Congratulations to all award winners from the AFL Wide Bay’s Presentation Lunch on Sunday, headed by Hervey Bay Bombers’ Dylan Rowe, who took out the League’s most coveted individual honour, the Stedman Medal for the Seniors’ Best and Fairest.
Life-time champion for the League, Mark Mason, was bestowed a fitting honour, with the Medal for the AFLWB Women’s Best and Fairest named in his honour, and for 2021, it was won by Bay Power’s Abigail Grimsley.
The Bombers and Hervey Bay’s other club Power dominated the playing awards across the four divisions, but Across The Waves Eagles captain Jason Bethune flew the flag for Bundaberg by picking up the Seniors Leading Goal Kicker gong with 39.
Sadly, for Bundaberg, the local clubs will not be represented in the grand finals tomorrow, with the Bombers’ two sides Red and Black to go head-to-head in the Marquis Macadamias Under-12’s, and Bombers and Power to duel for glory in Under-14, Reserves and Seniors.
Awards: Club Volunteer of the Year: Samantha Hayhoe (Across the Waves). Club Volunteer of the Year: Shane Brady (Brothers Bulldogs). Club Administrator of the Year: Prue Bidois (Maryborough Bears). Club Administrator of the Year: Kyla Hill (Bay Power). Junior Coach of the Year: Brent Dean (Hervey Bay Bombers). Youth Coach of the Year: Andrew Wattie (Brothers Bulldogs). Senior Coach of the Year: Darren Baldwin (Hervey Bay Bombers).
Best First Year Umpire: Hunter Harvey (WBFUA). Community Umpire of the Year: Braden Krebs (WBFUA). Roland McDowell Award: Tyrone Trigg (WBFUA). Leading Goal Kicker – Reserves: Phillip Eisel (Hervey Bay Bombers). Leading Goal Kicker – Women’s: Kyla Hill (Bay Power). Leading Goal Kicker – Seniors: Jason Bethune (Across the Waves). Ebert Medal (U12 B&F): Oliver Mayne (Hervey Bay Bombers). Webb Family Medal (U14 B&F): Alistair Heckels (Hervey Bay Bombers). Coulthard Medal (Reserves B&F): Dean Stanley (Hervey Bay Bombers). M.J. Mason Medal (Women’s B&F): Abigail Grimsley (Bay Power). Stedman Medal (Seniors B&F): Dylan Rowe (Hervey Bay Bombers).
RUGBY LEAGUE: LeBron Tanner joined some elite company and continued a proud family tradition when he took out the Greg Hurst Memorial Shield for the Bundaberg Primary Schools Rugby League Under-12 Player of the Year.
The Norville State School student is following in the footsteps of the whole Tanner family, including his father Corey, grandfather Nathan and great-grandfather Arthur.
Congratulations also to the winners of the Best Attacker, Best Defender and Most Improved Awards in Under-12, Under-12 Girls, Under-11, and Under-10.
Awards – Under-12 – Player of Year: LeBron Tanner (Norville), Best Attacker: Jayce De Silva (Kepnock), Best Defender: Harrison Candy (East), Most Improved: Toby Buckland (St Patrick’s).
Under-12 Girls – Best Attacker: Layla Collins (Shalom), Best Defender: Tia Nagas-Kaitani (Walkervale), Most Improved: Ruby Harris (Norville).
Under-11 – Best Attacker: Lachlan Rae (St Patrick’s), Best Defender: Gus Peters (Bundaberg Christian College), Most Improved: Hunter White-Ellacott (Norville).
Under-10 – Best Attacker: Locke Evans (St Luke’s), Best Defender: Nolan Young (East), Most Improved: Will Svenson (Woongarra).
ATHLETICS: Woongarra State School produced a superb team performance to take out the cherished Coca-Cola Trophy for Champion School based on Heats and Finals results at the recent Bundaberg District Primary Schools Sports Association Track and Field Carnival at St Luke’s Anglican School.
They also claimed the Arthur Begeda Trophy for Section A Athletics Heats, Graham Savage Trophy for Section A Athletics Percentage, and Nell Curran Trophy for Open Girls Athletics Finals.
Avoca State School made it back-to-back wins in both the Cec Hough Memorial Trophy for Section B Ball Games Heats, and the Owen Hills Memorial Trophy for Ball Games Finals.
Gooburrum State School completed the Cec Hough Memorial Trophy for Section C Ball Games Heats-Bert Stevens Trophy for Section C Athletics Heats double, while Bargara State School also got their names on two pieces of silverware, the Jim Irwin Trophy for Section B Athletics Heats, and Les & Wendy Barker Trophy for Section B Athletics Percentage.
Three other schools took home one gong each, St Patrick’s Catholic School (Cec Hough Memorial Trophy for Section A Ball Games Heats), Discovery Christian College (Clem Campbell Trophy for Section C Athletics Percentage), and St Luke’s Anglican School (Jim Sullivan Trophy for Open Boys Athletics Finals).
