Jimboomba Thunder's senior men's team will join the women's side in playing in the Brisbane competition this year in what is set to be a big year for the local club.
While the club's juniors will still compete in the Gold Coast competition, Thunder president Neil Richards said the club was keen to take part in the Brisbane competition for a variety of reasons including the chance to play clubs of a similar stature.
"We were happy playing in the Golf Coast competition but it meant the women were still playing games after everyone else was finished for the year," he said.
"It was a good way to keep the men and the women playing together and just see what the Brisbane comp is like, we also just felt like the clubs in the Brisbane competition we're more or less the same size as our club. A lot of the guys in the side work on the south side of Brisbane and work Saturday mornings so the Brisbane comp is more suitable for them."
Richards said the switch of competitions will allow the club to build new rivalries with other local clubs in South Brisbane and Logan, but added that some aspects of the club's seasons won't change.
"We will still try to do the charity competition with Beaudesert and we will be able to get other local derbies going with clubs like Greenbank," he said.
Pre-season began earlier this month for the club and Richards is confident of a good showing from the men.
"I think we will do okay, we have played a few of the clubs in the Brisbane competition before in trial games and got up on them so we will do fine I think," he said.
Richards was hopeful of a successful year ahead, with the club's home set for an upgrade to be completed in December. The works include a refurbished field set to be completed in March, as well upgrades to the South Street park precinct which include a new car park, a second full size field, a modified field and new change rooms and showers which was made possible through state and local government funding grants worth approximately 4.5 million dollars.
"The beauty of the team this year is a lot of them are locals who grew up here, and then we've got guys from places like Hillcrest who have moved into the area," he said.
"There is a lot of different people at the club who have played role in getting the club to where it is at now, it's exciting times for the club.”
