14 SPORT
THURSDAY 29 JUNE 2023 TORRES NEWS
Fifita & Mam in head-to-head thriller Juniors head for nationals
ROUND UP BY ALF WILSON
Rampaging forward David Fifita and five eighth Ezra Mam each scored tries for rival sides when the Gold Coast Titans defeated the Brisbane Broncos 18-12 in an NRL round 17 thriller on Sunday. David scored his try for the Titans just before halftime at the 38th minute to level the scores at 6-all going into the break. Consistent, he also had a hand in the Titans second try passing the ball to an unmarked Brian Kelly. Ezra had a try awarded by the referee early in the match but it was disallowed by the bunker. However he showed great skill to score in the second half at the 61st minute mark. In the final analysis the Titans scored three tries to two. The Broncos will be favourites to return to the winner’s circle when they host the struggling
Dolphins at the Gabba on Saturday night. Despite their good form, the Titans will be underdogs against the Raiders at Canberra. The Broncos sit second on the ladder behind Penrith with both on 24 points. For and against percentage separates them. Cotter stars in Cowboys upset Reuben Cotter played a major role in the North Queensland Cowboys upset 31-6 win over South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Rabbits went into the game the hottest of favourites but that didn’t daunt the Cowboys who dominated. Reuben came off the bench early in the first half and ran for more than 100 metres. South Sydney winger Alex Johnston had few scoring opportunities and had little impact. The Cowboys take on West Tigers next Saturday. The Rabbitohs head across the Tasman to face the in-form Warriors on Friday. Hammer tries Two second half tries by Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow could not prevent his Dolphins from losing 48-20 to big improvers Parramatta Eels in round 17 of the NRL at Sunshine Coast Stadium last Saturday.
It was the fifth win in a row for last year’s beaten grand finalists Parramatta and they had the game won at halftime when they led 42-4. It was always going to be a mission impossible for the Dolphins to win with such a deficit however the Hammer shone in the second half during which his team outscored the Eels 16-6. He ran for an amazing 279 metres, which was a herculean effort considering he had starred in Queensland State of Origin victory over NSW just three nights before. At the 49th minute Hammer accepted a pass and ran 70m to score his first four pointer. Then at the 66th minute the Hammer sprinted 80m to score his first double of the season during which he has crossed for an impressive 14 four pointers. The Dolphins now meet one of the premiership favourites the Brisbane Broncos this weekend which means Hammer will face off with Broncos classy five eighth Ezra Mam. Seb safe at fullback in narrow win Sebastian Kris was a prime mover in the cliffhanger 20-18 win by his Canberra
Raiders over the Sydney Roosters on Sunday. “Seb” as he is known ran for more than 170 metres and was solid in attack and defence. Gagai solid in loss Classy centre Dane Gagai was solid in attack and defence in the Newcastle Knights 20-12 loss to reigning premiers the Penrith Panthers at BlueBet Stadium on Saturday night. The Knights will meet struggling Canterbury Bulldogs at Accor Stadium next Sunday whilst the Panthers travel to Melbourne to take on the Storm on Friday night. PNG internationals star for Storm Xavier Coates and Justin Olam were outstanding for the Melbourne Strom in their 24-6 victory over the Manly Sea Eagles on Saturday night at AAMI Park. Speedster Xavier scored two tries at the 62nd and 73rd minutes to wrap up a Storm win and as a bonus ran for 197m. The other PNG international Justin Olam ran for a game high 216 metres and the pair will be vital as the Storm eye off a top four spot in the finals.
Julian leads the way for Pride BY ALF WILSON Erub United star Julian Christian scored a try for the Northern Pride in their 26-6 win over the Townsville Blackhawks in round 15 of the Hostplus Queensland Cup rugby league competition on Saturday. It was aptly dubbed the “XXXX Rivalry Round” which pitted sides against each other who have a genuine history of being arch rivals. A big crowd watched the teams battle it out in the Cairns versus Townsville northern derby at Townsville’s Jack Manski Oval. Julian lined up at fullback and at the 18th minute mark made a line break and scored his try soon after to give the Pride a 10-nil lead. At halftime the Pride led 18-nil in the four try to one win. For the Blackhawks another Erub United player, Jayden Hodges, was strong playing at hooker. Jamal Shibasaki, young brother of Cowboys utility
Gehamat, also played well and made an impact from the interchange bench. Hat trick for speedster Jon Reuben Fleet footed Jon Reuben scored three tries for the North Devils when they beat South Logan Magpies 40-6 at Bishop Park. A hattrick of tries doesn’t come often for any player in this tough competition but Jon dominated. All of his tries came in the first half at the third, 29th and 39th minute as he proved dangerous for the defence. His classy effort set up Norths 28-nil lead at halftime. Hunters big away win The PNG Hunters had an impressive 34-10 victory over the Sunshine Coast Falcons at Sunshine Coast Stadium. Gideon snares a four pointer Another Erub United back, Gideon Gela-Mosby, scored a try for Wynnum Manly Seagulls in their 28-26 win over Redcliffe Dolphins at BMD Kougari Oval. His try came at the 28th minute in a tight contest in which scores were level 16-all at half time.
