the globe began to arrive in Port Douglas.
This added both quality players and colourful characters to the club. This international mix is the character of the raiders and has connected to friends and player sources worldwide.
Players who have worn the Green & Blue of the reef raiders have included Welsh, Scots, English, Kiwis, Irish, French, Canadian, and Mexican banding with local and interstate talent to experience the unique rugby culture that only Port Douglas offers.
Player recruitment in the early days often involved convincing backpackers to extend their holiday’s therefore finishing the Rugby Season in Port Douglas.
Today we have strong connexions to clubs in New Zealand , Canada, and Scotland.
The first representative player for the club Shane Branch (2002 -2009) was followed by Fergus McConnell,Tane Russel, Nathan Cohen, Steve Mulqueen ,Josh Bruce, Sam Batty, Nick Sherston Adam Calcraft and others ,all played for the region in the Cairns Thunder side.
Steve Mulqueen went on to play for the QLD Country side and was picked for the Australian Rugby Shield Merit Team. Some 18 players have played representative rugby to date.