Check out all the results from QLD bush footy in 2019
Country rugby league competitions are starting to come to a close as the footy season wraps up, and we’ve gone through the results to look at some of the best teams in 2019.
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With most bush footy competitions coming to a close, this month’s column will feature an “Honour Roll” of our best rugby league teams across Queensland.
Several clubs deserve special mentions, including the Stanley River Rugby League club who returned to the Sunshine Coast competition this year after a 20 year hiatus to take out this year’s premiership with a 28-16 win over Caboolture.
Yeppoon’s come-from-behind win was a memorable moment for the club in last month’s Rockhampton Grand Final while the Lockhart River Scorpions have claimed back-to-back premierships in the state’s north.
Here are some of the other top performers.
Roma and District Rugby League
Roma Cities 30 (Tries: Billy Coonan 1, Tim Phips 2, Tom Barron 2, Jackson Shellswell 1, Matt Roberts 1, Goals: Jackson Green 1) def Wallumbilla/ Surat Red Bulls 10 (Tries: Floyd Daniel 1, Kahn Ladbrook 1, Goals: Blake Cowburn 1).
A-Grade Player of the Season: Brendan Grulke
Central West Rugby League
Blackall Magpies 18 def Winton Devils 0.
Central Highlands Rugby League – Purcell’s Engineering Men’s Competition
Dysart Bulls 55 (Tries: C. Kilpatrick 3, J. Kilpatrick 2, J. Johnson 1, Olive 1, Ryan 1, Baker 1, Goals: Derksen 8, Power 1, Field Goals: Baker 1) def Bluff Rabbitohs 12 (Tries: Coghill 1, Rovelli 1, Goals: Coghill 1, McLaughlin 1).
Central Highlands Allied Pickfords Women’s Competition
Blackwater Crushettes 26 (Tries: Vesey 3, Anthony 1, Hill 1, Goals: Vesey 3) def Emerald Cowgirls 12 (Tries: Rogers 1, Bean 1, Goals: Rogers 2).
Sunshine Coast Rugby League – Vantage Homes Division 1 Cup
Stanley River 28 (Tries: Doherty 1, Jackson 1, Murphy 1, Kajewski 1, Sharman 1, Goals: Doherty 4) def Caboolture 16 (Tries: Moule 1, Clode 1, Besselaar 1, Goals: Davies 2).
Mal Meninga Medal for Player of the Match: Tom Murphy
Sunshine Coast Women’s Maudsley Excavations Cup
Maroochydore 16 (Tries: Bougoure 1, Chizzotti 1, Stahlhut 1, Dalley 1) def Gympie 12 (Tries: Waugh 1, Fisher 1, Goals: Vella 2).
Central Burnett
Gayndah Gladiators 32 (Tries: Jameson 4, Dann 1, Morgan 1, Goals: Dann 4) def Mundubbera Tigers 26 (Tries: West-Pes 3, Kivalu 2, Goals: West-Pes 3).
Player of the Final: Tom Jameson
Northern Districts Rugby League
Avondale Tigers 56 def South Kolan Sharks 16.
Rockhampton Rugby League
Yeppoon 28 (Tries: McKenna 1, Busby 1, Javinor 1, O’Neill 1, Boland 1, Goals: Owens 4) def Norths 18 (Tries: Smith 1, Johnston 1, Franks 1, Goals: Smith 3).
Rockhampton Inter City Women’s
Brothers 14 def Yeppoon 4.
Mount Isa
Town 32 (Heldsinger 2, Wagner 1, McDonald 1, Buckingham 1, Forster 1, Goals: Heldsinger 4) def Brothers 16 (Dempsey 1, Costello 1, Malua 1, Goals: Dempsey 3).
Man of the Match: Dylan Buckingham
Cape York
Lockhart River Scorpions 32 (Tries: Martin Pascoe 2, Gennis Gibley 2, Smithy Bally, Brandon Piva, Goals: Isaac Rokeby 4) def Napranum Bulldogs 24 (Tries: Alfred Bond 1, Hassim Adidi 1, Cameron Jawai 1, Eli Tabuai 1, Shaq Adidi-Nixon 1, Goals: Kareem Tabuai 1).
