Source: Queensland Reds
When Queensland Reds and Rio Tinto brought their rugby program to Gladstone and the towns around it, it wasn’t just coaches and gear that were making the journey. It was belief—belief that regional kids are worthy of the opportunity to engage in elite sport, life skills and possibilities that go beyond the city lights.
Last weekend’s clinics at Marley Brown Oval and Talent Combine in Gladstone were filled with the best Reds staff, local mentors, community volunteers and more than 100 students aged 10-17 who all jumped at the opportunity to be involved.
Touch basics, tackling techniques, sprint training and games that fostered team building took over the field—all under the banner of an initiative designed to inspire.
All the Bases Covered Up Front
Event: Various rugby clinics and Elite Girls Talent Combine
Location: Gladstone area, including Tannum Sands and rural country towns
Hosted by: Queensland Reds with the assistance of Rio Tinto
Targeted at: Regional Queensland children (10–17 years)
Focus: Rugby skills, fitness testing, and life skills mentoring
From Skill Drills to Pathway Momentum
Image: Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto’s association with the Reds dates back over a decade. Reputed for supporting concepts such as the Future Indigenous Leaders Program and the annual Indigenous Round, this weekend saw the extension into grassroots participation.
The Talent Combine invited prospects—particularly young women—to demonstrate their talent through sprinting trials, jump tests and rugby drills on the field. For many, this type of opportunity does not exist in their local area. It wasn’t a matter of being fast or powerful—it was an opportunity to be noticed.
Sixteen Blackwater, Gladstone, Rockhampton and even Emerald teenagers gathered to be mentored and evaluated. One of them was Sophie Duff, who returned home having progressed along the pathway into rugby sevens training. One of the first talents found in Gladstone, she now helps to conduct clinics for younger players.
“She started out with a regional camp, and now she’s traveling the globe playing rugby,” one parent said. That circle-back moment is what these clinics aim to release—potential.
More Than a Drill: Rediscovering Confidence
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Aboriginal kids and small-town youths got more than instruction. They were paired up with mentors who instilled pride in their culture, resilience and leadership. Clinics also involved team sessions on goal-setting, healthy lifestyles and building confidence—presenting sport as life skills.
We value character over catch-and-pass.” Seeing Cherbourg and Woorabinda players in the Reds jersey in Indigenous Round heightens the cultural significance attached to such games.
Community Backdrop: Gladstone Thrivers on Partnership
Gladstone is not only a place—it’s also home to a range of Rio Tinto operations, including the Boyne aluminium smelter and Yarwun alumina refinery. Rio Tinto contributes over $3 billion annually to the regional economy and helps fund community initiatives like Here for Gladstone’s health and small business services.
Locally, community groups embraced the rugby camps: they invite individuals to socialise—and give children reasons to aspire beyond rounds of seasonal access work. As a local councillor explained, “These combinations make girls from Emerald feel they belong in rugby streams they may never have considered otherwise.”
What’s Next: Momentum Into 2026
Follow‑up clinics & mentorship: There will be more run in Gladstone schools by QRU as a follow-up to this initial event.
Emerging Reds Academy Launch for Women: Intended to support teenagers transitioning to professional rugby frameworks.
Documentary feature “Under the Surface”: Behind-the-scenes glimpse of how Rio Tinto and QRU create opportunity in regional communities.
Talent tracking: The selected participants will be tracked through state-level assessment next year.
For rural Queensland families, this is not sport—it’s approval. Such a program says something: You are here. You exist. Investing in rugby along the mines, not only in the city, remakes destiny.
It sends a powerful message from industry: Rio Tinto is not just about big machinery and export—it’s about betting on futures and seeing hidden potential. For parents, it’s a reassuring message: a local program can set dreams running that reach the world championships or university scholarships.
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Voices In the Crowd
Parents: “We travelled hours from Rockhampton to have our daughter be involved in this—she needed that experience.”
Volunteers: “We gave up our Sunday to hand out water and share stories. This field was about more than drills—it was heart.”
Participants: Sky-Yvette Faimalie, 17: “I never imagined that I would be playing for Reds pathways. Now I can envision it.”
These individual threads are sewn into a strong community tapestry: sport as a connector, not a spectacle.
Final Word: Fielding Futures Beyond the Oval
What happened in Gladstone wasn’t just sport. It was a cultural kaleidoscope of community, empowerment and aspiration. With Rio Tinto’s urgency and the Reds’ leadership, youth in regional areas had doors opened up to them—sometimes down dirt roads and country ovals. To those children, the experience can linger with them for years.
There, rugby is not just a game. It’s a proving ground. And on that ground, Gladstone’s kids learned one thing with no doubt: they matter, their towns matter—and opportunity can knock on doors right in their own backyard.
