TWO NORTH QUEENSLAND MATES LAUNCH NEW FIRST NATIONS RUGBY LEAGUE CARNIVAL
BY ASAD KHAN AND TANGIORA HINAKI
A new national First Nations rugby league carnival is set to launch in 2026, co-founded by proud North Queenslanders George Rueben and Braedan Kennedy.
The Dreamtime Knockout aims to settle the long-debated question of which mob fields the best team in the country.
The knockout-style tournament will host 32 elite teams, with 23 invited from across Queensland and New South Wales, and the rest open to expressions of interest. It’s set to kick off from 16 to 18 October 2026, two weeks after the Koori Knockout.
“We’ve handpicked the most successful teams from their states,” Mr Kennedy told Ngaarda Media.
“Every game will have the intensity of a grand final — once you lose, you’re out.”
Mr Kennedy said the idea came from years of watching local legends light up community carnivals.
“I grew up idolising Indigenous footy players at local carnivals. That’s where my love for league started — not from watching the NRL on TV.”
Mr Rueben, who also grew up playing carnival footy before joining club competitions, said the inspiration came after he and Kennedy played in a local carnival last year.
“We always talked about who the best team was. But the current setup with Koori Knockout and QMC doesn’t really let us find out,” Rueben said.
He added that restrictions on team eligibility and scheduling clashes with the NRL pre-season meant the existing carnivals didn’t allow for a true national comparison.
“We figured it hasn’t been done properly — so why not be the ones to do it?”
The carnival will allow each 25-player squad to include up to three non-Indigenous players and feature unlimited representation from professional or former NRL athletes.
A formal launch is planned for November, with excitement already building across the rugby league community.
“This is going to be the biggest prize money ever seen in First Nations rugby league,” Mr Kennedy said.
Listen to the Ngaarda Media’s Tangiora Hinaki speak with George Rueben and Braedan Kennedy: