# Townsville Blackhawks

The Townsville & Districts Blackhawks are an Australian semi-professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Queensland's top rugby league competition, the Queensland Cup. The club was admitted to the Queensland Cup in September 2014, first competing in the 2015 season. The side plays their home games at Jack Manski Oval.

## History

The beginnings of a Townsville team's bid to return to the Queensland Cup date back to 2007, when the Townsville-based North Queensland Young Guns folded at the end of the season. Before the Young Guns entered the competition in 2002, Townsville was represented in the Queensland Cup by the Townsville Stingers, who only lasted one season in 1998. In 2008, the Queensland Cup expanded to Cairns with the Northern Pride and Mackay with the Mackay Cutters. Both clubs became feeder sides for the Townsville-based NRL club, the North Queensland Cowboys.
In 2012, the Townsville Brothers League club sent a letter to Townsville & Districts Rugby League (TDRL) chairman Ross Anderson outlining their interest in joining the Queensland Cup.
On 10 September 2014, Queensland Rugby League chairman Peter Betros announced that the Brothers-led Townsville Blackhawks bid had been successful and the side would compete in the 2015 competition. The club will be backed by the North Queensland Cowboys, who will use the Blackhawks as one of their feeder sides, along with the Pride and the Cutters.
On 29 September 2014, former North Queensland Cowboys Under 20s head coach and Brisbane Broncos assistant coach Kristian Woolf was announced as the inaugural head coach of the Blackhawks.
On 16 October 2014, the Blackhawks announced their first six signings for their inaugural season. They included former NRL players Tom Humble, Anthony Mitchell and Ricky Thorby, former North Queensland Cowboys Under 20s players Corey Jensen and Chris McLean, and United States international Taylor Welch.
On 28 February 2015, Daniel Beasley was named inaugural club captain at the team's season launch.
On 7 March 2015, the Blackhawks played their first Queensland Cup game, defeating the Mackay Cutters 30-16 at Jack Manski Oval. Jahrome Hughes scored the club's first try.
The Blackhawks finished their inaugural season as minor premiers and runners-up in the Grand Final, losing to the Ipswich Jets.
On 9 November 2015, it was announced that Townsville's Cyril Connell (under-16) and Mal Meninga (under-18) Cup sides, formerly known as the Townsville Stingers, will now be known as the Townsville & Districts Blackhawks in their respective competitions.
On 28 September 2018, Aaron Payne was announced as the club's second head coach, after inaugural coach Kristian Woolf joined the Newcastle Knights NRL side as an assistant coach.

## Season summaries

P=Premiers, R=Runners-Up, M=Minor Premierships, F=Finals Appearance, W=Wooden Spoons (brackets represent finals games) :
| Competition | Games Played | Games Won | Games Drawn | Games Lost | Ladder Position | R | M | F | Coach | Captain(s) | Details |
| 2015 Queensland Cup | 23 (2) | 19 (1) | 1 | 3 (1) | 1 / 14 | ♦ | ♦ | ♦ | Kristian Woolf | Daniel Beasley | 2015 Townsville Blackhawks season |
| 2016 Queensland Cup | 23 (2) | 16 (1) | 1 | 6 (1) | 3 / 14 | | | ♦ | Kristian Woolf | Glenn Hall, Anthony Mitchell | 2016 Townsville Blackhawks season |
| 2017 Queensland Cup | 23 (1) | 12 | 2 | 9 (1) | 6 / 14 | | | ♦ | Kristian Woolf | Daniel Beasley | 2017 Townsville Blackhawks season |
| 2018 Queensland Cup | 23 (1) | 15 | 0 | 8 (1) | 3 / 14 | | | ♦ | Kristian Woolf | Andrew Niemoeller | 2018 Townsville Blackhawks season |
| 2019 Queensland Cup | 23 (2) | 17 (1) | 0 | 6 (1) | 4 / 14 | | | ♦ | Aaron Payne | Sam Hoare | 2019 Townsville Blackhawks season |
| 2020 Queensland Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | | | | Aaron Payne | Sam Hoare | 2020 Townsville Blackhawks season |
| 2021 Queensland Cup | 17 (1) | 9 | 1 | 7 (1) | 7 / 14 | | | ♦ | Aaron Payne | Sam Hoare | 2021 Townsville Blackhawks season |

