Gin Gin’s Mathew Collier notched a double on his home-ground as the Northern Districts Rugby League (NDRL) All Stars claimed a thrilling 34-30 victory over Indigenous All Stars in a historic match in front of a massive crowd on Saturday night.
In partnership with Evolution Mining and the Gidarjil Corporation, the NDRL hosted the inaugural event in the true spirit of Reconciliation and Community Connections, and a massive crowd of around 800 turned up for the free admission event and were given a treat.
Due to her Indigenous Heritage, Tanika Mason was given the honour of captaining the Gin Gin team in the Women’s League Tag Match, but on the field, Jude Bust stole the show with two tries to lead Gin Gin to a 24-0 victory over Avondale.
In the Men’s match, the Indigenous All Stars turned it on under inspirational captain Phillip Lindsay with the electrifying Jackson Brown, who was the NDRL’s leading try scorer playing for unbeaten premiers South Kolan Sharks in their just completed season, at it again, notching 16 points with two tries and 4 conversions.
But the NDRL All Stars rose to the challenge under their veteran captain and long-time Miriam Vale Magpies champion Glenn Cox with a side that included joint-NDRL Players of the Year Brody Orpin, of Gin Gin, and Frank Primavera (Avondale).
Apart from Mathew Collier and Brody Orpin, Gin Gin was also represented by another of the try scorers Shane Blair, and their rising star first-year winger Connor Boon, who continued his emergence with another fine performance.
The NDRL All Stars’ other three tries were scored by three other Magpies, Jesse Wyngaards, Maverick Sypher and Cole Crawford.
All players got to keep their jerseys, which were specially designed by Bundaberg’s own famed young Indigenous Contemporary Artist Chern’ee Sutton.
NDRL Chairman Neil Redfern said Evolution Mining, Gidarjil, QRL Central Division Chairman Danny McGuire and Indigenous Advisory Committee Chairman Edward Monaei, and everyone else involved in the Day were delighted by its success, and that it would definitely become an annual event.
Scores: NDRL ALL STARS 34 (Mathew Collier 2, Jesse Wyngaards, Maverick Sypher, Cole Crawford, Shane Blair tries; Brendan Prossliner 5 goals) d INDIGENOUS ALL STARS 30 (Jackson Brown 2, Phillip Lindsay 2, Billy Dau tries; Jackson Brown 4, Samson Dau goals).
WOMEN’S LEAGUE TAG EXHIBITION MATCH: GIN GIN 24 (Jude Bust 2, Miranda Lammin, S Pugh, M Engstrom tries; Emma Collinson 2 goals) d AVONDALE 0
GOLF
Congratulations to Coral Cove Golf Club on raising a massive $9,595 at their third annual Charity Day, raising funds for the Challenge Foundation.
The #DoingitforJarrod fundraising event is held in memory of the late former PGA professional Jarrod Lyle at courses all across Australia to raise funds for families affected by cancer.
This year’s event, held under crystal blue August skies, saw 120+ players take to the course to play in a 2-ball Ambrose event, with most players dressed in yellow to celebrate Jarrod’s life.
The day was won by Shane Bennett and Kaine Beers who travelled down from Gladstone to attend the event with a net score of 57.5, only .25 of a stroke ahead of local Course Superintendent Brett Woodward and Club Vice-Captain Ryan Norton.
The golf however took second place to the fundraising activities on the day.
It kicked off with two local members, Mick O’Ryan and Kevvie Beu, having their very hairy heads and beards shaved off, raising almost $1,000 through donations to either participate or just to watch the festivities, followed by a BBQ sausage sizzle and chipping competition.
After the golf was completed, a memorabilia auction was held where a framed JL Day Pin Flag signed by Rory McIlroy was sold, as well as a golf cap autographed by former PGA golfers John Senden, Rod Pampling, Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby.
Along with raffles held throughout the day, there were yellow tee options for players to purchase and a hole in one challenge.
Men’s Club Captain and Day Organiser Peter Sim said the amount raised “exceeded our wildest dreams”.
“I am so proud of our golfing and corporate communities to get behind this event and make it the success it has been – it’s just amazing – the club won’t be resting on its laurels for long however, with the other major charity event raising money for breast cancer research only a few months away,” Peter said.
HOCKEY
Memories of last year when they swept all before them all season before suffering a shock loss to All Blacks for the fourth year in the Bundaberg Hockey Division 1 Men’s Grand Final, going down 4-3, will ensure that there will be no complacency for Waves Cities when they again meet in the season decider at Hinkler Park at 6pm tomorrow.
Cities were minor premiers and advanced straight to the Big Dance with a 7-0 Major Semi-final whitewash of Raiders/Rovers a fortnight ago, while All Blacks, who struggled for most of the season, have had to come from third position.
They drew with Cities 1-1 in their first clash in 2021 back on 17th April, but while they have lost to them in all six subsequent meetings by an aggregate of 39-4, they know how to win grand finals and past results mean nothing now.
Cities were also the Division 1 Women’s Minor Premiers and they will be striving for back-to-back titles when they do battle with Arrows/Athletics at 4pm.
Grand finals get under way tonight with Division 2, with Cities’ Women to meet Raiders/Rovers at 6.20pm, and Men to aim up against Arrows at 7.50pm.
Cities will also contest all three junior deciders tomorrow, against Raiders/Rovers in Under-11 at 10am, and Arrows in U13 and U16 at 12 noon and 2pm respectively.
