Statewide score wrap: Path from juniors to A Grade
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It was a debut nine years in the making for Bingen Balanzategui.
The 20-year-old played his first A Grade match with the table-topping Townsville Brothers on Sunday, graduating to the highest level at the club he’s been with since he was 11.
Balanzategui said he found out on Wednesday, May 11, that he was due for his debut against the Burdekin Roosters and he was thrust straight into the starting second row.
“I told the reserve grade coach that I was available for the weekend and then my A Grade coach sent me a message and said, ‘no you’re not – you’re playing A Grade’,” Balanzategui said.
“I was hoping to play this year, but I didn’t expect it to come so soon. I have been training with them for a while but I think, unfortunately, a few injuries helped the cause a little bit.”
It was a debut to remember for Balanzategui, as Brothers claimed a dominant 42-10 victory over Burdekin.
With plenty of experience around him - including Ty Carucci, Sione Lousi and Carlin Anderson, who is on the comeback trail from shoulder surgery - Balanzategui admitted it was a bit of a shock to the system in what was just his second game against men.
Having just graduated from under 19s last year, Balanzategui had played just one game of reserve grade this year before the call up on the weekend.
“It was good. It was tough,” Balanzategui said.
“It was a lot different to the under 19s and even reserve grade. It was only the second game of football I’ve played against men and it was physical and fast.
“Starting made me a bit more nervous, but it was good to get out there and get those nerves out straight away.”
Balanzategui – whose father and namesake also made his way through the juniors to the seniors at Townsville – said he joined Brothers in 2013, in what was his first year of rugby league.
He had previously played soccer, but made the change, following in his father’s footsteps, and said he has never looked back.
“My dad is why I started there, but I had good coaching all the way through,” he said.
“You get looked after. It’s a good club.”
Full scores and information for all Queensland A Grade competitions for the weekend May 13-15 are below.
South East region
BRL Premier A Grade
Round 6 postponed
QTOP Premiership - Gold Coast
Round 6 results
Mudgeeraba Redbacks 34 def Helensvale Hornets 24
Southport Tigers 32 def Ormeau Shearers 16
Burleigh Bears 30 def Currumbin Eagles 28
Tugun Seahawks 22 def Runaway Bay Seagulls 14
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burleigh Bears | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 15 |
| 2 | Southport Tigers | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 14 |
| 3 | Mudgeeraba Redbacks | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 13 |
| 4 | Tugun Seahawks | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 12 |
| 5 | Runaway Bay Seagulls | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| 6 | Helensvale Hornets | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -149 | 8 |
| 7 | Currumbin Eagles | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -52 | 7 |
| 8 | Ormeau Shearers | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -60 | 7 |
A Grade Premiership – Ipswich
Round 5 postponed
South East Women's Holcim Cup
Round 3 postponed
Central region
4BU/HITZ FM Bundaberg A Grade Premiership
Round 6 postponed
Central Highlands Fair Dinkum Fresh Women’s Premiership
Round 6 results
Bluff Rabbitohs 18 def Blackwater Crushettes 0
Emerald Tigers 34 def Emerald Brothers 4
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackwater Crushettes | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 10 |
| 2 | Emerald Tigers | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 8 |
| 3 | Bluff Rabbitohs | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 6 |
| 4 | Emerald Brothers | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -230 | 0 |
Central Highlands Emerald Industrial Supplies Men's Premiership
Round 5 results
Springsure Mountain Men 52 def Middlemount Panthers 10
Clermont Bears 48 def Bluff Rabbitohs 10
Dysart Bulls 96 def Blackwater Crushers 4
Emerald Tigers 36 def Emerald Brothers 10
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Springsure Mountain Men | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 10 |
| 2 | Dysart Bulls | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170 | 8 |
| 3 | Clermont Bears | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 8 |
| 4 | Emerald Tigers | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 4 |
| 5 | Middlemount Panthers | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -108 | 4 |
| 6 | Emerald Brothers | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -120 | 2 |