FOOTBALL: League champions Across The Waves (ATW) will be chasing their 20th win in a row when they take on Fraser Flames in the Wide Bay Premier League Men’s Qualifying Final at Martens Oval tomorrow at 6.30pm.
They have not lost since being pipped by Brothers-Aston Villa (BAV) back on 17th April and will be hot favourites after dousing the Flames in their two meetings this year, 6-1 on 27th March and 2-1 on 10th July.
Fraser Flames have lost their past 2 matches to Bingera 7-2 and United Park Eagles (UPE) 4-2 respectively.
An epic duel is expected in the Elimination Final between Bingera and UPE on the adjacent field at the same time.
Also at Martens Oval at 4pm, ATW will also be up against UPE in the Reserves Men’s Qualifier, with United Warriors taking on Bingera in the Elimination game.
All seven Premier Women’s teams will compete in the finals, with League Champions Sunbury Blues to clash with last placed Tinana, and second placed KSS Jets to oppose No. 6 Granville, both in Maryborough.
Third placed UPE have the bye, with in the one match at Martens Oval, fourth seeds ATW will take to the field against No. 5 Bingera at 6pm tonight.
Junior grand finals will also be played today, with ATW represented in 3 of the 4 divisions, with their United side up against UPE in Under-16 at 1pm, their Saints against Bingera in U14 at 11am, and Hammers against Brothers-Aston Villa Villians in U13 at 9am.
Bingera will go for gold against Bargara Stingrays in Under-12 at 9.30am.
HOCKEY: Finals experience will be a big advantage when four-times defending Bundaberg Division 1 Men’s champions All Blacks aim up against Raiders/Rovers in the Preliminary Final at Hinkler Park at 6pm tomorrow.
All Blacks had to work hard to edge out Arrows/Athletics 2-1 in the Minor Semi-final last week, while Raiders/Rovers were outclassed by Waves Cities 7-0, and although they have struggled for much of the season, All Blacks emphatically won their last encounter with Raiders/Rovers 6-2 in the last round a fortnight ago.
Raiders/Rovers will also take their place in the Division 1 Women’s Preliminary Final against Arrows/Athletics at 4pm, and another tight duel is expected after they pipped Arrows 5-4 when they last crossed sticks on 31st July.
NETBALL: Brothers Hurricanes will be attempting to bounce back from a heavy Major Semi-final loss to unbeaten minor premiers Waves Gold when they bib up against Fusion Solomons in the Bundaberg Warren Family Homes Division 1 Premiership Preliminary Final at the Superpark tomorrow.
Brothers’ teams will also contest seven of the other 10 Preliminary Finals, with Division 7 to feature an intra-club rivalry between their Wildfires and Whirlwinds.
HORSE RACING: Lindsay Australia Bundaberg Gold Cup winner Wrecking Ball will be favoured to maintain his unbeaten record on his home track when he contests the Express Print & Mail Open Handicap at the Ulton Cup Race Day at Thabeban Park tomorrow.
The Darryl Gardiner-trained eight-year-old made it three wins from as many starts in the Rum City in taking outing the Cup at the last local meeting on 24th July, before finishing third to Bundy Cup third-placegetter Mahratta in the 1608m Gladstone Cup.
Mahratta is among his three rivals again tomorrow, but Wrecking Ball will be much better suited over this week’s distance of 1212m.
Darryl also has strong claims with last-start Gympie winner Dolci in the Scotpac Benchmark 60 Handicap, but she could be challenged by Roma galloper Hard Enough, which has won his past three starts at Moree, Wondai, and Talwood.
Marmion, which has three seconds, one third and one fourth from his past five runs, appeals in the Ulton Cup Maiden Plate, while a battle royale looms in the PSC Insurance Brokers Class B between the Gary Clem-trained Bacio Vincente, a full brother to his champion King Klaus and which is a last-start Thangool maiden victor, and Gympie three-year-old Dare to Share, which won an Ipswich Maiden three runs back.
Despite failing at her only previous outing in Bundaberg last December, bonny seven-year-old mare Craiglea Cetina, a veteran of 82 starts, will take a power of beating in the Morgans QTIS Benchmark 55 after winning at Thangool on 12th June before notching three placings and a fourth at her subsequent four appearances.
GREYHOUNDS: Takura trainer David Plummer and Darren Taylor, of Bouldercombe, shared the honours at this week’s Bundaberg meeting, each taking out one of the rich feature races in daily doubles.
David triumphed with Fogelberg, which notched his seventh win in a row on the track in the Bundaberg Sprint Final, picking up the lucrative $5,250 winner’s cheque, with Darren’s duo Cosmic Colin and My Bro Beach, filling the minor placings.
That was after he had finished first and third in the previous event, the Mixed 3rd/4th Grade, with two of Fogelberg’s litter brothers Easy Eddie and Little Ripper.
Darren picked up the $2,450 purse in the Bundaberg Maiden 1000 Final with hot favourite Bailing Out, which streaked home seven lengths in advance of Zambora Chief, before also getting the money with Butter Puddin’ in the Bargara Bakery 5th Grade.
