Statewide score wrap: Gulls fly home with one-point thriller
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Rugby league was back to its very best on Saturday in Bundaberg with the Hervey Bay Seagulls edging out Waves Tigers thanks to a David Woodbridge field goal in an action-packed contest.
Returning after a year off in 2020, the Bundaberg Rugby League kicked off with their traditional 'magic round' at Salter Oval at the weekend, with the first official game in over 18 months putting craving footy fans on their edge of their seats for the one-point thriller.
Community league also returned in Mount Isa and Cairns with some masterclass performances in the Far North setting the season up for a quality year ahead.
Brisbane Rugby League
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
QTOP Premiership - Gold Coast
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, May 8.
Ipswich Rugby League
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 17.
South East Queensland Women's Premiership
Round 1 kick off date is yet to be confirmed.
Hutchinson Builders Cup - Toowoomba
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
Toowoomba Women's Premiership
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
Maudsley Excavations Cup - Sunshine Coast
The Kawana Dolphins are truly a well-oiled machine at the moment, making it three from three with a dominant 30-4 win at home over the Caboolture Snakes.
A double from Sam Wright helped rudder the Dolphins towards the four competition points, setting up a top-of-the-table clash after Easter against Noosa after the Pirates made light work of the Crushers on Saturday night, despite the brave effort from centre Leyton Ey who scored all of Nambour's four-pointers.
Maroochydore were too strong in their first home game of the year against Gympie; a spectacular double from Luke Barton the catalyst in their second-straight win and a hat-trick at home for Walter Lauenstein made sure the Caloundra Sharks finished on top of the 80 minutes against the luckless 2019 premiers Stanley River, who can't be faulted for their effort despite sitting on the bottom of the ladder heading into the Easter break.
Round 3 results
Noosa Pirates 28 defeated Nambour Crushers 10
Maroochydore Swans 28 defeated Gympie Devils 16
Kawana Dolphins 30 defeated Caboolture Snakes 4
Caloundra Sharks 32 defeated Stanley River Wolves 20
Beerwah Bulldogs - bye
Round 3 ladder
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kawana Dolphins | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +68 | 12 |
| 2 | Noosa Pirates | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +54 | 12 |
| 3 | Beerwah Bulldogs | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +38 | 12 |
| 4 | Caloundra Sharks | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +8 | 9 |
| 5 | Maroochydore Swans | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 6 | Gympie Devils | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -8 | 6 |
| 7 | Nambour Crushers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -40 | 6 |
| 8 | Caboolture Snakes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -42 | 3 |
| 9 | Stanley River Wolves | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -66 | 3 |
Sunshine Coast Women's Cup
The Coast was buzzing for the return of the Women's Cup with Caloundra asserting their authority with a 50-4 win over Noosa at Tinonee Oval.
With Kawana winning over Nambour thanks to a forfeit, the only other match saw Gympie too strong for Caboolture, winning 18-4 and setting up a second round top-of-the-table date with the Sharks.
Round 1 results
Kawana Dolphins defeated Nambour Crushers (forfeit)
Caloundra Sharks 50 defeated Noosa Pirates 4
Gympie Devils 18 defeated Caboolture Snakes 4
Beerwah Bulldogs - bye
Round 1 ladder
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caloundra Sharks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +46 | 4 |
| 2 | Kawana Dolphins | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +40 | 4 |
| 3 | Gympie Devils | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +14 | 4 |
| 4 | Beerwah Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | Caboolture Snakes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -14 | 1 |
| 6 | Noosa Pirates | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -40 | 1 |
| 7 | Nambour Crushers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -46 | 1 |
Bundaberg Broadcasters Premiership
Contributed by QRL Bundaberg correspondent Vince Habermann
Stalwart front rower Dan Tanner was at his vintage best, bagging a hat-trick of tries in an inspired all-round performance as Wests Panthers ambushed reigning champions Past Brothers 46-22 in the first round of the Bundaberg Broadcasters A Grade Premiership at Salter Oval on Saturday night.
The Brethren lost captain and high-class second rower Kevin Sherriff to a hamstring injury in the warm-up, but there were no excuses as they spluttered while the Panthers purred after a shaky start, knocking on from the kick-off on their line.
But they recomposed and repelled the premiers’ early raids, before opening their account with a try to prolific scoring under 18 graduate centre Jensen Deamer in the seventh minute, and never looking back, establishing an 18-10 half-time lead, and going right on with the job.
Earlier in the afternoon in the first A Grade game of the season, 2019 beaten grand finalists Waves Tigers also suffered a shock loss, being edged out by Hervey Bay Seagulls, who gave promise of a very competitive season after a couple of tough years with a 23-22 victory.
Then, Easts Magpies flexed their muscle - turning it on against Wallaroos - although they may have switched off with Roos scoring the last three tries of the match to add some respectability, in the end going down 52-32.
Wests coach Corey Tanner was proud of how they bounced back from what could have been a disastrous start and really stamped themselves as genuine contenders.
“Brothers are one of the stronger teams in the comp most years, and they have quality coaching and players but our attitude in the first 60 seconds to counteract what happened was the key – I was pretty impressed with the way we defended our line and turned Brothers away,” Tanner said.
“It was a good start to the season - I knew we were going to be fit and fast but the score line surprised me – I thought it would be much closer, but definitely the forward pack all stood up and did the job and really laid the platform, especially [captain] Jimmy Prichard, Shaun Ezzy and Dan [Tanner] in a whole team effort.”
Prichard suffered a knee strain, but Tanner is hoping it is “not too serious” and that he may be able to play in the next round against Wallaroos on Saturday week after the Easter break, but either way he is expecting another powerhouse front rower Joseph Doyle to be back after being unavailable on Saturday, and that hooker Tyson Douglas, who was also out with a hamstring injury, may also be fit.
