Reigning champions and unbeaten minor premiers Hervey Bay Bombers will attempt to ice a perfect season when they meet hosts Brothers Bulldogs in the AFL Wide Bay Marquis Macadamias Senior Men’s Premiership Grand Final at Brothers Sports Complex at 3 pm tomorrow.
The Bulldogs will be attempting to break a 12-year drought in their Golden Jubilee season, but they will need to produce something special to shoot down the Bombers after losing to them in all five home and away clashes in 2022, 49-38 on April 23, 38-2 on May 21, 81-32 on June 25, 63-47 on July 16, and 79-24 on August 13.
They also struggled to beat Bay Power 57-47 in the semi-final last Saturday, and they also trailed the Bombers massively on percentages 403.79% to 123.50%, but they will have a big home crowd behind them, and anything can happen in finals.
The Bombers will be represented in all four grand finals, also against Bulldogs in Under-12 at 8am and U14 at 9.45am, Across The Waves Eagles in U17 at 11.30am, and Bay Power in Reserves at 1.15pm.
Seniors Teams – Bombers: 1 Dylan Rowe, 2 Dylan Johnstone, 3 Blair Dewar, 4 Dylan Winterton, 6 Lachlan Woodhams, 7 Cameron Baker ©, 8 ben Holland, 9 Jessie Darby, 10 Jack Feben, 11 James Hickey, 12 Todd Baldwin, 13 Claude Issa, 14 Brent Firth-Meldrum ©, 15 Balin Tietz, 16 Hudson Navez, 17 Coden Koumides, 20 Matthew Duffy, 21 Hayden Telfer, 22 Jake Nagy, 23 Michael Lewis ©, 24 Jay Andrew, 25 Campbell Allan, 26 Josh Challies, 27 Michael Smith, 29 Rikky Dunn, Coach: Troy Ignatenko.
Bulldogs: 1 Harrison Hodgson, 2 Jefferson Baulch, 3 Cooper Tankey, 4 Benjamin Davis, 5 Griffin Webb (vc), 6 Cody Woodrow, 7 Joel Saunders, 8 Dylan Keam (vc), 9 Harrison Tancredi, 10 Jay Rivett, 11 Tristan Taylor ©, 12 Mitch Badrick, 13 Cody Timms, 14 Dean Lawton, 15 Jack Sickerdick (vc), 16 Kyle Anderson, 17 Jarrod Burnett, 19 Adam Harber, 20 Jaykob Gooder, 21 Michael Lovett, 24 Brett Kniese, 27 Tyson Jater, 29 Corey Taylor, 39 Lee Taylor, 43 Sean Cars, Coach: Brad Grogan
Netball
Despite losing to Brothers Hurricanes by two goals in the Major Semi-final a fortnight ago, Waves Gold will be favoured to complete three Bundaberg Netball Warren Family Homes Division 1 Premiership titles in a row when the two sides meet again in the Blue Riband Grand Final at the Superpark at 6pm tomorrow.
But it is expected to be much closer than last year’s decider when Waves were pure Gold, putting the icing on an unbeaten premiership with a 60-28 victory.
The Hurricanes have beaten them twice this year, but Gold returned to their brutal best with a 60-40 Preliminary Final demolition of Natives Aim Hearing Magpies last week.
There are five finals at both 2pm and 3.45pm, before there will be a Men’s showdown at 5.30pm, leading into the main event.,
Brothers will contest six other grand finals, with their Thunder side taking on Natives Eagles in D2, Monsoons against Natives Rosellas in D3, Storm against Waves Emeralds in D6, Volcanoes against Whirlwinds in an all-Brothers D8 affair, Avalanches against Waves Teal in D9, and Heat against Alloway Orange in D10.
The Masters crown will be fought between Alloway Green and Natives Swans, while Division 4 will bring together Natives Firebirds and Alloway Aqua, with Waves Pink v Fusion Magic Sultans in D5, Natives Kingfishers v Alloway Aqua in D4.
Hockey
After winning the Major Semi-finals in four of the six Bundaberg Hockey competitions they are represented in last weekend, Raiders/Rovers will be striving to book grand final berths in their other two grades when they contest the Division 1 Men’s and Under-16 Preliminary Finals, both against All Blacks, at Hinkler Park at 5pm and 1.30pm respectively tomorrow.
All Blacks will also line up in the Division 1 Women’s Preliminary against Arrows/Athletics at 3.15pm tomorrow.
The program will start with the Division 2 Women’s and Men’s semi-finals tonight, with Waves Cities to meet Arrows in the former and All Blacks in the latter.
Arrows will also do battle with Cities in both U11 and 13 tomorrow.
Football
Runaway Champions and hosts Across The Waves will be expected to outgun Kawungan Sandy Straits Jets in the Football Queensland Premier League Wide Bay Men’s Semi-final 1 at 7pm tomorrow despite only beating them 1-0 when they last locked horns in Hervey Bay on August 6.
An epic duel between Bingera and Fraser Flames is on the cards in Semi-final 2 at Martens Oval at the same time, although the Superstripes prevailed 3-1 at their last meeting, also on August 6.
The all-conquering unbeaten Flames will turn up the heat in the Women’s Semi-final 1 at Fraser Coast Sports Complex at 8.30pm tonight, when also at Martens Oval Waves and Bingera will square off in SF2.
Tomorrow, Waves will also host Bargara in the Division 1 Men’s Semi-final 1 at 2pm, and Bingera in the Under-23 Men’s Semi-final 1 at 4.30pm.
At Martens Oval at 4pm, UPE will suit up against KSS Jets in the U23 Men’s Semi-final 2, and Division 1 Men’s League Champions Brothers-Aston Villa are up against United Warriors in SF2.
Rugby league
Northern Districts All Stars will duel with Indigenous All Stars in what promises to be another rugby league showpiece in the true Spirit of Reconciliation and Community Connection in the second annual NDRL All Stars event at the Gin Gin Rugby League Grounds tomorrow at 6.30pm.
Earlier, there will be a Women’s League Tag Match at 4.30pm.
Entry is free and food and drinks will be available, with also Face Painting, a Jumping Castle and more.
Horse racing
Moranbah trainer Bevan Johnson and apprentice Tyler Leslight look to have a great chance of taking out a winning double at the Ulton Cup meeting at Thabeban Park tomorrow with Han Dynasty in the PSC Insurance Brokers Benchmark 60 Handicap and American Genius in the Morgans QTIS Open Handicap.
The widely travelled Han Dynasty, which won his only previous Bundaberg start, also over 850m on January 29, is a last-start winner at Mt Isa on August 11, after winning on his home track on June 11, and placings at Gladstone, Blackall and Longreach in between those victories.
Eight-year-old American Genius, a winner of 13 of his 75 starts and $235,640 prizemoney, also won his only previous start in the Rum City on January 29, and while he failed at Bowen at his last outing a fortnight ago, he was runner-up at Longreach and victorious at Richmond at his previous two appearances.
Jockey Paul Hamblin also has two excellent winning prospects with Clairvue Jet and Daulat Ulti Maiora, which both won well at the last Bundaberg meeting on July 23, in the Ulton Wealth Management Benchmark 55 Handicap, and Furlong Financial Group Class B respectively.
Qwick appeals for highly successful Eidsvold trainer Bob Murray in the Ulton Cup Maiden Plate.
