18 SPORT
THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023 TORRES NEWS
Business end of season starts Mya to rep in netball too! BY VELMA GARA It is down to the business end of the NBL1 North season where the top eight teams from both the men’s and women’s competitions will have to play their best basketball game on the night or be eliminated. Four clubs did exceptionally well to have both their teams in the playoffs – Gold Coast Rollers, Logan Thunder, South West Metro Pirates and Darwin Salties. Other teams making up the Top 8 were: Men - Ipswich Force, Mackay Meteors, Cairns Marlins and USC Rip City. Women - Northside Wizards, Rockhampton Cyclones, Southern District Spartans and Townsville Flames First Nations players to continue into the play-offs included Tidjane Diop, Christopher Cedar, Alana Fraser, Deba George, Nathan Jawai, Curt Ah Wang, Anthony Mundine III, Verle
Kerry Williams (Cairns Marlins Coach). Pic by Cairns Basketball. Williams, Jessica McDowellWhite and Indiah Bowyer. The top four teams on the ladder have the opportunity to host a game at their home court, with all games to be held this Saturday night. Meanwhile the NBL1 North Awards Night was held last Monday night in Brisbane. Cairns Marlins coach Kerry Williams (above) was a finalist for the Coach of the Year Award category and Dolphins guard Shaneice Swain was a finalist for the Youth Player of the Year category.
Alana Fraser (SW Metro) guarded by Emma Gandini (North Gold Coast). Pic by P2DK Photography.
The finals series: game on! WOMEN’s Games: • Northside (1st) vs Townsville (8th) • Logan (2nd) v Gold Coast (7th) • Rockhampton (3rde) v Darwin (6th) • SW Metro (4th) v Southern Districts (5th) MEN’s Games: • Gold Coast (1st) v Rip City (8th) • Logan (2nd) v Darwin (7th) • Ipswich (3rd) v Cairns (6th) • SW Metro (4th) v Mackay (5th)
Last round for NBL1 season
Awesome Mya Moke (pictured left), from John Paul College in Brisbane, is the only Torres Strait Islander to have been selected for the 2023 Vicki Wilson Shield netball team, sponsored by the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service in Brisbane. Mya already has an impressive playing record with her selection for the 2023 Budgies Indigenous Netball team, the Queensland Indigenous netball team to play at the Nations Champions, and the Year 8A Associated Schools Netball Champions. Let’s not forget Mya also plays basketball and represents Queensland. Well done Mya, we’ll be watching you!
Ultimate Allblacks comp dream BY ALF WILSON
BY VELMA GARA The last round of the NBL1 North was very competitive, with some results making a difference to how teams landed on the ladder. A win for Townsville Flames against the USC Rip City (72-52) ensured they had a chance to make the Top 8, but when North Gold Coast Seahawks lost their game against the Sunshine Coast Phoenix (84-72), the Flames leapfrogged them straight into the quarter finals this Saturday night (see above). Flames guard, Indiah Bowyer, continued her good form with 14 points, seven rebounds and six steals. South West Metro Pirates finished their season with wins against the Seahawks women (69-63) and men (103-99). Cairns also had two wins against the USC Rip City, with the Dolphins winning by six points, 94-88, and the Marlins are ready for the playoffs with a convincing win of 123-102. Dolphins Most Valuable Player, Shaneice Swain, finished with 25 points, nine
Christopher Cedar (SW Metro). Pic by P2DK Photography.
Jessica McDowell-White (SD Spartans). Pic by Taylor Earnshaw Photography.
rebounds and four assists. Guard Teyahna Bond returned to play the last game of the season and scored 16 points, four rebounds and steals. Marlins’ sharp shooter off the bench, Curt Ah Wang, had 11 points. Lightning quick guard for the Rip City, Verle Williams, collected 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists against Cairns. The previous night in game played against Townsville Heat, Williams collected 12 points and three rebounds, assists and steals. Rip City had to win their game against the Heat (112-87) to stay in the Top 8 and make playoffs. Gold Coast Rollers played
Logan Thunder and it was a good hit out for both teams. Rollers men won, 90-88, and the women lost to strong Thunder team, 75-66. Southern District Spartans played against the Thunder and lost both games – women (57-70) and men (78-87). The loss for the men’s team pushed them out of the Top 8 and allowed the Darwin Salties to re-enter at 7th spot. Spartans guard, Jessica McDowell-White, scored 15 points and seven assists. Last week, it was announced by defending champions, Townsville Fire, McDowell-White would join their roster for the 2023/24 season of the Women’s National Basketball League.
Champion Torres Strait Islander teams Erub United, Goemu Bau Raiders and Malu Kiwai have dominated Allblacks rugby league carnivals over the past year. A series after the season between the three to determine who is the “undisputed king of the Torres Strait” would whet the appetite of the many rugby league fans in the region. The Ken Brown Oval on Waiben would be an ideal venue and would be sure to be packed out with locals, visitors from the islands, NPA, Cape York and even Cairns. To ensure there was no bye in such a contest, an ideal fourth side would be Kulpiyam from Badu who have also performed well at carnivals as far away as Mackay. Torres News takes a look at the wonderful credentials of those quality teams. Mabuiag side Goemu Bau Raiders took out the recent nine team Island of Origin series on Badu defeating Roxin Eagles 4012 in the grand final before a crowd of 700.
That was a great effort, especially meritorious, considering Goemu Bau Raiders finished sixth after the qualifying rounds. Erub United took out the 2022 Arthur Beetson Foundation Queensland Murri carnival late last year at Redcliffe beating teams from around the State. They narrowly lost the Murri versus Koori Interstate Challenge blockbuster to Newcastle Allblacks (NSW Koori Knockout winners) in January this year. The star studded Erub United was missing key players who were unavailable because they could not gain permission from their Queensland Cup clubs. Erub United also won the Gordonvale Indigenous carnival to add to its impressive trophy cabinet, and took out the Zenadth Kes carnival when last held in 2021 on Waiben. Boigu side Malu Kiwai easily won the final of the prestigious Dan Ropeyarn Memorial NPA Cup late last year at Bamaga. Players and officials from Erub United and Malu Kiwai have taken the winning trophies from their carnival victories to their home
islands for display. Malu Kiwai even had a big family day at Cairns where the trophy was on show and hundreds turned up. Both Erub United and Malu Kiwai have nominated for the first time for north Queensland’s biggest Allblacks carnival, the Bindal Sharks event in Townsville during October. There is a strong possibility these teams may meet during the 24 men’s team carnival at Townsville Sports Reserve. Kulpiyam for many years has been a powerhouse team which has won a recent Dan Ropeyarn Memorial Cup and also performed strongly at Mackay Indigenous carnivals. The suggested match would take plenty of organising, however the benefits to communities would undoubtedly outweigh the costs. It would have to be held at the end of the club seasons and after the completion of the established carnivals. Players from these sides are proud Torres Strait Islanders who love lining up for their home teams – what a ripper of a contest it would be.
