Townsville Blackhawks

The Townsville & Districts Blackhawks are an Australian semi-professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Queensland's top rugby league competition, the Queensland Cup. The club was admitted to the Queensland Cup in September 2014, first competing in the 2015 season. The side plays their home games at Jack Manski Oval.

History

The beginnings of a Townsville team's bid to return to the Queensland Cup date back to 2007, when the Townsville-based North Queensland Young Guns folded at the end of the season. Before the Young Guns entered the competition in 2002, Townsville was represented in the Queensland Cup by the Townsville Stingers, who only lasted one season in 1998. In 2008, the Queensland Cup expanded to Cairns with the Northern Pride and Mackay with the Mackay Cutters. Both clubs became feeder sides for the Townsville-based NRL club, the North Queensland Cowboys.
In 2012, the Townsville Brothers League club sent a letter to Townsville & Districts Rugby League chairman Ross Anderson outlining their interest in joining the Queensland Cup.
On 10 September 2014, Queensland Rugby League chairman Peter Betros announced that the Brothers-led Townsville Blackhawks bid had been successful and the side would compete in the 2015 competition. The club will be backed by the North Queensland Cowboys, who will use the Blackhawks as one of their feeder sides, along with the Pride and the Cutters.
On 29 September 2014, former North Queensland Cowboys Under 20s head coach and Brisbane Broncos assistant coach Kristian Woolf was announced as the inaugural head coach of the Blackhawks.
On 16 October 2014, the Blackhawks announced their first six signings for their inaugural season. They included former NRL players Tom Humble, Anthony Mitchell and Ricky Thorby, former North Queensland Cowboys Under 20s players Corey Jensen and Chris McLean, and United States international Taylor Welch.
On 28 February 2015, Daniel Beasley was named inaugural club captain at the team's season launch.
On 7 March 2015, the Blackhawks played their first Queensland Cup game, defeating the Mackay Cutters 30-16 at Jack Manski Oval. Jahrome Hughes scored the club's first try.
The Blackhawks finished their inaugural season as minor premiers and runners-up in the Grand Final, losing to the Ipswich Jets.
On 9 November 2015, it was announced that Townsville's Cyril Connell and Mal Meninga Cup sides, formerly known as the Townsville Stingers, will now be known as the Townsville & Districts Blackhawks in their respective competitions.
On 28 September 2018, Aaron Payne was announced as the club's second head coach, after inaugural coach Kristian Woolf joined the Newcastle Knights NRL side as an assistant coach.

Coaches

The Blackhawks' current coach, Terry Campese, is the third in the club's history. Kristian Woolf is their longest serving coach.

No	Coach	Tenure	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %
1	Kristian Woolf	2015–2018	98	64	4	30	65%
2	Aaron Payne	2019–2023	44	28	1	15	64%
3	Terry Campese	2024–present

Emblems and colours

Despite being backed by the Townsville Brothers League Club, the bid team adopted a new name, logo and colour scheme for the club. The Blackhawks moniker was chosen after Matt Cocker, a local firefighter at Townsville Airport, won a "name the team" competition in 2012. The city of Townsville has a military history and is home to an RAAF Base. The club's primary colours are green, black and white and their major sponsor is Mendi Construction, who are based in Townsville.

Honours

Runners Up: 1

'''Minor Premiership: 1'''

Statistics and Records

Biggest Wins

Margin	Opponent	Score	Venue	Date
72	Souths Logan Magpies	72–0	Jack Manski Oval	9 July 2022
72	Burleigh Bears	78–6	Jack Manski Oval	9 May 2015
62	Central Queensland Capras	74–12	Alec Inch Oval	23 July 2016
54	Northern Pride	60–6	Jack Manski Oval	14 July 2019

Biggest Losses

Margin	Opponent	Score	Venue	Date
38	PNG Hunters	4–42	National Football Stadium	28 May 2017
26	Sunshine Coast Falcons	16–42	Sunshine Coast Stadium	26 August 2017
24	Norths Devils	14–38	Jack Manski Oval	20 March 2022
24	Sunshine Coast Falcons	10–34	Jack Manski Oval	19 May 2019

Most Consecutive Wins

8, 9 June 2019 – 10 August 2019
8, 22 March 2015 – 17 May 2015

Most Consecutive Losses

4, 10 April 2021 – 9 May 2021
3, 4 August 2018 – 18 August 2018
3, 17 March 2018 – 31 March 2018
3, 12 August 2017 – 3 September 2017

Most Games for Club

84, Kyle Laybutt
79, Corey Jensen
75, Michael Parker-Walshe
72, Anthony Mitchell
70, Sione Lousi

Most Tries for Club

70, Jonathon Reuben
53, Kalifa Faifai Loa
42, Zac Santo
36, Michael Parker-Walshe
35, Jaelen Feeney

Most tries in a match

4, Jonathon Reuben against CQ Capras at Jack Manski Oval
4, Rhyse Martin against CQ Capras at Jack Manski Oval

Most Goals in a Match

10, Shaun Nona against Souths Logan Magpies at Jack Manski Oval
10, Carlin Anderson against Mackay Cutters at Jack Manski Oval

Most Points in a Match

28,, Carlin Anderson against Mackay Cutters at Jack Manski Oval

Most Tries in a Season

31, Zac Santo in 2015

Most Points in a Season

220, Carlin Anderson in 2017