Read which sporting clubs delivered the most memorable performances in 2023
From the football codes to netball and hockey, we highlight the performances of the region’s top sporting clubs in the past 12 months. See who made the list.
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2023 proved a memorable year on the Central Queensland sporting scene.
Premiership droughts were broken, legacies strengthened and unforgettable grand final moments were created.
With a new year upon us, we look back at the most successful local clubs from some of our major codes.
Our selections were based on performances across all age groups.
Hockey
Wanderers Hockey Club had a year to remember, with its teams making all 10 grand finals in the Rockhampton Hockey Association competition.
It won the four junior grand finals - under-13 boys and girls and under-16 boys and girls.
The club also claimed four of the six senior premierships - the A3 women, A2 men and women and the A-grade men.
The men in red and blue have dominated the senior division, winning 17 of the past 18 titles which included a run of 14 in a row.
Wanderers, which produced Olympians Jamie Dwyer and Matt Gohdes, also had a number of players who earned regional, state and national honours.
Aussie rules
The Yeppoon Swans juggernaut rolled on in 2023, with the senior men winning a ninth straight AFL Capricornia flag.
However, their national record-making run of consecutive wins ended on 128 games after they were beaten for the first time since mid-2015 by the Glenmore Bulls in Round 6.
They surpassed the previous record of 88 straight, set by South Australia’s Heathfield-Aldgate in the 1970s, with their 2020 grand final win.
For the second year in a row, the club celebrated the senior double, with their women edging Panthers by three points in a hard-fought decider.
The Swans also featured in three other grand finals - reserve grade and the under-17 and under-15 boys.
Football
The Green Grubs supporters had plenty to cheer about as Clinton Football Club shone in season 2023.
Its teams featured in four of the five Football Queensland Central Coast grand finals, winning three of them - the Premier League men and women and the under-23 men.
The men’s outfit hoisted the coveted Wesley Hall Cup for the fifth time in the club’s history after a 3-nil win over Nerimbera in the grand final.
It capped a perfect performance for the team, which went through the regular season and finals series unbeaten.
Clinton also swept the FQPLCC men’s awards with Matt Varnes winning the Gold Boot (31 goals), Bailey Barrett the Goalkeeper of the Year, Josh Noonah Player of the Year and Michael Stephen Coach of the Year.
Rugby league
Three clubs made compelling cases for rugby league’s Club of the Year.
The first was Norths Chargers who, for consistency, could well take the title for overall performance in the Rockhampton competition.
They had the highest representation in grand finals, playing in five of the 11 junior and senior deciders.
Their under-19s hoisted the premiership trophy, breaking a grand final hoodoo in which they had made the big dance five times in the previous six years, only to be beaten every time.
Their junior stocks are also very healthy, with their under-13 and under-14 boys and under-17 boys and girls making the finals.
The under-14 boys and under-17 girls were victorious.
Rockhampton Brothers were also strong contenders.
Their senior women claimed a fourth straight title and their reserve grade team went back-to-back with victory over Biloela in the big dance.
The club’s under-19s also featured in the final but were denied victory.
Their under-15 boys, however, got the job done to claim a well-deserved premiership.
But it’s also hard to look past Yeppoon, which tightened its stranglehold on the Rockhampton Rugby League A-grade competition by winning a fourth straight title.
It makes them just the third club to have achieved that feat in the history of the competition, which started in 1918.
It also has some good young talent coming through the ranks, with the under-15 and under-16 boys making their respective grand finals, with the older age group winning the premiership.
Rugby union/netball
It was double delight for Colts as their teams enjoyed dual code success.
Colts men’s rugby union team took out the Rugby Capricornia A-grade premiership, breaking a 12-year title drought.
It rekindled the glory days for the club, which is the only one in the history of the competition to have won four straight titles (2008 to 2011).
A week later and it was the club’s netballers who were celebrating victory.
They beat familiar foes Brothers Crimson to claim their second premiership in three years.
Best elite club
The Rockhampton Cyclones are undoubtedly one of the most consistent sporting teams at the elite level.
They made it to the QBL (now NBL1 North) playoffs three times in the five years before their grand final appearance in 2023.
They timed their run to perfection, building momentum in the back half, winning seven games straight to shore up their place in the finals series.
After knocking off the highly fancied Logan Thunder and Darwin Salties, they were beaten by the Northside Wizards in the three-game grand final series.
In recognition of a stellar season, Drew Fenton was named NBL1 Coach of the Year and power forward Samantha Bowman was named in the NBL1 All Star 5.
Honourable mention
The CQ Capras were also in the mix, based heavily on the performance of their men’s team but their other outfits failed to enjoy similar success.
The Lionel Harbin coached men fell just one win short of a place in the Q-Cup’s big dance, knocked out in the preliminary final by Brisbane Tigers.
But they posted some impressive stats in the 2023 season.
They were fourth at the end of the regular season, which was second only to their third-placed finish in 2009.
Their for-and-against of +118 was the club’s best ever, beating +70 last year when they made it to week two of the finals.
Their six opening wins was their best ever start, and their second longest winning run in the club’s history.
The Capras were in the top eight all year, leading the comp from Rounds four to eight.
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