We reveal the hidden gems of Darling Downs sport

We shine a light on some of the Darling Downs’ sporting hidden gems who are making waves in their sport. Check out the star athletes here.

Quinn Croker tees off in the 2020 Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship.

With the winter sporting season now in full swing, we shine a light on just some of the Darling Downs sports stars who are making names for themselves in various codes.

Check out some of our hidden gems below.

Quinn Croker

Queensland has always been a golfing stronghold, with legends Greg Norman, Adam Scott, Jason Day and more recently Cam Smith all hailing from the Sunshine State.

Now, Toowoomba’s Quinn Croker has his sights set on following in their footsteps towards greatness.

After competing in the amateur ranks in Australia, Croker secured his biggest win of his career at the start of this year when he claimed the Australian Men’s Amateur Championship.

The competition has been a launching pad for several careers with current Australian stars Smith, Min Woo Lee and Cameron Davis all finishing in the top two of the championship during their amateur careers.

Along with adding a shiny piece of silverware to his collection, Croker’s win earns him a spot in this year’s Australian Open.

Joe Paull

Joe Paull is one of the young guns competing in the rapidly growing sport of disc golf.

The teenage sensation took up the sport after a chance encounter two years ago on a road trip and has not looked back since.

“It was a random discovery on a road trip out to Roma,” he said.

“I found a couple of baskets and didn’t know what it was at first but started playing and progressed from there.”

Toowoomba disc golfer Joe Paull

Paull is one of 5000 disc golfers in the country and even travelled across the Tasman earlier this year to compete in New Zealand.

“It was really cool, the sport and courses are a lot different over there,” he said.

Paull spends his time plying his trade at Toowoomba’s Black Gully Reserve and is set to spend countless hours there over the coming months as he looks to develop his game to a new level.

“There is only one course in Toowoomba, which is at Black Gully Reserve, everyone across Queensland knows the course for how unique it is,” he said.

“Over the next couple of years I will work towards the pro division.

“My plan for next year is to get into the top amateur division and then work for professional from there.”

Along with competing overseas, one of the biggest moments in his short career has been signing with disc sponsor Disc Connection.

“Disc Connection has been really helpful with the personal development of my game.” Paull said.

“Everyone in the team is very supportive among each other and its been a nice confidence boost and motivation over my time playing.”

His efforts in the disc golf world were recognised as he also picked up an incentive award from Sports Darling Downs.

Hunter Corney in action during a round of the Australian FIM MiniGP Championship. Picture: RbMotoLens

Hunter Corney

Toowoomba’s Hunter Corney has a need for speed and has torn it up in the world of superbikes.

Despite being just 13 years old, he has already embarked on a high-octane sporting journey and was just two tenths of a second behind earning a historic trip to the FIM MiniGP World Series last year.

“It was a bit frustrating and at the same time I was pretty happy,” Corney said.

“I didn’t get to go to Spain but I finished third in the championships.

“It (two tenths of a second) is really not much in racing, I was coming round the side of him (Jake Paige) but he just got to the line first.”

The world series is one of the most prestigious competitions for young stars across the globe who dream of making the MotoGP.

“It’s a good series because it’s all about the rider,” Corney said.

“No one has a faster or better bike to give them an advantage.

“It’s just about your skill and how you approach the races.”

Mackenzie Grimes

A future star of Australian swimming, Grimes has tore it up in the pool in recent years.

The Toowoomba sensation will be one to watch in 2028 and 2032 Olympic qualifiers and has already picked up countless medals from various national championships.

Grimes’ stunning 2023 was rewarded when she was named the Sports Darling Downs Junior Sports Star of 2023 in an awards night where countless future sporting sensations were recognised.

Toowoomba's Matt Hansson lines up a shot during the 2023 GemLife Australian Pickleball Championships in Stanhope Gardens.

Matt Hansson

After battling with the effects of a motorcycle accident, Matt Hansson made the life-altering decision to have his leg amputated below the knee in 2017.

From the point on, it would have been easy for him to give up on sport, however, the sport of pickleball helped him keep active.

In the space of a year, he went from a rookie to Australian Para-Doubles gold medallist and chair of the Pickleball Australia Inclusion Group and is now helping grow the game in the Garden City.

“It’s a fantastic sport and I’ve experienced first-hand how inclusive it is,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter who you are it’s a sport anyone can pick up and enjoy.

“What we (Toowoomba pickleball) are doing is providing an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to experience and enjoy the sport.

“We’re very confident people can pick up the sport pretty quickly from there and the big focus is on having fun.”

Toowoomba Marathon Visit Toowoomba Region 5km event winner Brielle Erbacher. Photo: Supplied

Brielle Erbacher

A Commonwealth Games representative, Erbacher has made a name for herself in distance running, with the steeplechase her bread and butter.

In the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Erbacher finished eighth in the 3000m steeplechase and took out the Oceania Championship in the same year.

More recently, she finished fourth in the 3000m steeplechase at the Australian Championships in Adelaide in April.

Along with starring in national and international events, Erbacher also won the 2024 Toowoomba Marathon 5km event.

Ashley Bidgood

Ashley Bidgood’s years of dedication to his craft were rewarded this year when he was crowned world champion in the World Long Range Individual Championships in South Africa.

The expert shooter who has spent three decades competing, held off fierce competition from some of the United Kingdom’s best long-range stars with Glyn Barnett, Jon Underwood and Parag Patel all hot on his tail to claim an unforgettable victory.

Sienna Deurloo

While Mackenzie Grimes has been making waves in the pool, Deurloo has had a similar impact in the open water.

She had a year to remember in 2023, winning gold medals in the under-18 10km and 5km events in the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships and has continued that form into 2024.

In February, she was named in the Australian team which will compete in the World Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Italy.