NETBALL
All conquering Waves Gold will be expected to successfully defend their Bundaberg Warren Family Homes Division 1 Premiership title when they bib up against Brothers Hurricanes at the Superpark at 5.15pm tomorrow.
Gold has dominated every team all year, and they again withstood the Hurricanes’ strike 57-28 in the major semi-final two weeks ago, before the Brothers side had to work hard to knock out Fusion Solomons in the preliminary final.
The Division 2 decider at 2pm will be an all-Waves affair between their Purple and Red sides, pitting mother and daughter Sharyn and Taleigha Batt against each other as player/coaches of their respective sides.
Division 6 at 3.30pm will also be a Waves intra-club duel between their Sapphires and Silver teams, while Waves Royals will take on Brothers Thunder in Division 3 at 3.30pm, and Waves Teal oppose Fusion Force in Division 10 at 3.30pm.
Four other Brothers teams will go for glory, Twisters against Natives Parrots in D4, Typhoons against Alloway Emeralds in D8, and Avalanches against Alloway Lavender in D11, each at 2pm, and Wildfires against Alloway Aqua in D7 at 3.30pm.
Natives teams Firebirds and Kookaburras will square off in D5 at 3.30pm, after Natives Kingfishers go on the attack against Fusion Sandhills in D9 at 2pm.
FOOTBALL
League champions Brothers-Aston Villa will be striving for a three-peat of titles when they contest the Wide Bay North Division 1 Men’s Cup grand final against United Park Eagles (UPE) Green at Martens Oval at 8pm tonight.
Tom Martin and Chris Norris were among their scorers in a 3-1 victory over UPE White last year, and they will be key men again, along with Jesse Sommer, the 2020 Golden Boot winner, but UPE Green also have a string of potential match winners including evergreen striker Nick Maas, who finished second to Mitchell Capuzzo in this year’s Goal tallies with 24.
League Champions Diggers will be favoured in North Division 1 Women against Bargara at 6pm with three of the League’s top five Goal getters, Heidi Walk, who slotted 25, just one fewer than SC Corinthians’ Kalani Irwin, as well as Chenae Watson and Jasmin Harradine-Hall.
Also tonight, at Martens Oval at 6pm, UPE and Across The Waves will square off in the Wide Bay Premier League Women’s Preliminary Final, and in Maryborough, League Champions Sunbury Blues and KSS Jets will also duel for a grand final berth.
There will be no games in Bundaberg tomorrow, with the Wide Bay Premier League and Reserves Men’s Preliminary Finals to be played at Fraser Coast Sports Centre, with UPE engaged in both matches, against hosts Fraser Flames and Bingera respectively.
SWIMMING
Fresh from claiming a Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Bundaberg 17-year-old Isaac Cooper will continue to inspire the next generation of young aspirants by attending his former club Bundaberg Swim Team (BST)’s Open Day at the Bundaberg Swim Academy tomorrow from 12 noon-3pm.
The Day will include a Mini Maccas Meet and a Sign-on for BST, and there will be a free sausage sizzle.
To register, go to https://www.facebook.com/BundabergSwimmingAcademy/
Last weekend, Isaac was a special guest at Day 2 of the 2021 Wide Bay Short Course Championships at Coolum, where he was a smash hit.
Isaac’s younger brother Ben was the only Bundaberg swimmer to compete at the meet, and he excelled, claiming bronze with a PB in the Boys 15 years 100m backstroke and also clocking a massive PB in 100m freestyle, with 57sec, his first sub-minute time in the event.
HORSE RACING
Bundaberg champion King Klaus continued on his winning ways in the 1000m Open Handicap at Caloundra on Sunday, just hanging on to defeat the fast-finishing Boblee in a photo finish.
Ridden by jockey James Orman, the Gary Clem-trained six-year-old completed four wins in a row and took his record to 10 wins, 3 seconds and 1 third from 16 starts.
GREYHOUNDS
Bouldercombe trainer Darren Taylor will have a strong hand in the rich Bundaberg Derby Final this Monday after continuing his recent run of success in the Rum City, taking out the two Heats at this week’s meeting with Off Break and Barcia Bullet respectively and finishing third with his other runner in the first Heat.
That winning pair completed a treble for him in the first four races on the card after he also claimed the opening event, the Novice Non-Penalty, with Bailing Out, which completed a hat-trick of wins at successive Bundaberg meetings after having placed third in Rockhampton at his only previous start to that.
Consistent veteran Off Break was sent out favourite, paying $1.95, and he took his record to 14 wins, 20 seconds and 15 thirds from 71 starts, winning by 2.75 lengths from local hope Unencumbered, with his kennelmate My Bro Beach taking the minor prizemoney.
Barcia Bullet was an even shorter price popular elect at $1.35, and he posted his 19th victory in 58 starts and his fifth win in a row on the track, 6.25 lengths in advance of On the Buses.
The Heats of the rich Bundaberg Oaks for bitches were also run and won, and Bundaberg Greyhound Racing Club President Ricky Hassall claimed the quinella in the second Heat with hot favourite Hooked on Xena, which had placed third at each of her previous three outings, and Baronga Breeze, which was runner-up for her fourth race in a row.
Former club President John Kuhn got the money in the first Oaks Heat with rank outsider Talking Numbers ($41) which snapped a 13-race losing streak.
Two other District trainers were also among the winners on the day, Tom Lowe with Idle High in the Masters 5th Grade, and Narelle Mulcahy with Simple and Slow, which ended a 12-race losing sequence in a 5th Grade.
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