Players Celebrate NRW

Following this year's theme, Bridging Now To Next, Queensland Cricket's staff heard today from two of the players who featured in the 2025 NICC that was held in Mackay on Yuwibara Country for the first time, with cultural experiences organised by the local First Nations community and elite level facilities at Harrup Park ensuring a memorable tournament.

QC CEO Terry Svenson welcomed Matty Dalton, from the men's team that won their first title since 2013, and women's captain Christina Coulson as they provided insights into their experiences at the championships.

Pace bowler Dalton, who plays cricket on the Gold Coast, said the opportunity to meet and learn from Yuwi community representatives had been well received while the thrill of being part of a championship team was still sinking in.

Allrounder Coulson, the women’s player of the tournament and one of six Queenslanders named in the team of the tournament, praised the work of the Harrup Park ground staff which overcame heavy rain in the lead-in to the tournament to deliver quality playing conditions for the tournament.

As well as meeting and sharing the players' NICC journey, the staff were provided with snapshots of activities that had taken place around the State which complemented QC's Reconciliation Plan that was launched in June 2023.

Initiatives that have been created or enhanced during the Reconciliation Plan that was launched in June 2023 include:

• The repurposing of the Eddie Gilbert Program to focus on entry level growth of cricket within First Nations communities
• Delivering First Nations Woolworths Cricket Blast clinics
• Hosting First Nations Rounds within the KFC BBL and Weber WBBL that showcased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians and artists and provided fund-raising opportunities to assist the Queensland Cricket Foundation
• The QCF funding initiatives designed to enhance Indigenous health and well-being, including support for community cricket events such as Team Indigenous Corporation’s Stan Alberts Shield in Rockhampton and Yeppoon, the Musgrave Remote Carnival in FNQ, and the Southwest Indigenous Network’s Western Rivers Cup in Toowoomba,
• Premier Cricket First Nations rounds played annually
• Permanently naming the northern end of Allan Border Field as the ‘Eddie Gilbert End’ and welcoming family members to a launch event.
• Creation of a Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cricket scholarship scheme with two players touring to Sri Lanka earlier this year
• Integration of First Nations artwork into State representative playing apparel
• Cultural awareness learning opportunities for QC staff including attendance at NRW and NAIDOC Week celebrations and events
• The ongoing partnership with the Royal Flying Doctor Service that integrates shared cricket and learning opportunities in remote and regional communities.
• Regular visits by QC staff to remote communities in Far North Queensland including Cape York and the Torres Strait Islands