Coach and Western Suburbs Panthers Rugby League icon Corey Tanner was extremely proud after his Central Coast Cockatoos team, which included 11 of his Panthers and two East Bundaberg Magpies players, claimed a famous 18-8 victory over Tunuba Dakani in the Men’s Grand Final of the 2023 Warba Wungarunya Carnival in Rockhampton.
The Carnival is hosted by Darumbal Community Youth Service of Rockhampton under the banner of “One Community, One People, One Game”, and 16 teams from throughout Queensland contested the two-day tournament.
The Cockatoos had started with a good win over Umai Samu United 18-8 on the Saturday, but later in the afternoon, they went down to Tunuba Dakani 10-0.
But they booked a quarter-final berth with a 44-6 blitz of SkrubaWrunas on the Sunday morning, before having to go to Golden Point before sealing a 20-16 triumph over Djaan United with a Delroy Tanner try.
The Cockatoos then accounted for Emus Masada Memorial Team 18-6 in their Semi-finals, setting up a date with destiny, and the rest is history.
Corey said the team is assembled with “family connections through the Tanners” and it was the fifth time the Cockatoos had competed at the carnival after being runners-up in 2018 and being beaten quarter-finalists in two other years.
“Dan Tanner hurt his ankle in the quarter-final and didn’t play the semi, which was a big loss, but Shaun Ezzy set the tone in the final with four massive hits from the kick-off, and we laid the platform with three tries in the first half, and we sealed it with a try to Dan’s son Tariq in the second half,” Corey said.
“Front Rower Jack Lote, of Townsville Brothers, was also awesome and he took out the Player of the Carnival, but Capras Hastings Deerings Cup players Jesuah Wini and Jacob Tobok, who are each only 18 or 19, were the difference in the second half – our old legs got tired but they were good.”
Bundaberg was also represented at the Carnival by Eels teams in both the Men’s and Women’s divisions, with both those sides also competing strongly.
It was a big weekend for the Tanner family with Corey’s 20-year-old son Marcus, who played for the Central Capras in the InTrust Super Cup last year, making his debut for the Wests Tigers Jersey Flegg side in a trial game, and his 16-year-old daughter Caitlin captaining the Queensland Murris against Samoa in a Cultural Exchange game at Beenleigh.
Marcus bagged a try on debut in a 38-4 victory over Ryde Eastwood Hawkes.
CRICKET
2020 Tallon Medalist for Bundaberg Cricket’s Best and Fairest Sam Pearson produced a dynamic double as Brothers bounced back from their loss to Waves a week earlier to get out of jail and defeat reigning champions Norths by 58 runs in their Rum City Foods Division 1 Premiership showdown at Salter Oval on Saturday.
Sam top-scored with 53 in a modest total of 179, before he cut loose with 4-21 to be a match winner as Norths were bundled out for 121 in reply.
Runaway leaders Waves also had a lean day with the but, managing just 192 against East, but they also defended their moderate total, with young pacemen Kynan Hard and Matthew Pozzebon stepping up to the plate with 5-26 and 4-18 respectively.
Tomorrow at Salter Oval at 11am, East take on Brothers, and Waves are up against Norths.
In Division 3, Brothers clinched fourth place and a finals berth at Isis’ expense with two rounds remaining, with Shannon Heycox returning to his best with an unbeaten 100 to lay the platform for victory over Isis.
In the Aussie Bundy Big Bash, Betta Heat laid claim to the minor premiership with Matthew Pozzebon’s young brother Adam leading the charge with 52 in a five-wicket dispatch of Takalvans Taipans in their last match before the Final next Friday night.
Reigning champions Headlands Pies, who also guaranteed a spot in the decider, will join the Heat on 9 points if they are able to beat Taipans in the last round game at Salter Oval tonight at 6.30pm, but they need a massive win if they are to snare the minor title as their Net Run Rate of 0.3415 is massively less than the Heat’s 1.6351.
SOFTBALL
Three-times defending champions Brothers United Firesticks threw down the gauntlet, but Waves Tsunamis extended their lead over them on the Coral Coast Softball A Grade Ladies ladder to 10 points with a hard-fought victory 11-8 over them at Brothers Sports Club on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Western Suburbs Panthers consolidated third place at the expense of Terrors, outgunning them 13-10.
Panthers face the might of Tsunamis at Brothers at 2.20pm tomorrow, while Firesticks travel to Hervey Bay to slug it out with Terrors.
There was just one A Grade Men’s match on Saturday with Bargara Bombers recording only their second win of the season, shooting down Brothers United Heat 5-3 in a boil-over.
Schooners will suit up against Bombers at Brothers at 2.20pm tomorrow, while top seeds Terrors will have home ground advantage against the Heat.
Here are all the scores from the weekend:
CRICKET BUNDABERG
AUSSIE BUNDY BIG BASH
Betta Heat 5/144 (A Pozzebon 52, B Davey 29, J Munro 2/18) def Takalvans Taipans 8/142(cc) (D Steele 55*, L Solano 29, C Napper 2/13, B Davey 2/22, S Pearson 2/34).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 1 PREMIERSHIP
Waves 192 (K Pope 39, M Loader 36, L Donovan 4/37, R Heath 2/34) def East Bundy Magpies 93 (E Petersen 32, K Hard 5/26, M Pozzebon 4/18).
