The rejuvenated Miriam Vale Magpies can clinch the Northern Districts Rugby League Men’s Minor Premiership in their Centenary season if they continue on their winning ways against defending champions South Kolan Sharks in their penultimate round top of the table blockbuster at 3.10pm tomorrow at Gin Gin.
The Magpies have lost just one game all year, being edged out by the Sharks 24-22 in the first round back on 10th April.
On the other hand, the Sharks had not lost a game since 2019 until being plucked by the Magpies 60-8 at Mariam Vale on 25th June, and they have since drawn 42-all with Gin Gin Hawks, and were shocked by the resurgent Avondale Tigers 34-22 at Tegege last Sunday.
Regardless of the result, the two teams will meet again in the major semi-final, again at Miriam Vale on 31st July, and both sides will be wanting to build momentum and confidence to carry into that match.
Meanwhile, the Hawks and Tigers will do battle at 6pm in what will be a minor semi-final preview and Gin Gin’s only fixture game of the regular season, after the Tigers prevailed 46-34 at Kolan in the opening round, but the Hawks grabbed their first win of the year 30-28 when the pair crossed swords on 5th June.
The Hawks have continued their good form, whitewashing a much-depleted Tigers 50-0 in Miriam Vale on 25th June, then playing out a 42-all draw with the Sharks, and being pipped at the post by the Magpies 34-32 last Sunday.
But the Tigers have been bolstered greatly by some exciting new signings including Paea Teu who ran amok with four tries in a 34-22 Sharks attack last weekend.
In the Women’s League Tag, there will be double-headers, with confirmed minor premiers and reigning champions Gin Gin Hawkettes taking on Avondale Tigerettes at 2pm, Agnes Water Marlins up against the Tigerettes at 2pm, and Hawkettes opposed to the Marlins at 5pm.
In the Bundaberg Broadcasters A Grade Premiership, Waves Tigers can clinch Minor Title if they can notch their ninth win in a row against the inconsistent Past Brothers, also in their penultimate round at Salter Oval at 4.30pm tomorrow.
In the match that follows at 6.30pm, the also hot and cold Wests Panthers must beat cross-town rivals Easts Magpies to keep their hopes alive for third place and the vital double-chance in the finals.
At Eskdale Park Maryborough at 5pm, it could be a matter of by how far when second placed Hervey Bay Seagulls take on their hosts and confirmed back-to-back wooden spooners Wallaroos.
Brothers were the last team to beat Waves, 28-16 back on 7th May, but the Tigers reversed the result 36-22 when they last met on 12th June.
If the Tigers lose, the battle for top spot will come down to their last round duel with the Seagulls at Stafford Park next Saturday, but they will go into tomorrow’s match as warm favourites as they have risen to every challenge in the last two months.
Brothers, on the other hand, have been very patchy during that time, being plucked by the Seagulls 54-16, ambushed by Wallaroos 36-30, putting it together in a 50-32 demolition of Magpies, being outgunned by Waves, drawing 16-all with Seagulls, edging out Panthers 28-26, and outclassing Wallaroos 44-14, but imploding to a 26-16 defeat at the hands of Magpies last Saturday.
Meanwhile, although Easts are back on track following two straight wins, Wests have suffered a hat-trick of losses, and they will be hungry to redeem themselves after they were whitewashed by Seagulls 60-0 last weekend, albeit with many of their stars missing.
Wests have disposed of Easts in both of their two duels so far this campaign, 14-12 to start the Magpies’ slide on 7th May, and 32-24 on 12th June, but the Panthers’ fate is also in their own paws as they play the Brethren next Saturday.
AFL
After breaking through for their first win of the season in the AFL Wide Bay Marquis Macadamias Senior Men’s Premiership at their last start three weeks ago against Bay Power 13.2 (80) to 8.2 (50) at Frank Coulthard Oval, hosts Across The Waves Eagles must repeat the dose when the two sides meet again at the same venue at 3pm tomorrow in order to keep their finals hopes alive.
