Shibasaki’s NRL debut Mackay Cutters top the table

Shibasaki said he was proud to carry the Torres Strait flag as part of the NBL’s multicultural round.

The Cowboys will meet the Titans at Townsville on Saturday night as warm favourites.

BY ALF WILSON

Blockbusting forward Sareka Mooka scored two tries when the Mackay Cutters defeated Tweed Seagulls 26-16 in round two of the Statewide BMD Women’s Premiership last weekend.

Sareka played second row in the forward pack with other Torres Strait players in the lineup including halfback Tahlulah Tillet, Essay Banu and Lyrech Mara, who came off the interchange bench to make her Cutters debut.

The game was held before a large crowd at Mackay’s BB Print Stadium where the Cutters scored six tries to three.

It was 12-all at halftime but the Cutters finished by far the better, and now sit at the top of the table in the eight club competition.

Sareka scored her first try in the 13th minute and crossed for her second four pointer at the 61st minute to dominate the forward clashes.

The 21-year-old Lyrech said the team was glad to get the win against a quality opponent.

“It was a high intensity game and was very fast,” she told Torres News. “A lot of our play was structured.”

Versatile Lyrech played in the second row and at lock during her 35 minutes on the field sparking the attack from the bench.

Once again Sareka and fellow forward Essay made plenty of ground when they carried the ball and were both solid in defence.

Tahlulah lined up a playmaking halfback and used her kicking game to advantage and was crafty in attack.

Lyrech said she was looking forward to next Saturday’s match at Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium against Burleigh Bears which will be played as a curtain raiser to the men’s NRL clash between the Cowboys and Gold Coast Titans.

To add spice to the clash, it will be a top of the table encounter as the Burleigh Bears are second on the ladder.

Now living in Mackay, Lyrech has hundreds of relatives living in Townsville and Cairns and many will be at the game cheering her and the Cutters on.

Essay Banu, Sareka and Tahlulah all had strong games for the NRL Indigenous Allstars ladies team which went down 16-12 to a Maori Allstars Ferns at Rotarua in New Zealand recently.

Lyrech’s role model is her mother Rothana who is now retired as a player but follows her rugby league closely.

Rothana and Lyrech had been in teams together at Allblacks carnivals including at several Zenadth Kes carnivals in the women’s division.

Lyrech was a member of the Deddeyal Gammaz side which took out the ladies section of the last Zenadth Kes carnival at the Ken Brown Oval in late 2021.

They have also lined up for Wakeyama at a previous Zenadth Kes.

Quietly spoken off the field, Lyrech was a member of the Brisbane Natives team who scored an 18-6 win over NSW side Dunghutti ConnXions at the Women’s Murri versus Koori Interstate Challenge earlier this year.