| 7 | Blackwater Crushers | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -184 | 2 |
| 8 | Bluff Rabbitohs | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -66 | 2 |
Hutchinson Builders Toowoomba Men’s Premiership
Round 5 cancelled
Toowoomba Sports Club Women's Premiership
Round 5 cancelled
Maudsley Excavations Cup Men - Sunshine Coast
Round 5 postponed
Maudsley Excavations Cup Women – Sunshine Coast
Round 5 postponed
Rockhampton Rugby League
Complete bye round
Rockhampton Rugby League Women’s
Complete bye round
Northern District Rugby League
Round 4 postponed
Central West Rugby League
Complete bye round
Roma and District Rugby League
Round 4 results
Roma Cities Gladiators 80 def Western Ringers 0
Mitchell Magpies 42 def Miles Devils 18
St George Saints 33 def Wallumbilla/Surat Red Bulls 22
Bye: Chinchilla Bulldogs
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roma Cities Gladiators | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 146 | 16 |
| 2 | Mitchell Magpies | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 12 |
| 3 | Chinchilla Bulldogs | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 8 |
| 4 | St George Saints | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 8 |
| 5 | Wallumbilla / Surat Red Bulls | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | Miles Devils | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -44 | 0 |
| 7 | Western Ringers | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -162 | 0 |
South Burnett Rugby League
Scores TBC
Central Burnett Rugby League
Scores TBC
North region
CDRL A Grade
Round 6 results
Ivanhoe Knights 34 def Innisfail Brothers 20
Cairns Brothers 56 def Mareeba Gladiators 20
Atherton Roosters 40 def Cairns Kangaroos 18
Tully Tigers 30 def Yarrabah Seahawks 24
Southern Suburbs Cockatoos 26 def Edmonton Storm 18
Bye: Mossman Sharks
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairns Brothers | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 10 |
| 2 | Atherton Roosters | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 10 |
| 3 | Mossman Sharks | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 8 |
| 4 | Ivanhoe Knights | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 8 |
| 5 | Innisfail Brothers | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8 |
| 6 | Cairns Kangaroos | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 8 |
| 7 | Tully Tigers | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -43 | 6 |
| 8 | Southern Suburbs Cockatoos | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -12 | 4 |
| 9 | Yarrabah Seahawks | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | -80 | 4 |
| 10 | Mareeba Gladiators | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -87 | 2 |
| 11 | Edmonton Storm | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -62 | -2 |
Mackay Men
Round 5 postponed
Mackay Women
Round 5 postponed
Townsville District Rugby League Men
Round 5 results
Western Lions 38 def Centrals ASA Tigers 6
Herbert River Crushers 38 def Norths Devils 6
Townsville Brothers 42 def Burdekin Roosters 10
Bye: Charters Towers Miners
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Townsville Brothers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 78 | 6 |
| 2 | Herbert River Crushers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 6 |
| 3 | Western Lions | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 6 |
| 4 | Centrals ASA Tigers | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -62 | 4 |
| 5 | Charters Towers Miners | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 6 | Norths Devils | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -48 | 3 |
| 7 | Burdekin Roosters | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -32 | 2 |
Townsville District Rugby League Women
Round 5 results
Herbert River Crushers 12 def Norths Devils 4
Burdekin Roosters 54 def Townsville Brothers 4
Western Lions 18 def Centrals ASA Tigers 16
Bye: Charters Towers Miners
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | B | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burdekin Roosters | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 8 |
| 2 | Centrals ASA Tigers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 6 |
| 3 | Western Lions | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -4 | 6 |
| 4 | Herbert River Crushers | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -40 | 4 |
| 5 | Charters Towers Miners | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | -32 | 4 |
| 6 | Norths Devils | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -20 | 2 |
| 7 | Townsville Brothers | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -90 | 2 |
Mount Isa Rugby League
Round 4 results
Mount Isa Townies 32 def Mount Isa Brothers 22
Bye: Mount Isa Wanderers
Ladder not available.
Mount Isa Rugby League Women
Scores TBC
