The athletes, achievements and events that made headlines over the past 12 months

We look back at a year which delivered Rockhampton its first-ever NRL games, saw a coaching great retire after 50 years and an athlete bring home silver from the Tokyo Paralympics.

The year 2021 served up some memorable sporting moments in Central Queensland.

Joel Coughlan enjoyed Paralympics glory, Rockhampton hosted NRL for the first time and cowboy Aaron Kleier cemented his place as one of the country’s greatest ever bull riders.

The CQ Capras received an early Christmas present when it was announced they had secured a full affiliation with the newest NRL franchise, the Dolphins.

Here we look back at 10 of the top stories of the year.

Cycling coach Reggie Tucker.

April: Reggie Tucker, a name synonymous with cycling, called time on his celebrated 50-year coaching career.

He helped shape the careers of hundreds of cyclists, the most notable being Anna Meares, who is considered the greatest female track cyclist of all time.

“I’m so happy and incredibly satisfied that I’ve been able to help so many people achieve their goals,” he said at the time.

Read the full story here.

The Parramatta Eels and Newcastle Knights faced off in the NRL elimination final at Browne Park. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

August: Rockhampton played host to NRL action for the first time in 2021.

The Australian Rugby League’s decision to relocate the 12 New South Wales and ACT-based NRL teams to south-east Queensland in the wake of the growing Covid crisis in Sydney proved a boon for the Beef Capital.

It hosted three games - Cronulla Sharks versus Wests Tigers (Round 23), the North Queensland Cowboys versus St George Dragons (Round 24) and then the elimination final between Parramatta and Newcastle.

Footy fans from across the region packed into Browne Park to take in the action.

Check out the social photos from the elimination semi here.

August: Colts Divas ended Brothers Crimson’s nine-year dominance of Rockhampton Netball’s Senior A competition.

They scored a memorable 71-69 victory in a gripping grand final that went into double extra time.

The premiership win provided a memorable swansong for Colts Divas’ player/coach Carmen Anderson, who announced her retirement after the memorable victory.

Read the full story here.

Referees walked after being subject to ongoing abuse.

August: Referees boycotted one round of Rockhampton District Secondary Schools Rugby League games because of ongoing abuse.

Their decision meant 42 games were not played in the competition, which features 84 teams from 12 schools in divisions from Year 7 through to open.

The behaviour was condemned and players, officials and spectators were subsequently put on notice.

A resolution was reached between the RDSSRL and the Rockhampton Rugby League Referees Association and the referees returned to the field the following week for the competition’s semi-finals.

Read the full story here.

Yeppoon Seagulls’ stalwart Gavin Hiscox bowed out a winner.

August: Yeppoon Seagulls’ stalwart Gavin Hiscox enjoyed a fitting end to his celebrated rugby league career.

The hard-working forward was instrumental in his team’s win over Rockhampton Brothers in the Rockhampton Rugby League A-grade men’s grand final.

Hiscox, whose career included more than 120 games for the CQ Capras and two World Cup campaigns with Italy, described the premiership victory as “a beautiful way to go out”.

Read the full story here.

St Brendan's College celebrate their Aaron Payne Cup win in Mackay.

September: St Brendan’s College reigned supreme in the Aaron Payne Cup, Queensland’s premier schoolboys rugby league competition.

They edged Kirwan State High 19-18 in a grand final thriller in Mackay.

Captain and champion halfback Owen Pattie was the hero, sealing the victory with a long-range field goal in the dying seconds of the clash.

Read the full story here.

September: The seemingly unstoppable Yeppoon Swans continued on their winning way, claiming a seventh straight flag in the AFL Capricornia senior men’s competition.

They scored a 12.5-77 to 8.6-54 over a determined Glenmore Bulls outfit in a classic grand final showdown in Rockhampton.

That extended to 106 their record-making run of consecutive wins.

Read the full story here.

Rockhampton's Joel Coughlan won a silver medal at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games. Photo: Table Tennis Australia

September: Rockhampton table tennis player Joel Coughlan was celebrating after winning a silver medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo.

He was part of the Australia men’s team - classes 9-10 - which charged into the gold medal match, only to be beaten by China.

Coughlan also had the honour of co-captaining the Australian para-table tennis team, which finished with two gold and four silver medals, the country’s best result at a Paralympic Games.

Read the full story here.

Aaron Kleier took out his fourth consecutive PBR Australia Championship. Picture: Creative Concepts PR

November: Aaron Kleier secured his place as one of the country’s most accomplished bull riders.

The Clermont cowboy won a fourth consecutive PBR Australia championship at the grand finals in Townsville.

The result meant he tied with David Kennedy for the most national titles won by a rider in league history.

Kleier became the first bull rider to win three straight titles last year.

Read the full story here.

Capras' CEO Peter White and Dolphins' head coach Wayne Bennett announce the clubs' affiliation.

December: It was the news the Rockhampton Leagues Club Capras had long been waiting for - a full affiliation with an NRL club.

The club has entered into a partnership with the Dolphins, the 17th NRL franchise which will enter the Telstra Premiership in 2023.

Super coach Wayne Bennett, who will take the reins at the Dolphins for their inaugural NRL season, jetted into Rockhampton to help deliver the exciting announcement on December 1.

Read the full story here.