Man of the Match: Isaac Rokeby
Townsville and District Rugby League
BROTHERS 42 (Tries: Daniel Pickering 3, Samsen O’Neill 1, Ty Carucci 1, Nathaniel Bowman 1, Nathan Norford 1, Goals : Nathaniel Bowman 7) DEF HERBERT RV 10 (Tries: Dylan Gaggiano 1, Duarne Dempsey 1, Goal: Dylan Gaggiano 1)
Player of Final : Ty Carucci - Brothers
RESERVE GRADE
CENTRALS 22 (Tries: Jeremy Laumea 2, Aidan McCollum 1, Quinton Pomare-Anderson 1, Goals: Aidan McCollum 2, Cliff Beetham 1) DEF BROTHERS 12 (Tries: Gresham Ross 1, Chris Pabai 1, Goals: Dominic Kitching 2)
Player of Final : Jeremy Laumea - Centrals
UNDER 19
CENTRALS 20 (Tries: Jeffrey Nelliman 1, Mason Clifford 1, Jacob Taia 1, Goals: Jeffrey Neliman 2, Evanda Hewson 1, Ryan Kinsey 1) DEF BROTHERS 18 (Tries: Mark Gardiner 1, Zack Lowe 1, Jake Hindom 1, Goals: Hayden Rowbotham 3)
Player of Final : Hayden Saltner - Centrals
WOMEN
WESTERN LIONS 16 (Tries: Sian Roberts 1, Paige Horvat 1, Katrena O’Dell 1, Goals: Samille Padgen 2) DEF BROTHERS 12 (Tries: Samara Luta 2, Georgia Firth 1)
Player of Final : Romy Teitzel – Western Lions
OUTBACK LEGEND
In the spirit of end of season honours, Hewartt “Boomer” Kennedy deserves to feature among them.
The 61-year-old referee from the Roma and District Rugby League competition, officiated his 27th and final A-Grade Grand Final last weekend.
Despite being a New South Welshman by birth, Boomer has been a part of the Roma rugby league community since moving to the bush when he was 15.
After playing for the Wattles Rugby League club for 10 seasons, Boomer decided to pick up the whistle and referee.
In 32 years of refereeing in the Roma area, no one is quite sure how many games he has officiated but the odometer in his car tells the story.
Boomer said he travelled 500km each weekend across the 15 round competition, or 7,500km a year, not to mention the trips to Brisbane and the extra footy carnivals around the bush.
The passionate rugby league fan includes among his refereeing highlights a Broncos visit out to Roma in 1992 featuring players such as Alfie Langer, Willie Carne, Glenn Lazarus and Trevor Gillmeister.
He has also officiated Australian Schoolboy and State Schoolboy Championship games at Suncorp Stadium.
He will go on to become the Roma and District Rugby League Referee Co-Ordinator and mentor for junior referees now that he has hung up the whistle.
HEROES OF THE WEEK
Three long serving rugby league volunteers across the state have been recognised by the Queensland Rugby League.
Sharon Hickey, Bevan Owens and the volunteers at the Atherton Roosters were last month announced as the three state winners of the prestigious NRL Community Awards.
Owens is the Normanton Stingers’ club president and has been instrumental in rugby league’s resurgence in the Gulf area.
Hickey has been a highly respected community leader in the southeast and has led fundraisers and sponsorship initiatives with Pine Central Holy Spirit, among many, many other things.
The Atherton Roosters were named the 2019 Club of the Year for their service to the community and highlighting many social issues surrounding the game.
QRL managing director Rob Moore said he was proud to have recognised the award recipients.
“Rugby league is about inclusiveness and selflessness and the winners this year, along with so many of the other nominees around the state, are the real heroes of our game,” Moore said.
“It is an honour to be part of a wider rugby league family that is always there to help each other through the challenging times and the good times.”
CALENDAR
September 7
South Burnett Rugby League A-Grade Grand Final, Murgon v Cherbourg, Murgon Footy Ground, 3pm
September 7
Bundaberg A-Grade Preliminary Final, Eastern Suburbs Magpies v Waves Tigers, Salter Oval, 5pm
September 8
Mackay District Rugby League Grand Final Day, A-Grade sides Whitsunday v Wests, BB Print Stadium, 3pm
September 24-28
Queensland Rugby League Murri Carnival, Redcliffe
September 29
Intrust Super Cup Grand Final Day, Dolphin Oval, from 8.15am
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