Gold Coast’s 50 best performing athletes of 2019: No. 41-50

THE Bulletin’s 50 best Coast performers of 2019 is here. We are counting down the Gold Coast’s best-performing athletes of 2019. This is No. 50-41.

THE Bulletin’s 50 best Coast performers of 2019 is here.

In this series, to be rolled out 10 per day in an online exclusive, we rank the very finest efforts of the year.

Rankings aren’t necessarily on who played at the highest level but who performed the best in their respective level, meaning, for example, a Rugby League Gold Coast talent could be rated higher than an NRL Titans player.

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Today we look at numbers 50-41.

50. BECKY KAY

Becky Kay.

The 20-year-old ended a successful amateur career and took the plunge into the professional ranks in September after successfully advancing to the second stage of the LPGA Tour’s Q-school in August.

Kay is guaranteed at the very worst a number of starts on the LPGA’s developmental tour, the Symetra Tour in 2020, with the prospect of starting the 2020 season with an LPGA Tour Card.

49. DION SAMUELA

Dion Samuela.

The Southport School’s Australian Schoolboys fullback has earned comparisons to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Shaun Johnson but made headlines by rejecting the NRL to pursue his Wallabies dream. The hot-stepping fullback has the skills to get there, too.

48. JACK McVEIGH

Jack McVeigh.

At the start of the 2018 QBL season Gold Coast Rollers coach Mick Conlon predicted McVeigh would star in the NBL. Sure enough the TSS product inked a deal with Adelaide and earlier this year made his Boomers debut in an NBL-only line-up at the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

47. BREE MASTERS

Taylor Stickler, Casie Fyall and Bree Masters.

The reigning national beach sprint champion in surf lifesaving also came third at the Stawell Gift. With a swag of medals across a variety of state and national competitions Masters ensured she won a place in the top 50.

46. ASHLEIGH GENTLE

Ashleigh Gentle.

The two-time Commonwealth and Olympic Games triathlete put aside a tough year to claim a record seventh Noosa Triathlon title. In doing so, the Gold Coaster surpassed former coach and Bond University coach Craig Walton who has six to his name.

45. DAN GRIFFIN

Jockey Dan Griffin.

The successful hoop won his ninth Gold Coast jockeys premiership in the 2018-19 season after tallying 42 wins.

It was a stunning achievement given the undisputed King of the Coast had to overcome a broken neck.

Griffin has always dreamt of winning 10 premierships and that goal is now within reach.

44. GRETEL TIPPETT

Gretel Tippett.

A somewhat polarising netballer given her combative style, the one-time basketballer proved a sharpshooter for the Queensland Firebirds in Super Netball and won a ticket to July’s World Cup with the Diamonds squad.

43. OSKAR DILLON

Oskar Dillon.

A goalscorer in the Gold Coast Knights’ grand final win over Olympic in September, the 20-year-old was a defensive rock throughout the club’s maiden NPL campaign.

Tipped by many for an A-League career in the years ahead, Dillon capped his dream season with the NPL Young Player of the Year gong in November.

42. JOCK CAMPBELL

Queensland Reds and Queensland Country NRC winger Jock Campbell. Picture: QRU - Brendan Hertel

The ultimate accidental hero, climbing from the TSS ‘B’ team in rugby to playing for the Reds. Not only that, the 24-year-old winger went on to record a blinding year that now has experts predicting even more success to come.

41. STEPHANIE GILMORE

Stephanie Gilmore. Picture: Courtesy of Roxy

Ranked fifth in the WSL Championship Tour with one event left. Had a win at Keramas, Bali for Corona Protected Pro and scored the perfect 10 in the final. Had a strong year but wasn’t able to defend her world crown.

TOMORROW: Numbers 31-40