Luke McBeath will stay at the club he loves. Photo: Kate Johnson.
The status quo will remain at the Southcity Bulls for two more years with incumbent Luke McBeath re-signing as the club’s first grade captain-coach for the 2027 and 2028 seasons this week.
A Turvey Park Lions junior who rose through the grades to feature in the club’s 2017 Group 9 first grade premiership, McBeath returned to the Bulls this season to take up the role after a three-year stint with the Kawana Dolphins in the Sunshine Coast Rugby League competition.
Following the announcement of the extension, McBeath said he was excited to continue leading Southcity after an enjoyable season.
“I’ve loved it from the get-go; it’s obviously been a pretty interesting year on the football side for us, but I think that disappears when you’re back home and have still got so many good people around the club,” he said.
“The feeling around the club is still awesome, so it’s been really good for myself just to get back home and I’m enjoying my footy again.
“You feel like you’re playing for something a little bit more when you are back home as well.”
Prior to leaving the club for his three-year spell in Queensland, McBeath followed the well-worn path from the Turvey Park Wanderers into the Southcity senior setup.
While he has savoured the return to Group 9 this season, the 26-year-old made the most of his time up north, even advocating for the experience of moving to play for a new club.
“It is always good to get away from your home club; I think it’s something that a lot of young fellas should do, is probably get away for a little bit, but then it’s also very nice to get back,” he said.
“I think you go away and realise what you miss as well, and you appreciate it a little bit more when you do get back I think.”
After assembling one of the competition’s strongest rosters ahead of the season following the return of another Southcity premiership player in Nathan Rose, an injury crisis which sidelined the key signing as well as fellow representative stars Kyle McCarthy and Cody Hodge has meant the side has been unable to field its best 17 for a large part of the year.
With the side currently sitting in seventh place and tied on 12 competition points with the two sides above them – Wagga Kangaroos and Cootamundra – Sunday’s clash against fourth-placed Junee shapes as a massive match for the Bulls’ finals hopes.
McBeath is hopeful of playing finals footy this year. Photo: Kate Johnson.
McBeath said while the goal of playing finals football this season was still firm and realistic, the club had a longer term vision which played a role in his decision to continue as its top grade mentor.
“There is a long-term plan, and that is why I have re-signed for a couple of years,” he said.
“We want to build something at the club, and I think we are in a great position now.
“We have got some awesome under 18-year-olds at the moment; I have debuted a few this year that are only 17, so I think the future of the club is very bright.
“In saying that, the goal is to make finals and play the best footy every year that we can.
“I don’t think it’s ‘let this year slide and look towards the next’, I think it’s ‘do our best this year and we’ll also look towards the future as well’.
“Our expectations from the start, we were always striving to make the finals, and I still think we are a very good chance to give it a shake if we do.
“This weekend is very important to take steps towards that.”
Sunday’s clash with the Diesels will kick off at 2:35 pm at Laurie Daley Oval in Junee.
