NewsLocal looks at 10 great local sporting moments from the South Coast of NSW in 2022
There was a lot of local sport to love on the South Coast this year, from rising talent to major wins and more. NewsLocal takes a look at 10 of the best local moments.
The South Coast News
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THE South Coast of New South Wales was host to plenty of memorable sporting moments from 2022.
From gold medals to promotions to young guns bursting on to the scene, there was plenty to be impressed by.
Last week we covered the best moments from the Illawarra region, so this list looks at other moments from the South Coast we have not touched yet.
Check out the full list and let us know what moments were your favourite in the comments below.
Gold for Tinka
A proud moment for Shoalhaven as Tinka Easton fought her way to gold in the women’s 52kg judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Easton, born in the Blue Mountains, picked up the sport at age 10 and trained out of Bushido Judo Club at Shoalhaven Heads Community Centre on the South Coast.
She claimed three consecutive Australian U21 titles, before entering her debut Commonwealth Games this year at the age of 26.
Easton clutched a golden point victory over Canadian Kelly Deguchi to earn gold for her country.
Wollongong Bulldogs go flawless
Quite a remarkable season for the Wollongong Bulldogs in division one of the South Coast Seniors AFL.
11 out of 11 league games won, followed by a victory over local rivals Figtree Kangaroos in the first round finals, setting up a grand final showdown with Bomaderry Tigers.
The Bulldogs side would comfortably dispatch of their final opponents, defeating the Tigers 71-28.
Standouts performers for the season Ryan Allen and Will De Jong, who formed a lethal partnership.
50 years of Koori Knockout
2022 was the 50th anniversary of the Koori Knockout rugby league competition, this year held in Nowra.
The four day tournament celebrating Indigenous sporting talent hosted over 100 teams, featuring appearances from a number of past and present NRL players such as Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Ben Barba.
The 50th edition of the competition would be taken out by the Newcastle All Blacks who defeated Mitchell’s Walgett Aboriginal Connection 22-16 in the final.
Dunghutti Connexions would also take out the women’s championship, preventing a Newcastle clean sweep by defeating the Yowies 8-6 in the final.
The tournament, which hasn’t played since 2019, was host to thousands of fans across the four days and is considered a highly important event in modern Australian Indigenous culture.
Gerringong U18’s incredible year
Pure dominance from Gerringong’s U18s and incredibly positive signs for the future of footy in the area.
In a record-breaking season, the U18 Blue’s went undefeated, putting over 1000 points on the board and conceding less than 60 over the regular season and finals.
They cruised through the grand final comfortably as well, defeating Milton Ulladulla 30-6.
Five-eighth Ashton Ward crossed the tryline 25 times in 18 games, huge numbers.
Ulladulla young gun carves it up worldwide
17 year-old Keira Buckpitt has had a massive 2022, catching eyes and catching waves all over the world.
Part of the Illawarra Academy of Sport but surfing out of Ulladulla on the South Coast, Buckpitt travelled to El Savador to compete for Australia in the ISA Junior Surfing Championships this year.
She finishes 2022 ranked third in Australia in the U18 female national junior rankings.
When she isn’t travelling the world, she also gives back to her local Ulladulla community, coaching youngsters and volunteering to help out in competitions.
A big 2023 is on the cards for Buckpitt for sure.
Bright signs for young distance runner
Young distance runner Jaylah Hancock-Cameron had an exceptional year on the track.
The young Broulee athlete travelled to the United Kingdom as a part of the Australian U23 tour, taking a gold medal in the women’s U23 1500m race in a time of 4:16:37.
She also managed to take gold in Ireland in July at the National Combined Events Championships & AII Games.
Jaylah continues to grow and impress, and could have her sights set on the Olympics in the future.
Warilla’s Wedlock takes out South Pacific Carnival
Corey Wedlock took out the top honour at the 62nd South Pacific Carnival of bowls in January 2022.
Wedlock, 26, plays out of Warilla on the South Coast, and is a highly accomplished bowls player for a young man, debuting for Australia in 2017.
Wedlock took out the Player of the Carnival award, thanks to his victories in the singles and pairs event.
This was Wedlock’s fourth singles title, a terrific achievement for the young player.
He has World Championship and Commonwealth Games aspirations for the future.
Four in a row for golfing young gun
Local golfer Jake Reay took out the Gerringong Golf Club Club Championship for the fourth year running in 2022.
The young gun won the NSW Club Championship in 2019, and is one of the most talented young players in all of NSW.
Reay says he has aspirations of playing professionally some day, and if he keeps adding trophies to his collection this might become a reality for the young man.
Half century for Kiama Sevens
Another 50 year anniversary for footy in 2022, this time for the Kiama Sevens.
The event takes place on the last Saturday of February each year and has done for the last half century.
This year the Cleary Cup, which is the top prize, was taken out by UTS Gordon, who defeated Northern Suburbs Shoreman 12-10 in the final.
Promotion for Breakers
It was a long journey to get there but the Gerringong Breakers finally achieved promotion to the District League for the 2023 season.
Alongside Helensburgh who also achieved promotion, this puts the Breakers in the 2nd top tier of football in the South Coast football scene behind the Premier League.
The news of promotion has been met with much positivity and relief for their fanbase on social media.
The ‘holy grail’ of church property portfolios revealed
Towering skyscrapers, hundreds of homes, thousands of commercial buildings and expansive farmland – the holy grail of property portfolios of major churches can be revealed. See the list of property sales in your suburb.
‘Clinical performance’: Clean sweep for Country Colts champs
With some brutal batting and quite brilliant bowling, one side has taken out the Country Colts championships in emphatic fashion.