14 SPORT
THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2023 TORRES NEWS
Stephanie forced to retire BY ALF WILSON
TAGAI MERMAIDS: Michelle Martin & Debbie Lui. Pics supplied.
Tagai Mermaids take up challenge BY VELMA GARA The Tagai Mermaids may just be the most northernmost participants of the Starlight Super Swim Challenge. Starlight Children’s Foundation is a registered charity in Australia and its mission is to brighten the lives of sick kids and their families across Australia. The Starlight Super Swim Challenge is held every February to fundraise for the organisation. Five women on Thursday Island have been doing plenty of laps at the Torres Shire Council swimming pool as part of the annual event. Debbie Lui and Michelle Martin registered for the swim challenge in mid-January. “We registered to swim only seven kilometres and not knowing what goal amount to select so put
$500 as we were unsure of getting any sponsors.” Ms Lui said. Ms Lui and Ms Martin do swimming in most afternoons so thought they could easily complete the swim challenge. They told other ladies, who use at the pool, what they were doing and three more were added to the ‘Tagai Mermaids’ team. They were Kendra Coufal, Natasha Baxter and Aurora Panozzo. The ladies have completed their goal for the swim challenge, which was to swim 140 kilometres – they raised $2600. Earlier this week Tagai Mermaids swam 110 kilometres with 30 kilometres to go. There are 13,599 swimmers participating in this year’s event with $3.6 million raised so far and nearly 260,000 kilometres swum.
Injury has forced multi talented Torres Strait Islander sportswoman Stephanie Mooka into a premature retirement. The 31-year-old has excelled at rugby league, Australian Rules, basketball, netball, volleyball, running and even shone in rugby union and football (soccer). Stephanie said the initial injury she sustained was a ruptured MCL in her right leg back in 2021. “I missed out on the Goldstars that year,” she said. “But played in 2022 season with the Goldstars and strained my calf in the last round before finals, missing out on the grand finals. “I also damaged another ligament in the Cairns and District rugby league grand final but played on it two weeks later in Koori knockouts and damaged it further. “Not sure what injury it is, most likely meniscus tear, will confirm next week.” Stephanie has enjoyed many highlights over her sporting career, the best of which she said was making the Elite Top 30 rugby league squad which played in the recent World Cup. “I ended up pulling myself out of the Elite Top 30 in 2020 to help my family through a tough period,” she said. “So I took a break to refresh my mind.
BETTER DAYS: Stephanie Mooka when she played at the 2018 Murri Knockout in Townsville. Pic supplied. “During 2021 I was trying to see if I can have another crack at NRLW then I ruptured my MCL. “Unfortunately I won’t be playing club for league/AFL anytime soon until I get my knee sorted.” She said she was looking at coaching “down the track”. Stephanie will celebrate her 32nd birthday in March and is a proud Torres Strait Islander, with family connections to Mabuiag and throughout the islands, as well as Cairns and Townsville. Based in Cairns, Stephanie has played in
rugby league carnivals such as Waiben’s Zenadth Kes, Badu’s Island of Origin, Townsville’s Bindal Sharks, Redcliffe’s Arthur Beetson Foundation Murri Knockout, the NSW Koori Knockout and at the Mackay and Cairns Allblacks. She played the blue ribbon NRL National women’s comp, represented Queensland in ladies State of Origin, and played for the NQ Goldstars in the Statewide ladies rugby league comp. Last season she played for Edmonton
Storm, who won their grand final against Kangaroos, in the Cairns Ladies Rugby league comp. She has also been a star in the Cairns female AFL competition. In the 2008 Island of Origin on Badu, Stephanie played for Mabuiag side Bau Aua Stingers. She was a tearaway speedster with exceptional rugby league talent and won the sprint up the football field to claim the fastest woman in the Torres Strait title. She started off playing in the centres but as the years progressed she switched to the forward pack with equal determination and skill. In late 2018 Stephanie shone for the Newcastle Yowies which won the ladies grand final at the NSW Koori Knockout. A week later in early October Stephanie shone for the Flora Sandilands Memorial side, which lost the final of the Arthur Beetson Foundation Murri Knockout in Townsville to Emus Girls. In 2019 she lined up with the St George Dragons for the 2019 national women’s NRL competition, playing one game. The Brisbane Broncos ladies side had also tried to sign her up. Mooka also represented Queensland in a women’s State of Origin loss to NSW in 2019, and was selected in the Australian Jillaroos merit team.
Sheron’s contribution and work will be missed BY ALF WILSON Amongst the major highlights during the past eight years for departing Cairns-based QRL rugby league official Sheron McDougall has been her involvement with Allblacks carnivals in the Torres Strait, NPA and Cape York. Sheron is leaving the Far North to take up a role with NRL NT in Darwin, with a pocket full of golden memories of Remote Areas Rugby League, and the wonderful volunteers of the game and unique environments, communities and experiences she has enjoyed. They have included several trips to Waiben for numerous Zenadth Kes carnivals, to
Bamaga for the Dan Ropeyarn NPA Cup and Queensland Cup matches, to Weipa for Cape Cluster games, and to Hopevale for the John Bowen Memorial Carnival. “I have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to be involved with the annual Far North Indigenous carnivals,” she said. “I started attending carnivals when I was Operations Manager with the Northern Pride, with one of many highlights the 2011 Queensland Cup game played at Yusia Oval in Bamaga between Northern Pride and Souths Logan. “I joined the QRL at Cairns in 2014 and along with Area Managers, Dave Maiden and Robbie Moore, and NRL and QRL staff
WELL-TRAVELLED: Sheron McDougall with husband Robert at the top of Cape York. Pic supplied. travelled to carnivals, cluster games and events throughout the Cape supporting local hosting organisations.” Sheron said the carnivals were amazing events with families coming together to
play and support their teams, and their focus on healthy lifestyles and community engagement. “They also provide the opportunity for all Rugby League stakeholders, NRL
and QRL staff, referees and medical staff to support the local Rugby League organisations and gain valuable experience,” she said. “The COVID pandemic briefly disrupted the carnival season but the interest and participation in 2022 events was strong and I expect them to grow and develop further in 2023.” She was well known and highly respected throughout the region and has always been helpful to the Torres News in providing information and detailed results. Long time referee and touch judge Rod “Hairy” McCrae praised Sheron for her contribution to rugby league in the region. “The administration work
she has done was gold and she organized everything from travel for teams and players to recording results,” he said. “She will be a big loss and whoever takes her job has big shoes to fill.” The 75-year-old Hairy said he had seen Sheron hard at work many times at Thursday Island, Bamaga, Weipa, Cooktown, Hopevale, Normanton and other places where she put in long days at carnivals. “She also used to be with Cairns Club Kangaroos with her husband Robert before the Northern Pride days and is known throughout the region and even further away,” Hairy said. Sheron left her Cairns role on February 15.