## Coaches

The Blackhawks' current coach, Terry Campese, is the third in the club's history. Kristian Woolf is their longest serving coach.
| No | Coach | Tenure | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
| 1 | Kristian Woolf | 2015–2018 | 98 | 64 | 4 | 30 | 65% |
| 2 | Aaron Payne | 2019–2023 | 44 | 28 | 1 | 15 | 64% |
| 3 | Terry Campese | 2024–present | | | | | |

## Emblems and colours

Despite being backed by the Townsville Brothers League Club, the bid team adopted a new name, logo and colour scheme for the club. The Blackhawks moniker was chosen after Matt Cocker, a local firefighter at Townsville Airport, won a "name the team" competition in 2012. The city of Townsville has a military history and is home to an RAAF Base. The club's primary colours are green, black and white and their major sponsor is Mendi Construction, who are based in Townsville.

## Honours

* Runners Up: 1
       2015
* Minor Premiership: 1
       2015

## Statistics and Records

Biggest Wins
| Margin | Opponent | Score | Venue | Date |
| 72 | Souths Logan Magpies | 72–0 | Jack Manski Oval | 9 July 2022 |
| 72 | Burleigh Bears | 78–6 | Jack Manski Oval | 9 May 2015 |
| 62 | Central Queensland Capras | 74–12 | Alec Inch Oval | 23 July 2016 |
| 54 | Northern Pride | 60–6 | Jack Manski Oval | 14 July 2019 |
Biggest Losses
| Margin | Opponent | Score | Venue | Date |
| 38 | PNG Hunters | 4–42 | National Football Stadium | 28 May 2017 |
| 26 | Sunshine Coast Falcons | 16–42 | Sunshine Coast Stadium | 26 August 2017 |
| 24 | Norths Devils | 14–38 | Jack Manski Oval | 20 March 2022 |
| 24 | Sunshine Coast Falcons | 10–34 | Jack Manski Oval | 19 May 2019 |
Most Consecutive Wins
* 8, 9 June 2019 – 10 August 2019
* 8, 22 March 2015 – 17 May 2015
Most Consecutive Losses
* 4, 10 April 2021 – 9 May 2021
* 3, 4 August 2018 – 18 August 2018
* 3, 17 March 2018 – 31 March 2018
* 3, 12 August 2017 – 3 September 2017
Most Games for Club
* 84, Kyle Laybutt (2016–2017, 2019–2022)
* 79, Corey Jensen (2015–2019, 2021)
* 75, Michael Parker-Walshe (2015–2017, 2019)
* 72, Anthony Mitchell (2015–2017)
* 70, Sione Lousi (2017–2021)
Most Tries for Club
* 70, Jonathon Reuben (2015–2018)
* 53, Kalifa Faifai Loa (2018–2022)
* 42, Zac Santo (2015, 2018–2019)
* 36, Michael Parker-Walshe (2015–2017, 2019)
* 35, Jaelen Feeney (2018–2022)
Most tries in a match
* 4, Jonathon Reuben against CQ Capras at Jack Manski Oval (21 May 2017)
* 4, Rhyse Martin against CQ Capras at Jack Manski Oval (28 March 2015)
Most Goals in a Match
* 10, Shaun Nona against Souths Logan Magpies at Jack Manski Oval (9 July 2022)
* 10, Carlin Anderson against Mackay Cutters at Jack Manski Oval (18 March 2017)
Most Points in a Match
* 28, (2 tries, 10 goals), Carlin Anderson against Mackay Cutters at Jack Manski Oval (18 March 2017)
Most Tries in a Season
* 31, Zac Santo in 2015
Most Points in a Season
* 220 (20 tries, 70 goals), Carlin Anderson in 2017

## Sponsors

* Mendi Constructions (Major)
* Phoenix Constructions
* QDP Trenchless
* Parry NQ
* Allara Learning
* KFC
* Bartercard
* The Lancini Group
* VCV Townsville
* Power100
* Townsville Bulletin
* Brothers Leagues Club
* Kirwan Sports Club