Most impactful, influential Sunshine Coast sports stories of 2023
From premiership stars and representative success to fresh faced teams and off-field heartache we’ve ranked the biggest sporting moments on the Sunshine Coast for 2023. See the full list and have your say.
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From the grassroots heroes, representative bolters, club triumphs and heartaches, this year had it all.
Here is my look at some of the top or most impactful sporting moments of 2023.
Most impactful, influential Sunshine Coast sports stories of 2023
13. NEW WORLD CLASS INDOOR SPORTS PRECINCT
The announcement of a new ‘world class’ indoor sports hub took centre court earlier this year.
With 11 courts and 6000 seats the precinct is expected to co-host 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games basketball events as well as regional and national tournaments including for netball, volleyball, futsal, pickleball and badminton.
Sunshine Coast Regional Council Mayor Mark Jamieson and Deputy Premier Steven Miles revealed the plans in February which also included the long-awaited Sunshine Coast stadium expansion to bring it to a total capacity of about 16,000.
They said construction would begin in 2024 and the facility would be up and running in 2027.
12. PURE KNOCKOUT DOMINATION
A few wins from a local fighting gym every now and then is a massive achievement but when a Caloundra gym takes the cake on the four biggest Australian fight cards in a row, it’s well worthy of a spot on this list.
A handful of superstar fighters from Ignite Martial Arts Academy have continued to make their mark at the amateur and professional level.
Head coach Ryan Dunstan established the gym in 2004, before relocating to a ‘bigger and better’ space in 2023.
The move paid massive dividends with a number of his superstars retaining, winning or contesting for a series of title fights.
11. NO BLUES FOR LOCAL TRAINER AFTER GUTSY MELBOURNE PERFORMANCE
Damien Batters and his small team found a diamond in the rough with two-year-old star Party For Two earlier this year.
A third place on debut was followed by successive victories (by a combined total of nine lengths) before a huge runner-up finish in the Group 2 Blue Diamond Fillies Prelude.
She then rounded off her campaign with an unplaced run in the Group 1 Blue Diamond itself, albeit only finishing 3.35 lengths behind the winner.
“We probably only had six in work at that stage so to take Party For Two all the way down to Melbourne and compete with the best of the best and run second in the Blue Diamond Prelude was definitely a highlight of my career to date,” he said.
A few months later the horse changed hands with owners opting to send the filly to Eagle Farm trainers Steve O’Dea and Matt Hoysted.
10. LANGER TROPHY NEWCOMERS SNATCH FIRST EVER WIN
After a tough introductory season, Caloundra SHS were able to secure their first ever Langer Trophy victory over Redcliffe.
It was a battle of the winless schools in the final regular season round but Caloundra’s 26-16 victory meant they also snagged a place in the finals.
The competition newcomers had struggled to make an impression in their opening six games, but in front of their home crowd in a do-or-die game, they produced the goods when it mattered most.
9. THE NUMEROUS SPORTING REVIVALS
There were a few ‘new kids on the block’ in the senior sporting space in 2023 and every announcement was meant with intrigue from the region’s sporting community.
After two seasons of disruption for the Buderim Wanderers Football Club dotted with on and off-field dramas culminating in the collapse of its top team, the longstanding club made a stunning return to the senior men’s fold in 2023.
In the club’s 50th year in 2022, a bitter divide between the Sunshine Coast Wanderers and Buderim Wanderers led to a ‘mass walkout’ following the election of president Glenn Duncan and the senior men’s team unable to field a starting 11.
But in a stunning revival, the club ‘resuscitated’ its senior men’s outfit and were strong competitors this past year.
Across the pond, the Maroochydore Swans had emotions running high after announcing they would not be entering a team in the 2023 Sunshine Coast rugby league competition, a year after they took home the title.
The Gympie devils were also included in that announcement until a week later when the Swans scraped together a side at the 11th hour.
The men in green went on to contest the semi-final.
Another great addition to the 2023 SCGRL a-grade competition was newcomers, Coolum Colts.
From a club office that began in a caravan in 1989, the Colts fielded their inaugural division one men’s side in 2023, after picking up three division two premierships in the last four seasons.
The Colts earnt plenty of respect from opposition players and coaches and will be ones to watch next season.
8. LEGAL LETTERS ENGULF THE FIRE’S FLAMES
It was the shock announcement that rocked the Sunshine Coast and wider Queensland football community.
The Peregian-based club quickly threatened legal action against their own governing body, accusing it of ‘trying to destroy the club’ after they were told it was being removed from the top senior state league competition and junior affiliates.
On October 10 the Fire received a legal letter from Football Queensland advising them they had ‘no right to continued participation’.
Since that story broke the Fire have continued their talks with Football Australia in regards to the National Second Division and have further explored options to play in the Football Victoria competition for their senior players.
7. FALCONS READY TO SOAR WITH BMD PROMISE
Technically this is a story for 2024 but the announcement of the Sunshine Coast Falcons joining the Queensland BMD Premiership competition is too good not to include in this list.
The Queensland Rugby League announced in October that they have committed to a three-year expansion model approving the Falcons and the Western Clydesdales in the state’s elite women’s competition.
The Falcons were crowned champions of the 2023 47th Battalion carnival in Emerald and Sunshine Coast Gympie Rugby League president Jodie Price said that victory was a major confidence boost.
Head coach Steve Belsham, along with Falcons CEO Chris Flannery and Hostplus Cup head coach Brad Henderson, have already been hard at work in recruiting a host of big names.
The club quickly unveiled their inaugural signing as former Jillaroo, Queensland representative, two-time NRLW premiership winner and Karyn Murphy medallist, Annette Brander.
Since then they’ve also confirmed the signings of NRLW players Hayley Maddick, Maddie Studdon and Keisha-Leigh Coolwell along with a host of local stars.
