Last Monday and Tuesday 115 men and women competed in the annual 2023 Wintersun Carnival hosted by Proserpine Golf Club.

Thankfully the wet weather held off for the two days although the wind did get up.  

The course was in remarkable condition, all things considered.

Competitors came from Victoria, NSW, and North Queensland and by all accounts had a wonderful time.  

The men's 36 Hole Gross Champion was Greg Ellis from Mackay and the Ladies 36 Hole Gross Champion was our very own Leanne Alexander.

Division A Nett winner was Tony Lincoln from Tewantin/Noosa club, Nett runner up Gary Scotford from Proserpine.  

Ladies Nett winner Tina Badenhorst from Proserpine and runner up Cheryl Scown from Mackay.  

Well done to all who participated.  

Next Monday and Tuesday will be Mackay's turn to host.  Good luck to those competing.

Contributed with thanks to Paula McQuat.

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Greg Ellis and Leanne Alexander being presented by Warren Deighton, club President. Photos supplied

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This weeks 9 hole stableford saw Jacob Nightingale take the win with 20 pts c/b, second with 20 pts was Donovan Pettiford and third with 19 pts Donna Henderson.

Fridays 9-hole competition was Josh Quin in first place with 24 pts, second Justyn Durbin with 22 pts and third with a 19 pt c/b was Scott Morrisey.

Great work gentlemen.

On Sunday we our 18-hole stableford saw Danny York take the win with an amazing 40 pt win, second with a 39 pt c/b was Dean Barnard and third place with 39 pts was Donovan Pettiford.

Nearest the pin were Dean Barnard and Deeray Fo’ou.

Contributed with thanks to the Whitsunday Green Team.

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Donovan and Edwina Pettiford. Photo supplied

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Whitsunday Running Club member Aimee Sulzberger pulled off a magnificent victory in the recent Townsville Marathon in a time of 3:11:05.

This beat her previous best time by a whooping 45 minutes!

In March this year, Aimee had been crowned the North Queensland Cross Country Champion over both the 10km and 6km distances.

Her training for a 100km trail run had been disrupted earlier in the year and she decided to enter the marathon to test her fitness.

The Whitsunday Running Club had two other representatives in the marathon with Justin Knight-Gray and Kyle Fleer both finishing strongly.

Another member, Roland Henderson, was up against a strong field in the half marathon. He was the fifth male over the line and second in his age group.

Jenna Mayhew, a Bowen member of the Whitsunday Running Club had a strong 10km run.

Club President Tim McQuoid-Mason and Chris Harvey ran in the 5km. Chris was the pacemaker and made sure that Tim completed the course ahead of the other 70+ competitors.

Tim McQuoid-Mason said “I am so pleased to see Aimee win this race. She trains so hard and a lot of the time that is behind a pram pushing two or three of her children!”

Contributed with thanks to Tim McQuoid-Mason.

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Aimee in the Hilly Half Marathon

Tim McQuoid Finish

Whitsunday Running Club members

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The Whitsunday Raiders travelled to BB Print stadium in Mackay to take on the Moranbah Bulls for the 2023 MRU Grand Final.

All season these two teams have been the strongest of the competition.

It was always going to be a tightly contested game for the coveted silver cup.

Moranbah had the confidence of the semi final win over the Raiders and the Raiders had the confidence of a tough win over Kuttabul last week.

It was the Raiders who had the first chance to put points on the board with a penalty 30 metres out from the posts, unfortunately it missed by the smallest of margins.

As the game unfolded the lead changed six times.

With neither team giving any easy ground.

It was the trifecta of tries by Luke Rae-Howard that made the difference between the two sides, two of which were skilful individual moments, an intercept as well as a kick chase off a Moranbah knock on.

Luke’s third try came off a backline movement that saw winger Jack Briskey chip over the fullback and Luke pounced on the bouncing ball to give him his third and the Raiders a 25-20 lead.

The last 5 minutes of the game saw Moranbah attack the Raiders line, the men in green stood the onslaught of the bulls the defensive pressure was too much for the bulls and a knock on at the base of a ruck saw the Raiders pounce on the loose ball and seal the win 25-20.

Two trophies in the past 3 years made it a special send off for outgoing coach Andre Houston and capped off a wonderful 5 years for the club under his tutelage.

Proserpine Whitsunday Rugby union as well as Mackay District Rugby is indebted to Andre and Karla for their dedication to the players and the game of Rugby Union.

Contributed with thanks to Craig Spence.

