League, NBL, AFL: Bold predictions for FNQ sport in 2023
As the calendar ticks over to 2023, we’ve looked into the crystal ball and predicted just how this year might pan out for some of the region’s biggest sports.
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A new year means new opportunity, and while the smell of Christmas ham has barely left the building the region’s athletes and weekend warriors are gearing up with hope for a big year.
Some seasons have started, others are only a month away and a handful of athletes in this list haven’t had an off-season.
But, as the calendar ticks over to 2023, we’ve looked into the crystal ball and predicted just how this year might pan out for some of the region’s biggest sports.
Taipans roll to semi finals, awards hit and miss
It might be “bold” given we’re more than halfway through the NBL season but the Taipans will not only finish in the top six, but progress through the inaugural Play-In Tournament.
From there, it gets a bit murky when judging the other contenders.
The record against Sydney was fairly good, though not as flash against New Zealand or Perth in recent times.
South East Melbourne, Adelaide, and Tasmania can be anything depending on the day – which will make the Play-In Tournament even trickier to follow.
Individually, Keanu Pinder will claim a second straight Most Improved Award while Sam Waardenburg will walk to the stage to collect the Rookie of the Year, keeping both pieces of silverware in Cairns for another season.
Pinder will mirror Scott Machado from NBL20 and fall just short of MVP to Kings’ Xavier Cooks, while Adam Forde will be pipped by Breakers boss Mody Maor for coach of the year.
This columnist is very happy to be proven wrong on those last two.
Brothers go back to back
Ben Barba will bring plenty of eyeballs to the FNQ Rugby League competition but it will be Brothers who stand tall on the final day of the season.
The former Dally M Medal winner will link with Mossman-Port Douglas Sharks, who will again be among the teams to set the pace throughout the campaign.
But, come finals, Brothers will reproduce their efforts from 2022 and defend their title, which was most recently done by the Sharks in 2018-19.
Ivanhoes, in a massive 100th year celebration, will finish third and go as far as the preliminary final before having their hearts broken.
The new top six format should reward Kangaroos, who have finished in that slot in the past few seasons, while Innisfail should again feature around the finals.
Expect improved finishes from Tully and Yarrabah, though the threats over the range will be tough to discount.
Women’s league limps on
It’s not a nice one to make but there doesn’t appear to light at the end of FNQRL’s struggles to get a women’s competition off the ground.
A year with two seasons in different formats – leaguetag or touch, then tackle – appears to be the way forward, and if that’s the case, hopefully it will translate to a more successful competition with no forfeits.
This writer wants nothing more than to see a thriving women’s competition – FNQ has so many talented footballers it’s a must – but the way it collapsed in 2022 leaves a bit of room for concern.
Prove me wrong (please).
As for who will reign this year, look for Kangaroos to bounce back after they dominated the 2022 season only to fall to Edmonton in the decider.
Junior league will seriously thrive
Far North Queensland has been left behind by regional rivals Townsville and Mackay in the junior league ranks, but we’ll see the gap start to close in 2023.
This will be the first year Cairns schools will be part of the Aaron Payne Cup, an elite schoolboys rugby league competition known to hone the skills of some of the best rugby league players in the game.
Mareeba State High is applying lessons learned in their debut campaign, and when you add noted league schools Trinity Bay State High and St Augustine’s College, the foundation for a greater and more successful future is being laid.
Pride to make Hostplus Cup finals
Northern Pride fought its way into the finals courtesy of a last-round win against Ipswich, but the Cairns club won’t leave it so late this year.
Much of the squad has been retained, and with more stability on and off the field at Barlow Park it should translate to greater results on the pitch.
The Pride finished with a 9-1-9 record in the regular season; in 2023, they’ll win 11 of their 20 games to land in the top six – and from there, anything can happen.
Slater’s Maroons go two straight
Billy Slater orchestrated a magnificent Maroons series win in his first State of Origin as Queensland coach, and we’ll see the great man lift the trophy again in 2023.
It would take a brave fan to bet against this Maroons outfit.
It’s dripping with youth, plenty of experience, guts, fight and everything a champion team needs to thrive.
Add in the influence of a champion like Slater, and a coaching team featuring legends like Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith, and you have a set-up which can launch the next Maroon dynasty,
We’ll also take Jeremiah Nanai as a sneaky Wally Lewis Medal winner, while Heilum Luki will knock on the door of an Origin debut after injury ruined his 2022.
Bulldogs find their bite but Lions reign
Cairns City Lions have been the standard bearers for the past few years and they will maintain the rage in the AFL Cairns competition – with a new grand final combatant.
Centrals Trinity Beach have recruited some quality players over the past two seasons but haven’t been able to make it count when it matters most, with early exits in the finals.
This might just be the year they turn it around, with the reserve grade side’s premiership success, the retention of the bulk of the squad, and a few more top-quality pieces making for a strong side at Crathern Park.