6. RACING MAESTRO TASTES VICTORY YET AGAIN
Leading trainer Stuart Kendrick has been a dominant force on the Sunshine Coast for many years and that claim was cemented again this season after being crowned Corbould Park’s leading trainer of the 2022/23 season.
Kendrick took out the season with 51.5 wins, 24.5 more than Brisbane and metropolitan champion Tony Gollan who finished in second spot.
After winning the Mackay trainers’ premiership for five years straight, Kendrick relocated to the Sunshine Coast in 2013 and has come away with the title every year since.
His form hasn’t let up this season either with the father of three sitting in top spot, 15 wins ahead of the next best trainer in Jack Bruce.
5. TOP TEAMS ETCH THEIR NAME INTO SUNSHINE COAST FOLKLORE
No matter the sport the grand final champions are the most important part of any season and 2023 was no different.
The key winners included the USC Barbarians who claimed their third straight Sunshine Coast rugby union A-grade title plus a cracking finish between Nambour and Caloundra in the women’s division.
For rugby league it was underdogs Kawana who claimed top spot in the women’s competition while Beerwah edged out the Dolphins in a fiery a-grade contest to claim the club’s first ever SCGRL premiership.
The round ball game was also no different as Noosa overcame a young Kawana outfit in the FQPL3 men’s division while Maroochydore proved too strong against Noosa in the senior women’s match.
A few other Sunshine Coast clubs shone in their respective Aussie rules grand finals with the Noosa Tigers claiming top spot after securing a hat-trick of premierships in their QFAW Division 2.
4. RISING STAR FORGOES CRICKET DOMINATION FOR MATILDA’S DREAM
Matthew Flinders Anglican College student Rosie McMahon took another step closer to her elite level dream after impressing selectors at a series of junior Matildas training camps, despite also representing her state for cricket.
At the start of 2023 McMahon said she made the tough decision to focus on football and unfortunately had to pull out of some high-level cricket commitments.
The 14-year-old, who currently plays football with the QAS U15 Girls team in the NPL Women’s U23 competition, was selected for a series of junior Matildas training camps before also playing in the U17s side.
In March the grade 10 student said the last few months had been ‘hectic’.
“The training camp in Sydney was a great experience to train with some very talented girls and learn new football strategies from the Australian coaches,” she said.
“I am still surprised that I am in the Junior Matildas extended squad as it is such a wonderful honour to be selected to represent my country in the sport I love.”
She more recently flew to Germany to attend a two week training camp with powerhouse European club, Borussia Dortmund.
The youngster has definitely proved herself as a star on the rise and is a name to remember for years to come.
3. SCHOOLBOY UNION TALENTS ACHIEVE HISTORIC GREEN AND GOLD FEAT
Not one, not two, not three and no not four, but a whopping five.
That’s how many Sunshine Coast rugby union players were selected in this year’s Australian and Australian Barbarians schoolboy representative sides.
The players from St Andrew’s Anglican College, Good Shepherd Lutheran College and Mountain Creek State High School were selected after their efforts representing Queensland One and Queensland Two teams at the Australian Schools Rugby Championships in Parramatta.
The two teams then played off against each other plus a Tongan Schoolboys side in Sydney in September.
It was a historic achievement for the players of course, but also for the Sunshine Coast as a region.
Besides those five players, just one other player selected in the two teams attended school outside of Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
2. ‘IT WAS INEVITABLE’: KEY FIGURES REFLECT ON LOCAL JUNIOR’S NRL RISE
It may not have been a fairytale ending for Sunshine Coast local Tyson Smoothy and his Brisbane Broncos teammates, but this was definitely one of my favourite stories that I’ve had the pleasure of putting together.
Before kick-off in the 2023 NRL Grand Final, I chatted to Smoothy’s family, teachers, junior coaches, representative mentors and Falcons staff members who took readers on a journey of the now 24-year-old’s rise to the elite level.
Hopefully 2024 is another dream season for Smoothy as plenty of Sunshine Coast juniors strive to follow in his footsteps.
A few of my other favourite ‘individual achievement’ yarns included Caloundra Panthers Aussie rules star Harry Ronchi, rising racing apprentice Mitch Goring, standout league talent Nancy Sullivan, Caloundra grade cricketer Scot Teichmann, record-breaking triathlete Simon Cochrane, Noosa Pirates international signing Maria Graf and double life-membership honours for local cricket heroes.
1. HONOURING THE LIFE OF A RUGBY LEAGUE JUNIOR, FRIEND, TEAMMATE AND SON
Tragedy struck over the term three holidays when Sunshine Coast student Ben ‘BJ’ Hunter’s death sent shockwaves through the region and wider sporting community.
The Sunshine Coast Falcons player and Caloundra State High School student was tragically killed in a road tragedy while walking home from a late-night gym session on Sunday, June 25.
Hunter’s death saddened the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and NRL communities with numerous local club’s holding candle light vigil’s to pay their respect for the 16-year-old and his family while donations flooded in through a GoFundMe.
The Melbourne Storm (who serve as an affiliate side with the Falcons) also paid their respects by wearing black armbands for their match against the Penrith Panthers in round 18.
When students returned to school it was tough going for his Caloundra class and rugby league teammates but their spirits were lifted each week when opposing Langer Trophy sides would honour Hunter with a minute’s silence.
One standout and inclusion was from Mabel Park SHS who exchanged jerseys with Caloundra pre-match.
The game was played in good spirits before both side’s performed a haka in honour of Hunter and in front of his mum after the full time siren.
Tears flowed down the faces of friends and family during a final memorial ceremony that was held at the Sunshine Coast stadium on July 23.
Hunter’s passing will always be remembered as an extremely sad period for the region and the young-gun should be honoured for many, many years to come.
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