Gold Coast rugby league community mourn former Burleigh junior Hayden Butler and Cowb

TRAVIS MEYN GOLD COAST BULLETIN JANUARY 28, 2015 7:26AM

THE Gold Coast rugby league community has been left shattered by the sudden death of a former Burleigh Bears young gun.

Ex-Bears junior Hayden Butler died in Mackay at the weekend, hours before North Queensland Cowboys rising star Regan Grieve also died suddenly.

Butler, 20, was a Melbourne Storm product who came to the Gold Coast last year.

He starred at fullback for Burleigh’s under-20s team, who lost just a handful of games on their way to the FOGS Colts grand final.

Butler left the club at the end of the season to link with the Mackay Cutters as he chased a spot in the Intrust Super Cup, Queensland’s top competition.

Burleigh Bears officials did not want to comment on Butler’s death yesterday while the Queensland Rugby League will release an official statement today in conjunction with the Cutters.

But social media was flooded with tributes to the popular youngster.

Gold Coast Titans utility Jamie Dowling, who is a Burleigh product, is an ambassador for local depression awareness group Livin and said he was shocked by the news.

“RIP to a little champion! Gone to soon, depression is real and it has no agenda ... @hbutlerrrr youll be missed,” he posted on Instagram.

Burleigh winger Zac Mackay, a former teammate of Butler’s, said he and Butler were always destined to be mates.

Grieve died four days shy of his 19th birthday.

Grieve played for Queensland at under-16 and under-18 level and was twice an Australian Schoolboys representative.