Saints will march to the top four, and we fully expect to see improvements out of North Cairns and the Manunda Hawks.
There’s a question mark over Port Douglas solely as it’s the first season without master coach Brad Cooper steering the ship, but with so much talent, it wouldn’t surprise to see the Crocs in finals.
But how can you bet against the Lions, especially with Aaron Davey back at the helm for a sixth season?
Saints are finally stopped
The absolute powerhouses of AFL Cairns’ Women’s competition in the past few seasons will finally have their reign ended in 2023.
Saints have won three straight premierships, boasting a record of 39 undefeated games as they run roughshod over the competition.
But the luck has to run out sometime, and we predict the time might come this year.
Who will step up?
There’s plenty of talent at Holloways Beach, while North Cairns will rediscover some roar as Luana Healey takes the reins.
Manunda is always a threat as well.
Grand final replay and reversal
Leichhardt ended Edge Hill United’s grip on the FQ Far North silverware in 2022 but the Lions won’t defend their men’s Premier League title this year.
Karl Bennett will steer the Lions to another deep finals run but, come the final day, it won’t be the red and black holding the trophy aloft.
Edge Hill United will be smarting from the way their year ended with a loss to Leichhardt in an ugly finale and will push deep into the post-season.
And it is there the Tigers will exact revenge, ending the Lions’ dream of two straight titles in either the preliminary final or decider.
As for who wins the grand final, Edge Hill Utd must be short odds if they can retain their squad, Lions can’t be discounted – it wouldn’t be the first time our prediction has been wrong - but it wouldn’t surprise to see a team like Mareeba Utd or Southside fight their way in.
The Tigers have dominated the women’s Premier League in recent years and that dominance will continue, though Leichhardt and Mareeba will be close behind.
Norths claim breakthrough title
A nine-point lead atop the Cricket Far North first grade ladder only paints of the picture of Norths’ dominance this season.
The team has taught the rest of the competition about how wickets can be preserved, with 26 fewer batsmen being dismissed across the nine games so far compared to their nearest rivals.
It is that, more than the win-loss record, which is the key argument for the prediction of Norths going on to claim the title.
As for who they will meet in the decider, it almost has to be Atherton or Mulgrave – the only two teams to have beaten Norths this season.
If Norths beat defending champions Mulgrave it could make it all the more sweet.
Mariners maintain the rage
JCU Mariners have sat atop the mountain in FNQ Rugby, and we don’t expect that to change this year.
The Mariners boasted one of the best records in community rugby across the state in 2022 as they romped to a perfect premiership, and while it won’t be as easy JCU should defend their title.
There will be plenty of competition.
Southside are a fantastic outfit and should compete again, Mudcrabs will be out to improve, Port Douglas has been fairly solid in recent years, while Brothers and Wanderers will have something up the sleeve.
JCU has been blessed with a brilliant roster, great coaching set-up and a game style which suits their talented players, and that should tick over to another title in 2023.
Cairns gun makes international debut
Jayden Atkinson will cap a few big years with his biggest yet, as the Brothers Hockey product makes his first appearance for the Kookaburras.
It’s a pretty tough team to crack but Atkinson will show enough form at training, in domestic competition, and in camp to earn an international debut.
Atkinson has been through the wringer in recent years, with a serious injury sidelining the Cairns product, but he fought back and played his way into a campaign with the Brisbane Blaze and the under-21 Burras.
Neumann extends historic Ironman reign
Sunshine Coast multisport sensation Max Neumann made history in 2022 by becoming the first man to win three straight Ironman Asia Pacific Championships.
And he is set to make it four in a row.
Of course, plenty can happen between now and June 18 – injuries can wreak havoc, preparations can be disrupted, and, of course, we are still living in a Covid-impacted world.
But based purely on form, nobody is coming close to Neumann in Ironman Cairns.
He set a new course record as he duked it out with former two-time winner Braden Currie, eventually beating the New Zealander by more than two minutes on the back of an awesome run.
Geyl to claim WBC title
Muay Thai is thriving in the Far North but leading the pack is Jessie “The Real” Geyl, who will add at least one more title belt to her collection in 2023.
Geyl is among the most complete fighters in the Far North, and will have an opportunity to fight for the WBC Super Lightweight National title on Muay Thai League on February 18.
Fighting out of Pretty Top Team (formerly known as Pretty Muay Thai), Geyl has a bunch of titles to her name already and is the leading female fighter in the region.
A title win to kick off the year would be huge for Geyl, but it would take a brave person to bet against her given her form.
While Geyl is singled out here, don’t be surprised to see championship gold rain on fighters from the region’s leading gyms like Pretty Top Team, The Fight Academy and Nukzu, who all boast some seriously gifted athletes.
Feel free to play along and leave your predictions for 2023 in the comments below, or on Facebook.
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
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Originally published as League, NBL, AFL: Bold predictions for FNQ sport in 2023
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