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2023 squad photo

Presentation Of The Cup. Photo Credit: Marty Strecker Photography, Mackay

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This week, on a stunning Whitsunday winter’s day, 117 impressive people ran, jogged, and walked the 5km waterfront course.

There were 33 first timers, congratulations to the 18 participants that recorded new Personal Bests. Milestones for the day included Louise for 25 weeks of volunteering and Jo for 50 weeks of volunteering.

Contributed with thanks to Airlie Beach Park Run.

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Photos supplied

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Over the weekend, 5 Cannons completed at the Queensland Short Course Championships in Brisbane.  

Coach Ken Crittenden was very impressed with all the Cannons and their outstanding achievements over the weekend.  

Highlights include: Tora Delac, aged 12 years qualified and nominated for 9 events.  

Tora swam extremely well, setting PBs in just about all her races.

Two of her best swims were:  50m Breaststroke in 39sec (with 1.93sec PB, 19th in Qld) and her 100m IM in a time of 1.15.07 (1.23sec PB, 17th in Qld).  

Thomas Ganter, 11 years had a super weekend of racing.  

A couple of his best swims include:  400m Freestyle in 5.23.46  (8.07sec PB, 11th Qld) and his 50m Breaststroke which he swam in 43.61sec, taking 3.3sec off his previous best.

Anisa Helou, aged 14 years loves racing 50m events.  

Her best swims include her 50m Butterfly and 50m Freestyle.  

Ehsan Helou, aged 15 years thoroughly enjoyed racing against Queensland’s Best.  

He too swam personal best times in just about all his events.  

Ehsan swam a fantastic time of 1.10.29 in his 100m Breaststroke with earnt him a Top Ten Ribbon (10th place in Qld).  

Zachary Trefz, also aged 11 years, swam excellent times in his 50m Butterfly and 50m Backstroke.   Congratulations to all the Cannons!!!  

The Cannons would like to commend Jax Clayworth, aged 9 years on his 3 NQ Records from earlier this year.  

Jax set 2 records for 100m Butterfly and 1 record for 100m Freestyle.  

Club Night on Wednesday was lots of fun!  

Anton Bakx swam extremely well at his first Club Night and swam a super 25m Backstroke in 26.04s.  Lots of great swims on Wednesday.  

Well done, swimmers!  A big thank you to the parents, volunteers, and coaches for all their support!  

Contributed with thanks to Raylene Rasmussen.

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Cannons Queensland SC Team Aug 2023. Photo supplied

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A wildcard entry to the National Junior Basketball Championships in Melbourne has left ten promising Mackay hoopers brimming with excitement.

The Mackay Meteors Under 14 Boys representative team will get the chance to rub shoulders with the finest basketball talent in their age group when they trek down south next month to compete at the prestigious carnival from September 23-29.

Mackay Basketball Association was quick to snap up an invitation to participate at the national titles after the late withdrawal of the Northern Territory squad.

It follows the Meteors’ strong performances at this year’s State Under 14 Championships in Townsville where they finished fourth under the guidance of Head Coach Francis Moala and Assistant Coach Jamie Novosel.

The young Meteors were formed as a representative team back in February and have shown plenty of raw talent under the expert coaching of Moala and Novosel.

They defeated Cairns and Townsville to clinch the Top of the North junior basketball series before making an impression with skilful performances at the State Championships.

This year’s Under 14 Meteors squad is comprised of juniors from the Renegades, Souths, Whitsunday, Magpies and North Mackay Magic clubs.

Rising prospects like guard Will Di Filippo, Archie Rooney, Sam Osborne, Jude Novosel, Parker Coleman, Caleb Cassells, Ryan Mapes, Harrison Bell, Coby Hughes and Lachlan Dore are relishing the opportunity to show their wares in Melbourne.

Three team members – Di Filippo, Rooney and Novosel – have family links to the Meteors franchise.

The young guns are the nephews of Mackay’s 2012 QBL championship-winning star trio Ryan Di Filippo, Luke Harvey and Mitch Gamblin.

Former Meteors back courter Gamblin – an uncle of Jude - gave the club sterling service as a star defender from 2010 to 2018 as did Archie’s uncle - power forward Harvey along with Will’s uncle Ryan Di Filippo.

In a cruel blow, promising junior Munotendwa Mhashu will miss the Championships due to injury.

