Team: Olivia Wightman, Minka Elliott, Latoya Larsen, Katie Steemson, Chris Pohlmann, Reegan Wightman, Hailey Kendall, Emma Kendall, Courtney Kendall, Maddie Elliott, Chris Grant, and Naomi Poulsen.
Despite not having four of its most experienced players, Raider/Rovers defeated Granville Rovers in the Premier League grand final.
Fresh from her selection in the Queensland Over-35 Women’s team, Minka Elliott was player of the Premier League Women’s grand final as Raiders/Rovers defeated Granville Rovers 4-3 in an epic decider in Maryborough on Saturday night.
Raiders/Rovers were without four of their most experienced gun players, including Sue Kendall, who was recently chosen in the State Over-45’s Team 1 but was away coaching Wide Bay Primary Schools Girls to a gold medal at the state championships.
But in the first premier league competition for seven years, Raiders/Rovers prevailed with a double to Katie Steemson and single goals to Minka and Latoya Larsen.
While Minka picked up the Player award and coach Dean Wightman, who is Sue’s partner, said she played very well, the award would have been “hotly contested,” and he lauded a “really good team performance”, with one of his two daughters in the side, Olivia, leading from the front as captain.
Evergreen stalwart goal-keeper Chris Pohlmann was at her vintage best, while the team also included another who was recently chosen in Queensland Over-45 Team 2, Naomi Poulsen, Sue Kendall’s three daughters, Hailey (16), Emma (14), and Courtney (13), Dean’s other daughter Reegan, and Minka’s 14-year-old daughter Maddie.
“With four away, we only had one sub, so it was a great effort by the Ladies,” Dean said.
Granville Tigers however defeated CBR 3-1 in the Premier Men’s decider.
Raiders/Rovers, who were Bundaberg minor premiers but beaten grand finalists last year, will now meet reigning Division 1 Women’s champions Arrows/Athletics at Hinkler Park tomorrow at 7.20pm after upsetting them 3-2 in the sudden-death 1 v 4 Premier semi-finals a month ago, after Arrows had been unbeaten in the rounds to top the table.
Arrows will also meet Raiders/Rovers in Division 1 Men at 6pm.
Waves Cities will do battle with All Blacks, with the Division 1 Men’s match at 3.20pm, and Women’s at 4.40pm.
Weekend scores:
U11s
Raiders Rovers 6 (Ivy Schultze 1, Isabella Wyllie 1, Will Baldry 2, Eli Crow 2) defeated Arrows Athletics 2 (Nate Pegg 1, Daniella Hodge 1)
All Blacks 4 (Brayden Sinnamon 1, Eamon D’Albret 1, Riley McLaren 1, Scarlett Lythall 1) defeated Waves Cities 0
U13s
Raiders Rovers 3 (Courtney Kendall 1, Molly Crow 2) defeated Arrows Athletics 0
All Blacks 2 (Elextra Lythall 1, Eamon D’Albret 1) defeated Waves Cities 1 (Emily Williamson)
Div 2 Women
Raiders Rovers won by forfeit from Waves Cities
Arrows Athletics 2 (Hayley Kleidon 1, Shauna Mark 1) drew with All Blacks 2 (Rhiannon Turley 2)
Div 2 Men
Waves Cities 2 (Harrison Baldwin 1, Cooper Bengston 1) defeated All Blacks 1 (James Raines 1)
Rugby league
A much depleted Past Brothers escaped with a 28-8 victory over their beleaguered hosts Hervey Bay Seagulls last Saturday, and in the wash-up, it was enough to re-establish a handy three-point buffer in the race for the Bundaberg Broadcasters A Grade Premiership minor title with four rounds to go.
In other matches, Wests Panthers joined Waves Tigers in equal-second position on 14 points with a comprehensive 24-6 victory over them and moved ahead of them on nett points’ differential 176 to 126.
Easts Magpies stayed in fourth spot but are now just one point away from second berth after triumphing 28-20 over Wallaroos, who stay in fifth, six points adrift of the second seeders.
Tomorrow, Brothers will be favoured at Salter Oval at 4.15pm against Roos, who have not won in Bundaberg for 13 months, while it will be a blockbuster between Magpies and Tigers at 6pm, and at Stafford Park Hervey Bay at 5pm, hopefully the Seagulls can at least be competitive in their third home game in a row against Panthers, who plucked them 80-2 last time.
Reigning BRL A Grade Player of the Year Andreas Nona make a welcome return from a five-week injury lay-off for the Magpies last week, but it was two of their former 2022 Seagulls Premiership stars, hooker William Walthall and fullback Ben Hudson, who really came to the fore with two tries each.