Ladder and next round games The Northern Pride moved to fifth on the ladder in the 15 club comp, with the Dolphins sixth, Capras seventh, Hunters 10th, Norths Devils 11th, Blackhawks 12th and the Mackay Cutters 14th. Hastings Deering Colts Cup Round 10 PNG rising star Ragarive Wavik booted six goals in the Townsville Blackhawks 58-6 win over the Northern Pride in Townsville. Dantoray Lui, also an Erub United player, scored the only try for the Pride. Brenton Baira continued his fine form scoring two tries in his side Redcliffe Dolphins 34-30 loss to the Wynnum Manly Seagulls at BMD Kougari Oval. Versatile Brenton also kicked two goals for a personal tally of 12 points. The CQ Capras defeated the Mackay Cutters 32-24 at Browne Park in Rockhampton. In the 14 club comp, the Dolphins sit second on the ladder, the Blackhawks third, Cutters ninth, Capras 12th, and the Pride 13th.
BY VELMA GARA Four exceptionally talented Indigenous junior basketball players – all with connections to the Torres Strait – have achieved champion status after competing at the Queensland Basketball U16 State Championships earlier this year. All four players – Lennon Bann, Noah Kirk, Samuel McDowell-White and Mya Moke – were selected to play
for the Queensland South U16 squad. All are members of the Southern District Basketball Association (Spartans) at Carina in South East Queensland. The National Championships will be in West Australia next month where Kirk, McDowell-White and Moke will play. All have shown they are focused on reaching their basketball goal of playing at the highest level.
Back L-R: Noah Kirk & Lennon Bann. Front L-R: Mya Moke & Samuel McDowell-White. Pic supplied by Taylor Earnshaw.
Jawai back for Salties BY VELMA GARA Darwin Salties welcomed back formidable centre, Nathan Jawai, last weekend, and got the win against Northside Wizards, 94-92. Although he played very limited minutes (2.44) it was enough to score six points and two rebounds. Having Jawai back at the back end of the season for the Salties is positive news with the playoffs to start in July/ August 2023. Wizards guard, Deshawn Ross-Paiwan, had nine points, two rebounds and two assists. Tidjane Diop’s Gold Coast Rollers collected two important wins which moved them to the top of the NBL1 North ladder - defeating Brisbane Capitals (11494) and Ipswich Force in overtime (115-110). In other games, South West Metro Pirates women and men’s team lost their games against Sunshine Coast Phoenix.
But they are still in the top eight of the competition. With guard, Maddi Rocci, away with Australian Opals duties (Asia Cup) it allowed guard, Alana Fraser, to start in their game, scoring 10 points, four rebourds and two steals. USC Rip City beat North Gold Coast Seahawks by a large margin, 101-81. Guards, Verle Williams and Biwali Bayles, played well for their respective teams. Williams had 14 points, four rebounds, eight assists, four steals and three blocks, whilst Bayles had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Guard, Jessica McDowell-White, shot four 3-pointers in the Southern Districts Spartans game against the Seahawks. Her team won 87-74 and she had 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Townsville travelled to Cairns and had mixed results with the Flames winning their fourth game in a row to move into the top eight, whereas the Heat are still
looking for a win. Flames defeated the Dolphins, 97-75, and guard, Indiah Bowyer, felt comfortable in her junior basketball stadium and scored 24 points, six rebounds and three assists. Dolphins trio played well too - Shaneice Swain had 16 points, nine rebounds and six steals; Teyahna Bond with 11 points and LJ Williams with 15 points and six rebounds. Guard, Curt Ah Wang, shot well off the bench and contributed 15 points all scored from beyond the arc for the Marlins win, 110-93. For the Heat team, Michael Cedar has been reliable and scored 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. They will have to play well tomorrow night against the Rockhampton Rockets at home due to the Central Queensland team had surprised top eight team, Mackay Meteors, and beat them by a point, 69-68. Cairns will host Rockhampton on Saturday nights. Darwin Salties will be on the road again.
