Torres Strait skill cuts it for Cutters

BY ALF WILSON

Torres Strait Islanders Hagiga Mosby, Tahlulah Tillett, Sareka Mooka, Essay Banu and Samara Luta shone for the Mackay Cutters in their 30-8 win over the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in round one of the Statewide BMD Premiership on the weekend.

Hagiga lined up in the centres, Tahlulah at halfback, Sareka was a front row forward whilst Essay and Samara came from the interchange bench with great effect.

Sareka and Samara scored tries for the Cutters along with Alicia Martin, Zoe Cook, Shannon Mato and Katie Green.

The Cutters side consists of players from

Cairns, Townsville and Mackay and others with Torres Strait heritage in the squad who should play matches in coming weeks.

Mackay Cutters coach Marco Peters said he was particularly happy with his side.

Essay played for Wynnum Manly last season and was based in Townsville with family while living in Tully.

“Moving away from this team to go up north to my family, it is a really good privilege and honour to wear this jersey for the first time in the BMD comp,” Banu told the QRL website.

Mackay Cutters and Norths Devils were the two new teams in the 2023 competition.

The Mackay side replaces last year’s premiers North Queensland Gold Stars who have moved on to be part of a national women’s comp.

The Cutters have taken on the Gold Stars model and were one of the favourites to take out the premiership.

Essay, Sareka and Tahlulah represented for the NRL Indigenous Allstars ladies team, who went down 16-12 to a Maori Allstars Ferns at Rotarua in New Zealand recently.

Sareka and Essay are two of the premier forwards in the BMD Premiership, whilst Tahlulah was a highly rated playmaker.

The 20-year-old Hagiga played for the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans in the National ladies comp.

The Cutters will face Tweed Seagulls in Round 2.

The draw for the expanded 10-team NRLW 2023 comp was yet to be released.