2021 premiership star winger Mitchell Clayton also made a timely return last week for the Brethren after missing them first 10 rounds due to University and Work commitments and he scored a signature try and also kicked three goals.
But 19-year-old Reserve Grade workhorse Liam Doyle made a dream A Grade debut off the bench, grabbing a double, while three under-18’s backed up from their loss to Seagulls earlier in the afternoon and filled in admirably, starting fullback, Canterbury Bulldogs contracted Blake Powter, who was also among the tries, five-eighth Mitchell Sly, and hooker Jack Picaro.
Saturday was a day to remember for Bundaberg Young Gun Tom Morcom.
Fresh from signing a contract with Brisbane Broncos for a further two years earlier in the week, he scored four tries to be a match winner as Waves Tigers downed Wests Panthers 32-14 in Under-18 at Salter Oval on Saturday, before backing up and making his A Grade debut on the wing and scoring the Tigers’ only try in their 24-6 loss to Panthers.
Tom will line up for Shalom College in the Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League Confraternity Carnival in Brisbane next week.
Meanwhile, Northern Districts Rugby League returns after their bye round last week at Gary Larson Oval Miriam Vale tomorrow, and in the Men’s Premiership, Gin Gin Hawks meet South Kolan Sharks at 2pm, before winless premiers Miriam Vale Magpies try to kick start their title defence against the might of Isis Devils at 3.30pm.
In Women’s League Tag, there is just one match with Agnes Water Marlins hoping to stop Gin Gin Hawkettes’ winning streak of over two years when they do battle at 1pm, after losing just 4-0 to them when they last duelled on 27th May.
AFL: Hervey Bay Bombers powered on in their AFL Wide Bay Senior Men’s Premiership title defence with a 9.14 (68) to 2.2 (14) home drubbing of Waves Eagles in their top of the table showdown on Saturday.
But Takalvans Senior Women’s Premiers Eagles had to dig deep against the Bombers before getting home 4.4 (28) to 3.2 (20).
There are no AFLWB fixtures tomorrow, in lieu of the South v North Queensland Representative showpiece in Cairns, with Waves Eagles’ Scout Strong and Brothers Bulldogs’ Bo Tankey on the South Senior Women’s Interchange Bench.
Netball
Brothers Hurricanes were unfortunately forced to forfeit their Warren Family Homes Division 1 Premiership top of the table shoot-out with three-times defending champions Waves Gold on Saturday.
But Brothers Cyclones struck against Waves Blue 33-26, and Natives Magpies pipped Alloway Blue 50-47.
Good luck to Bundaberg’s two under-14 teams, under-13’s, and under-12’s who are competing at the Junior State Age Championships in Townsville.
Bundaberg fixtures will resume next Saturday.
Football
Irish ace Gary O’Donnell notched a double as Bingera moved to the top of the Football Queensland Premier League Wide Bay Men’s ladder with a 4-2 victory over the previously unbeaten Across The Waves in their catch-up game on Tuesday night.
Waves dropped to second, one point behind them, although they have played one fewer game than them.
Last Saturday, Bingera, Waves and third placed United Park Eagles (UPE) had wins over Doon Villa 5-0 with a double to substitute Robert Cull, Sunbury Blues 4-2, and KSS Jets 5-2 with captain Josh Adcock leading from the front with four goals, respectively, but SC Corinthians remained winless in a 4-0 loss to Fraser Flames.
Tomorrow, Waves have another catch-up game, away to Flames, while UPE take on Bingera in a 6pm heavyweight bout at Martens Oval, and Doon Villa aim up against Sunbury.
In the WBPL Women’s League, Waves had a 2-1 away victory over Tinana last week, while UPE went down to Jets 3-0, and Bingera drew with Doon Villa 3-all.
Tonight, UPE suit up against Bingera at Martens Oval at 6.30pm, and on the Fraser Coast, there will be local derbies between Doon Vill and Tinana, and Flames and Jets.
Basketball
Bundaberg Autobarn Bulls slipped one position to third on the Basketball Queensland State League 2 Men’s ladder with a home loss to Southern Districts Spartans on Sunday, while the Bundaberg Bears again fell just short in the Women’s League with a 75-71 defeat at the hands of the Spartans despite a 23-point haul by Leah Gleich.
The Bears remain in sixth place.
Bundaberg has the bye this weekend before hosting Ipswich Force in the last round next Saturday.
Horse racing
Bundaberg champion King Klaus made a successful return from a six-month spell with an all-the-way victory in the 1000m Open Handicap at Caloundra on Friday.
Trained by Gary Clem, the seven-year-old took his record to 13 wins, five seconds and one third from 27 starts, and career earnings to $264,675.
Other sporting news: Tigers eye Panthers in battle of the big cats