With just four rounds remaining after tomorrow, a win would lift the Eagles to equal-third position with the Power, but a defeat would leave them eight points behind them and with the job to do to book a place in the semi-final.
Meanwhile, Brothers Bulldogs will suit up in a top of the table showdown with the all-conquering Hervey Bay Bombers at NE McLean Oval after losing to them in each of their three clashes so far in 2022, including another comprehensive 12.9 (81) to 5.2 (32) lesson on 25th June.
Football
There will be a Football Queensland Premier League Wide Bay Men’s double-header at Martens Oval at 6pm tomorrow, with fourth placed United Park Eagles (UPE) chasing a big victory over the win-less SC Corinthians, and fifth seeds Bingera set to break the shackles against Granville, who have just one win to their credit.
At Hervey Bay, new leaders KSS Jets will take off against sixth placed Doon Villa, while on Sunday, there will be a Fraser Coast Local Derby between Sunbury Blues and Fraser Flames.
There are three games in the FQPL WB Women’s League tonight, with fourth placed UPE eyeing the points against Diggers at Martens Oval at 8.30pm, the Blues to host the Flames, and Jets aiming up against Tinana, while tomorrow, Bingera will be out to continue their roll against United Warriors at Martens Oval at 4pm.
Hockey
Rain rescheduled catch-up games will be played in Bundaberg Hockey tonight, with the program running from tonight through to Sunday.
In the Men’s Division, Arrows/Athletics will cross sticks with Raiders/Rovers at 7.40pm tonight, while they will both be back on the fields tomorrow against All Blacks I at 2pm and Waves Cities II at 3.20pm, respectively, before Cities I and All Blacks II go head-to-head at 6pm.
Come Sunday, and it will be an All Blacks intra-club derby between their two teams at 3.20pm.
In Division 1 Women, Arrows and Raiders/Rovers will get the ball rolling at 6.20pm tonight, before the two form sides meet again at 4.40pm tomorrow, followed by a Cities v All Blacks shoot-out at 7.20pm.
Netball
Good luck to the Bundaberg teams competing in the Central Premier League in Biloela this weekend, Bundaberg I and II, Bundaberg Opens and Bundaberg Masters, after the first round at Curtis Coast on 11th and 12th June.
Due to players being away at that carnival, only Bundaberg Netball Warren Family Homes Divisions 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 Premierships fixtures will be played at the Super Park tomorrow, after the Alloway Blue v Brothers Hurricanes Division 1 game was played on Wednesday night, along with Divisions 2, 3 and 5.
The split round will conclude with a Waves Blue v Natives Aim Hearing Magpies Division 1 clash, along with the Masters, two Divisions 2 games, and Division 4 next Wednesday.
Greyhounds
Bouldercombe trainer Darren Taylor took out a race-to-race-to-race winning treble at this week’s Bundaberg meeting, getting the money with favourites Castaway Girl, which maintained her unbeaten record in two starts on the track in the Endeavour Foundation 5th Grade, Say Some Words, which made it back-to-back wins in the Mixed 4th/5th Grade, and Mia Magic which notched her third victory from as many starts at Thabeban Park in the 4th Grade.
Tom Lowe, of Howard, chalked up a race-to-race double, with litter siblings and two more favourites, Leo Gibbs in the East End Hotel Maiden, and Orson Trinity, which made it two wins from two starts in the Novice-Non-Penalty.
Four District trainers also shared in the spoils, David Raines with second starter Social Impact in the NAIDOC Celebration Chase Maiden, which had been rescheduled from the previous week when that meeting was abandoned due to an electrical malfunction, Phillip Carter with outsider Zambora Chief in the Restricted Win, John White with Burn Out in the Valda Halter Memorial Best 8, and John Kuhn with Barcia Bullet which racked up his 26th victory in 90 starts in the Masters 5th Grade.
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