RUGBY LEAGUE: After 100 years of proud rugby league history, many still remember “The Mouthguard Man”. Mackay Brothers Football Club legend Peter Keogh touched the lives of many as he channelled his rugby league passion through the club. His work as a dental prosthetist, preparing mouthguards for children eager to take the field, drew young athletes from around the region. His tragic passing in 2015 inspired a touching legacy. Now in its third year, the Peter Keogh Memorial Shield will pit the Brothers and Wanderers juniors against each other on Saturday, before Brothers seniors do battle with the Magpies in honour of the lifetime member. Mackay Brothers have long held a special place in the Keogh family’s heart. As Keogh’s daughter Laura Lucas said: “it’s pretty amazing”. “We sit down and watch the games from the 1980s that we’ve got on video tape at home and my kids can’t believe how rough and tough (it was),” she said.
“Things have changed but the essence of the game is still there; that mateship and … companionship and that’s why team sports are so important.” This year’s match coincides with a time of mourning for the family. Mere weeks ago, a brain aneurysm claimed the life of Lucas’ father-inlaw Jim. The family’s legacy will be extended this weekend, with the reserve grade fixture to award the Jim Lucas Man of the Match. Lucas said it was in these tough times the memories on and off the field became all the more dear. “Whenever the family gets together there is always a football story that comes up and I think that’s what is so important; you can share these memories,” she said. “As I’m telling my kids, who are now grieving their two granddads, we’ve got to talk about the memories. A lot of those memories are at the football.” The showcase continues an exciting time for Brothers, which recently announced Deborah Rogers as club president to lead them through their centenary year. Having only been with the club for three years, her ascension to the top job marks a rapid rise through the ranks. She is the first female president in the club’s history. “I’ve grown up around football. My dad was a football player, my husband’s a football player and my son has played football his whole life,” Rogers said. “I’m a personal trainer, so I’ve fallen into the strength and conditioning coaching role and saw the potential of the club. It’s been hard work but definitely worth it.” After taking out the women’s premiership last season, Rogers’ appointment is a reflection of the strength the women’s game has gained in Mackay. Following on from their impressive 2018 efforts, 10 Brothers representatives have been selected in the 2019 Women’s Change the Game City/Country representative squad. Rogers put the success down to strong leadership within the team and said the vast majority of players across the club had been retained. “We’re heading in the right direction with good leadership and direction. We’ve got some young players coming through and our squad from last year was the youngest in the competition,” she said. “We’ve definitely got the po- tential to make it to the grand final.” For now, their focus is fixed on the Peter Keogh Shield. Confident the calibre of the Brothers community will honour her family admirably, Lucas said the relationships formed in rugby league had kept her tied to the club. Lucas’ husband Andrew coached her son’s team and she said this father-son relationship — and all bonds formed by the game — reflected how pure rugby league could be. “Andrew’s dad Jimmy coached him all through the years and since his death, Andrew has been contacted by young boys that played with him growing up… it’s amazing how a sport can touch so many lives.”
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AuthorSelection of sport content. I was regularly called upon to assist with sport in the abscence of other staff. Archives
November 2019
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