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Mackay Meteors talented Under 14 boys representative team will compete at the upcoming National Under 14 Junior Basketball Championships in Melbourne

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Congratulations to Helen Truscott and Erin Clemett who made it to the semi-final of the Champion of Champion Pairs in Proserpine, with both ladies playing very good bowls.

This week Karli Burns, Carol Savage, Karina Dunn and Denise Mezzen will represent the Mackay Bowls Club in Champion of Champion Fours at Marian.

In Calen, Karina Dunn and Janice Nielsen will compete in the postponed Champion of Champion Senior and B Grade Singles.

Mackay Bowls Club’s very own Albert Wicks, Alf Padgen and Mona Towsend feature in the latest edition of Queensland Bowler magazine in an article showcasing that age is no barrier.

Tuesday Social Play saw 25 players turn up for an afternoon of bowls.

Results:

Winners of Winners: Leanne Jenner, Barry Jenner, Peter Taaffe.

Winner of Losers: John Schatkowski, B Williams , Barry Paskins.

Thursday Scroungers: Denise Mezzen def Brian Williams in the final.

Contact the club if you are interested in an afternoon of Thursday social bowls; men, ladies and visitors are welcome.

Friday Social Play

Winners of Winners: Kristine Robinson, Janice Nelson.

Runners up: Denise Mezzen, Peter Nelson, Val Edwards.

Club Competition continues Saturday and Sunday in both Men and Ladies.

Saturday Afternoon Ladies 3 Bowl Triples final: E Clements , L Nielsen,, R Schatkowski v D Mezzen, M Mayfield, D McMamara

Men’s Senior Singles:

Steve Cassidy v Barry Jenner

Peter Molloy v Trevor Mayfield

The winners of these games will play off in the final on Sunday afternoon.

Contributed by Mike Irving

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By Amanda Wright

Mackay's BMX racing scene is buzzing with excitement as two exceptional brothers from the Mackay and District BMX Club, Dylan Secher and Beau Secher, prepare to represent Team Australia at the UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. The world-class event is set to host over 8,000 talented riders from more than 120 countries, competing over eleven intense days of thrilling action.

The UCI BMX Racing World Championships, known for showcasing the best amateur riders worldwide, will provide an extraordinary platform for the Secher brothers to test their skills and compete against the world's best BMX racers.

Beau Secher will be vying for success in the fiercely contested 11-year-old boys' category, bringing his boundless enthusiasm and determination to the world stage. Meanwhile, his older brother, Dylan Secher, will be taking on the challenge in two classes: the highly competitive 12-year-old boys' category and the Cruiser 12 and under class. Dylan's impressive 8th ranking in Australia for the 12-year-old boys reflects his dedication and commitment to the sport.

The local BMX club expressed their admiration for the brothers' hard work and achievements, stating, "Watching these young athletes grow and excel in their passion for BMX racing has been truly inspiring.

“We are immensely proud of Dylan and Beau and wish them the best of luck at the UCI BMX Racing World Championships.

“They have worked incredibly hard for this moment, and we have no doubt that they will shine on the world stage."

The Championships will run from August 3 to August 13, promising spectators a thrilling display of speed, skill, and adrenaline-pumping action.

For those unable to witness the excitement in person, live streaming of the event will be available on SBS on Demand, allowing BMX enthusiasts and sports fans alike to follow the action from the comfort of their homes.

May the wind be at your back, and the thrill of victory be in your grasp. Go, Dylan and Beau!

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Beau and Dylan Secher in Glasgow, Scotland, arriving at the track

Beau Secher

Dylan Secher

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Sarina Crocodiles have a rich rugby league history in the Mackay region with some of Queensland’s modern-day legends donning the club’s famous colours in their junior days.

Maroons and Kangaroos legends Martin Bella, Wendell Sailor, Dale Shearer and Daly Cherry-Evans are famous products of the Crocodiles along with enforcer Kevin Campion and went on to carve out illustrious top-grade careers in the NSW and National Rugby League.

North Queensland Cowboys strong man Rueben Cotter – who helped Australia win the Rugby League World Cup last year – is the latest representative star off the Crocodiles’ production line to make an impact in the NRL competition.

The teak-tough Cotter also picked up the Wally Lewis Medal for Origin Player of the Year after helping Queensland defeat NSW 2-1 in this year’s interstate series.

Latest Sarina junior to earn a Queensland representative jumper is Mackay Cutters half back sensation Emily Bella, who recently guided the Maroons Under 19s Girls team to an Origin triumph over the Blues at Redcliffe.

