RUGBY LEAGUE: Three Warwick and District Junior Rugby League players were part of the Darling Downs team which played in the 12 years state championships at Townsville.

Wattles forward Lane Eastwell (Assumption College), MIT Jets star Harry Schwenke (Texas State School) and Goondiwindi Boars player Jack Billings (Goondiwindi High) were the Warwick and District connection in the team. Schwenke and Billings played in the backs and forwards at the carnival.

St Joseph's, Stanthorpe, teacher Mick Grew was trainer and said all three had solid carnivals.

"We finished eighth last year and improved to fifth this year,” he said.

The team played a game a day for the week and recorded their best win against Metropolitan West in the battle for fifth.

Grew has been a coach, manager or trainer for the Darling Downs team for the past 17 years and been involved in teams which have included future NRL players such as Ashley Taylor, Andrew McCullough and Ethan Lowe.

For eight of those years, he has combined with current coach Stan McDonnell and manager Brett Harkins.

Eastwell went on to play for the Pittsworth team in a Gold Coast carnival in the last week of the school holidays.

Pittsworth beat Charleville in its best performance of the carnival and Eastwell was awarded players' player by his teammates and also received the best forward award for a Pittsworth player.

He was one of the players in final contention for player of the carnival.

Stanthorpe games

THE Warwick and District, Ipswich and Toowoomba representative rugby league teams are getting ready for games at Sullivan and Crisp ovals on Sunday.

The Junior Gremlins will be hosting the Steinohrt Flannery Cup which will see 15 games at the Stanthorpe ovals from 8.30am-2.15pm. There will be three games for each grade from U11 to U15.

The canteen will run as normal.