Murri Rugby League Carnival facts for kids

The Qld Murri Carnival is a big rugby league event held every year in Queensland. It lasts for four days and is just for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rugby league teams. It's also known as the QAIHC Arthur Beetson Foundation Murri Rugby League Carnival.

The Queensland Rugby League (QRL) has chosen the Arthur Beetson Foundation to run this important event. The Foundation works with MRL Qld Pty Ltd to make sure the carnival is well-organised.

About the Carnival

The Murri Carnival has some special rules to help players stay healthy and connected to their communities.

To play in the adult games, players must:

• Get a health check-up.
• Be registered to vote, or make sure their voting details are up-to-date.

For players under 15, the rules are a bit different. They must:

• Get a health check-up.
• Have a really good school attendance record (90% or more) from July 1st until the carnival starts.

The Queensland Aboriginal & Islander Health Council works with the Arthur Beetson Foundation to support the carnival. They want to make sure it's a smoke-free and sugar-free event. This helps everyone at the carnival make healthier choices.

Murri Carnival Champions

Here are the teams that have won the men's Murri Carnival over the years:

QLD Murri vs. NSW Koori Challenge

There's an exciting annual rugby league game called the QLD Murri vs. NSW Koori Interstate Challenge. It's played between the winning team of the NSW Koori Knockout and the winning team of the Murri Rugby League Carnival.

This game happens every year in Queensland, usually as part of the Indigenous All Stars event. Just like the Murri Carnival, the Arthur Beetson Foundation makes sure this challenge is also smoke-free and sugar-free. This helps promote good health for everyone involved.

Here are the results of the Murri vs. Koori Interstate Challenge:

Special Rugby League Events

Festival of Indigenous Rugby League

The NRL (National Rugby League) created the Festival of Indigenous Rugby League. This event takes the place of the famous pre-season Rugby League All Stars game in years when the Rugby League World Cup is held.

The festival is more than just a game. For example, the 2014 festival included:

• A trial match between the Newcastle Knights and a special Indigenous team. This Indigenous team was made up of players from both the NSW Koori Rugby League Knockout and the Murri Carnivals in Queensland.
• The NRL Indigenous Player Cultural Camp, where players learn about their culture.
• Games for women and Under 16s teams (Murri vs Koori).
• A jobs expo to help people find work.
• Community visits by players.

Here is the squad for the First Nation Goannas team in 2014:

Here's how the game went in 2014:

2018 Festival of Indigenous Rugby League

The 2018 Festival of Indigenous Rugby League was special because it brought together Maori and First Nation teams. It was a great celebration of culture from both sides.

The festival was held at Redfern Oval and included:

• A double-header (two games back-to-back) with the First Nation Goannas playing against the NZ Maori team.
• The First Nation Gems playing against the NZ Maori Ferns (women's teams).
• A curtain-raiser game (a game played before the main event) for the Koori vs Murri Interstate challenge, featuring Newcastle Yowies and Dhadhin Geai Warriors.

Here is the First Nation Goannas squad for 2018:

First Nation Goannas

2018 squad								Coaching staff
|-	1	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	FB	Ryan Walker |-	2		WG	Michael Purcell |-	3	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	CE	Kieran Vale |-	4	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	CE	Josh Charles |-	5	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	WG	Greg Davis |-	6	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	FE	Maipele Morseu |-	7	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	HB	Adrian Davis |-	8	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	PR	Dan Tanner |-	9	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	HK	Wes Middleton |-	10	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	PR	Zac Merritt |-	11		SR	Noel Underwood |-	12	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	SR	Justin Toomey-White |-	13	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	LK	Trent Rose		|-	14	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	positions	Randall Briggs |-	15	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	LK	Bennett Leslie |-	16	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	PR	Will Merritt |-	17	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	positions	Isaac Briggs |-	18	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	SR	Tristan Lumley |-	19		FB	Wes Conlon |-	20	{{country data {{{nat}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}}	HK	Shane Nolan-Carr						Head coach Laurie Daley Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice captain(s)

Here's how the First Nation Goannas played against the New Zealand Maori team in 2018:

Here is the First Nation Gems squad (women's team) for 2018:

Here's how the First Nation Gems played against the New Zealand Maori Ferns in 2018:

2014 Queensland Murri Representative Squad

This is the squad that represented Queensland Murri in 2014:

Famous NRL Players from the Murri Carnival

Many talented players who have played in the Murri Carnival have gone on to become well-known in the National Rugby League (NRL). Some of these players include:

• Ben Barba
• Nathan Blacklock
• Dane Gagai
• Yileen Gordon
• Rod Jensen
• Brenko Lee
• Edrick Lee
• Robert Lui
• David Peachey
• Steve Renouf
• Chris Sandow
• Sam Thaiday
• Travis Waddell
• Kierran Moseley

See also

• Murri Rugby League Team
• Indigenous Australians
• Murri people
• Torres Strait Islanders
• NSW Koori Knockout