Meanwhile, another under 18 graduate halfback David Woodbridge was a hero for the Seagulls, scoring a try, and kicking two conversions and the decisive field goal.
The new-look Magpies also ran like a well oiled unit under their new coach Brent Kuskey, with eight of their nine tries coming through their backs, including doubles to powerhouse centre Matthew Ross and five-eighth, former Tannum star Andreas Nona.
Round 1 results
Hervey Bay Seagulls 23 (Mitchell Laughton, David Woodbridge, William Walthall, Travin Baumann tries; David Woodbridge 2, Mitchell Laughton goals; David Woodbridge field goal) defeated Waves Tigers 22 (Layton Chambers 2, Sam Tobin, Nick Samra tries; Layton Chambers 3 goals)
Easts Magpies 52 (Matthew Ross 2, Andreas Nona 2, Clinton Horne, Billy Stefaniuk, Tien Nguyen, Tyrell Howard, Leigh Eade tries; Matthew Craven 8 goals) defeated Maryborough Wallaroos 32 (David Ball 2, Jackson Gouge, Bailey Robertson, Bailey Eckert, Jesse Robertson tries; Luke Waters 4 goals)
Wests Panthers 46 (Dan Tanner 3, Jake Coros, Dyirun Johnson, Jensen Deamer, Gaige Laird, James Prichard tries; James Prichard 4, Chris Robinson, Dyirun Johnson, Marcus Tanner goals) defeated Past Brothers 22 (Willie Nagas, Tyrell Priestley, Tim Cole, Royce Blair tries; Zak Bainbridge 3 goals)
Round 1 ladder
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wests Panthers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +24 | 2 |
| 2 | Easts Magpies | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +20 | 2 |
| 3 | Hervey Bay Seagulls | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 2 |
| 4 | Waves Tigers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| 5 | Maryborough Wallaroos | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -20 | 0 |
| 6 | Pasts Brothers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -24 | 0 |
Rugby League Gladstone
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, May 22.
Rockhampton Rugby League
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
Rockhampton Rugby League Women's
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
Purcell's Engineering Men's Premiership - Central Highlands
Round 1 kicks off on Friday, April 9.
Northern Districts Rugby League
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
South Burnett Rugby League
Round 1 kick off date is yet to be confirmed.
Central Burnett Rugby League
Round 1 kick off date is yet to be confirmed.
Roma and District Rugby League
Round 1 kick off date is yet to be confirmed.
Central West Rugby League
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
Components Only Cup - Mackay
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
Mackay Airport Cup - Women's
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
Townsville and District Rugby Men
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
Townsville and District Rugby League Women
Round 1 kicks off on Saturday, April 10.
Mount Isa Rugby League
Sadly, it was an anti-climatic start to the Mount Isa Rugby League season with lighting issues plaguing Round 1 fixtures at Alec Inch Oval.
The inability to take the field has only made all four teams more and more eager to come back in Round 2 after the Easter break.
Round 1 results
Mount Isa Brothers defeated Cloncurry Eagles (forfeit).
Town Lions drew Wanderers Devils (match abandoned due to lighting issues).
Round 1 ladder
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Isa Brothers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Town Lions | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Wanderers Devils | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Cloncurry Eagles | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
Mount Isa Rugby League Women's
A thrilling start to the Mount Isa Rugby League Women's premiership ended with the Cloncurry Eagles too good for the Wanderers Devils 22-16.
It was a great turnout in the grandstands with spectators keen to get their footy fix in the new year and both teams put on a great display in the opening round of the competition.
Round 1 results
Cloncurry Eagles 22 defeated Wanderers Devils 16*
Mount Isa Wranglers - bye
*Official result a forfeit due to Cloncurry being topped up with Wranglers players
Round 1 ladder
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wanderers Devils | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Mount Isa Wranglers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Cloncurry Eagles | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
Cairns District Rugby League
It may have been wet and windy but the typical March weather didn't scare anyone in Far North Queensland away from missing Round 1 of the Cairns A Grade competition.
Northern Pride contracted-back Cephas Chinfat was a star for Southern Suburbs in their strong win against Tully; amassing 14 points with two tries and three goals in their 32-18 win over the gritty Tigers.
Ivanhoes escaped a resurgent Atherton Roosters, claiming the two points with a 18-12 win; meanwhile, Edmonton were too strong for Innisfail at Peterson Park, bagging a 24-14 victory.
Tipped to make a big difference for Cairns Brothers in the halves, Evan Childs put on a clinic by scoring a spectacular hat-trick in the Brethren's dominant performance against the 2019 premiers Mossman Port Douglas and at Vico Oval, the Kangaroos and Gladiators couldn't be separated at full-time, splitting the points with a 14-14 draw.
Round 1 results
Southern Suburbs 32 defeated Tully Tigers 18
Ivanhoes Knights 18 defeated Atherton Roosters 12
Cairns Brothers 38 defeated Mossman Port Douglas Sharks 10
Edmonton Storm 24 defeated Innisfail Leprechauns 14
Cairns Kangaroos 14 drew Mareeba Gladiators 14
Yarrabah Seahawks - bye
Round 1 ladder
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairns Brothers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +28 | 2 |
| 2 | Southern Suburbs | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +14 | 2 |
| 3 | Edmonton Storm | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 2 |
| 4 | Ivanhoes Knights | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 2 |
| 5 | Yarrabah Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Cairns Kangaroos | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Mareeba Gladiators | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Atherton Roosters | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -6 | 0 |
| 9 | Innisfail Leprechauns | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -10 | 0 |
| 10 | Tully Tigers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -14 | 0 |
| 11 | Mossman Port Douglas Sharks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -28 | 0 |