Brothers 179 (S Pearson 53, M Parsons 52, M Parker 3/34, C Napper 2/18, D Turner 2/19, L Denning 2/36) def Norths 121 (S Smith 26, S Pearson 4/21, M Parsons 2/1, D Krebs 2/16).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 2 PREMIERSHIP
Norths 2/158 (C Fritz 87*, J Bond 46*) def Brothers 9/157(cc) (G Cunningham 52, D Collin 43, D Wendt 4/11, J Hyde 4/15).
Waves 9/191(cc) (L McLellan 42, D Unwin 30, L Woodward 3/23, A Richardson 3/36, B Fagg 2/40) def East Bundy Magpies 9/178 (G Rehbein 31, G Werner 31, L Woodward 30, S Stuchbery 2/22).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 3 PREMIERSHIP
Brothers 3/200(cc) (S Heycox 100*, J McInnes 30) def Isis 77 (J Haack 4/25, S Taylor 2/4, S White 2/15, L Pearson 2/28).
Waves 6/216(cc) (Jake Kleidon 88, J DePapi 58, C Steele 3/33, L Webster 2/49) def YMCA 88 (N Catasti 3/19, Jack Kleidon 2/19, J McEwan 2/19).
RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 3-16S
Waves 6/189(cc) (T Coates 51, T Staines 39*, W Fletcher 30, A Frainey 3/8, S Grimsley 2/14) def Hervey Bay Colts 7/89(cc) (S Stuchbery 3/7).
Maryborough 6/130(cc) (G Collins 42, T Murree 30*, E Hamel 2/31) def Norths 117 (J Mather 31, O Wendt 31, L Faint 25, A Cordie 3/18, K Scanes 2/3, H Murree 2/28).
Brothers Mustangs 5/174(cc) (T Lamond 87*, R Santacaterina 2/18) def YMCA/Isis 156 (R Felstead 85*, Sean Millett 3/30).
RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 3-14S
Norths Bundy Bears 6/143 (M Crawford 31, W Sanders 2/10, T Brewer 2/35) def Maryborough 91 (S Juster 2/0, H Elphinstone 2/6, R Needer 2/7, L McDonald 2/17).
Norths Bundy Power 8/94 (C Driver 30, T Kapernick 25*, J Cronin 3/17, C Anderson 3/20) def Brothers Raptors 53 (B Donnison 2/1, T Wendt 2/3).
Hervey Bay Colts 8/120(cc) (C Steele 3/9, C Holznagel 2/20) def YMCA/Isis 30 (C Barr 5/2).
RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 2
Norths Avengers 157 (R Balaam 40, T Dwyer 37 C Kelly 2/16 S Elder 2/27) def Brothers Broncos 123 (C Kelly 46*, A Cunningham 39, O Abell 2/16).
Brothers Pumas 5/84(cc) (K Clarke 2/3) def Isis 39 (O Honor 3/11, L Caccamo 2/3).
Norths SEI Strikers 142 (T Nieuwoudt 52*) def YMCA/Easts 101 (T Melein 30, N Biju Alex 27, D Hollands 2/5, L McDonald 2/13, A Mather 2/19).
WIDE BAY
UNDER-16
Bundaberg 281 (11 wickets) (S Stuchbury 48*, E Hamel 43, J Mather 25, N Scanes 2/20, K Scanes 2/21, J Hazelden 2/23) def Fraser Coast 28 (11 wickets) (S Stuchbury 4/5, R Collin 2/4, L Faint 2/5).
UNDER-14
Fraser Coast 9/162 (M Wilcox 55, C Steele 2/16) def Bundaberg 138 (11 wickets) (A Stuchbery 54, R Folker 6/27).
UNDER-12
Bundaberg 5/219 (A Cunningham 38*, T Dwyer 29*, L McDonald 29, R Murree 2/18) def Fraser Coast 9/180(cc) (R Murree 41*, J Lever 35*, T Dwyer 3/5).
SOFTBALL CORAL COAST
A GRADE LADIES
WAVES TSUNAMIS 11 d BROTHERS UNITED FIRESTICKS 8; WESTERN SUBURBS PANTHERS 13 d TERRORS 10.
B GRADE LADIES
WAVES TIDAL WAVES 19 d BROTHERS UNITED CROSSFIRE 1; BARGARA LEOPARDS 3 d WAVES SEASHELLS 2; WESTERN SUBURBS PUMAS 21 d TERRORS YELLOW 0; WAVES SEASHELLS 10 d WAVES BREAKERS 5; BARGARA LEOPARDS 12 d BROTHERS UNITED INFERNO 7; TERRORS BLUE 4 d WESTERN SUBURBS COUGARS 0; TERRORS BLUE 14 d MISFITS 5.
A GRADE MEN
BARGARA BOMBERS 5 d BROTHERS UNITED HEAT 3.
B GRADE MEN
TERRORS 4 d WESTERN SUBURBS LYNX ON FORFEIT; BROTHERS UNITED FLAME 12 d BARGARA BULLS 2; WAVES CUTTERS 7 d WAVES CRUISERS 2.
UNDER-16
WAVES WAVERIDERS 10 d BROTHERS UNITED TNT 4; WAVES DRIFTERS 10 d BARGARA BRONCS 3; TERRORS 21 d WESTERN SUBURBS LIONS 2.
UNDER-14
BROTHERS UNITED BLAZE 10 d WAVES TORPEDOES 2; TERRORS 15 d WESTERN SUBURBS TIGERS 1; WAVES RIPTIDES 7 d BARGARA BANDICOOTS 2.
UNDER-12
WAVES MARINERS 13 d BROTHERS UNITED SPARKS 2; TERRORS 10 d WESTERN SUBURBS JAGUARS 7.
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