Emily turned the game when used as an interchange hooker and caught the eye of talent scouts at the venue.

The exciting prospect is on the radar of several clubs including the Cowboys as she chases an NRLW contract and is keen to secure her immediate future.

She spent her formative junior rugby league years with the Crocodiles before joining the Walkerston Wanderers and Mackay Brothers clubs.

Emily along with her cousin Martin Bella, Sailor and Cherry-Evans attended St Patrick’s College Mackay where they all shone in their own right.

Cherry-Evans, who chalked up his 300th NRL appearance for the Manly Sea Eagles last weekend against St George-Illawarra, started his league career with the Crocodiles in the Mackay Junior League before stints with Souths Sharks and Mackay Brothers.

His father Troy Evans was a Sarina Crocodiles enforcer before developing into a ‘hardman’ for Norths Devils and Redcliffe Dolphins in the Brisbane premiership during the 1980s and 1990s.

By Chris Karas

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Queensland Under 19 Origin hero Emily Bella and Mackay raised State coach Deanna Turner celebrate the Maroons’ triumph over NSW

Daly Cherry-Evans is a former St Patrick’s product who played for the Crocodiles as a junior

Reuben Cotter won the Wally Lewis Medal for Origin Player of the Year

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Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday night fixtures August 1, 2023

Division 1:

Joola (Andrew McHugh, Geoff Denman, Janice Kent) d Donic (Ivan Perkins, Anne Sheridan, Ian McKay) 9-2. Janice d Ian -7, 6, 8, 9.

Radak (Mick Ruhl, Lee Brake, Graham Brake) d Andro (George Camilleri, Robbie Richards, Barry Patterson) 8-3. Lee d Barry 10, 9, -7, -6, 8.

Tibhar (Vince Boeske, Steven Whiting, Tim Shehan) d Butterfly (Neil Brown, Allan Edwards, Graeme Walker) 8-3. Neil d Vince 9, 9, -7, -10, 10.

Division 2:

Xiom (Duncan Sheridan, Duncan Treloar, Ishan Rana) d Stiga (Tony Bowman, Donna Abbott, Leo Gilbert) 6-5. Ishan d Tony 8, -10, 8, -5, 8.

Nittaku (David Ting, Will VanDeKaa, John McGee) d Yasaka (Noreen Fredericksen, Andrea Nicholson, Peter Goodson) 9-2. John d Peter -9, -8, 10, 12, 9.

Victas (Steve Crocker, Mark Sleeman, Steve Mathieson) d Gewo (Wayne Wormald, Matthew West, Trent Day) 6-5. Steve d Trent 6, -7, -7, 7, 6.

Division 3:

Epsilon (Anaya Reelh, Jye Callander, Virginia Claytron) d Gamma (Mark Stam, Alok Rana, Craig VenDeKaa) 6-5. Craig d Anaya 7, -3, -10, 1, 10).

Beta (Simon Hogan, Kade Wright, Nehmat Dhaliwal) d Zeta (Praneesh Cheruku, Bill Hey) 9-2. Kade d Praneesh -5, 7, 8, -6, 5.

Alpha (Rymer Tabulo, Misha Palod, Ollie Hamelink) d Delta (Saisha Palod, Aarnav Reelh, Val Austin) 7-4. Rymer/Misha d Aarnav/Val 5, 7, 6, 3, 7.

Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday morning fixtures August 1, 2023

Division 1:

Blue (George Camilleri, John McGee, Don Boettcher) d Yellow (Donna Abbott, Peter Goodson, Bryan Marshall) 7-5. John d Bryan 6, -9, 11, -7, 3.

Red (Branko Vucurovic, Steve Mathieson, Kevin Abbott) d Green (Charlie Payne, Pam Joyce, Noreen Fredericksen) 8-4. Steve d Pam 9, 9, -9, -10, 9.

Division 2:

Purple (Iris Grasso, Ken Best, Judi Hicks) d Orange (Helen Ware, Louise Gould, Gerry Synnott) 11-1. Ken d Louise -11, 2, -14, 4, 7.

White (Wayne Wormal, Marie Taylor, Michael Ibbotson) drew Pink (Robyn Bushell, John Hamelink, Fred Saliba) 6-all. Michael d Robyn -8, -3, 7, 10, 10.

Division 3:

Tan (Cheryl Aprato, Madge Saunders, Bill Hey) d Lime (Cheryl Pearson, Carmel Cristaldi, Myles Dutton) 8-4. Cheryl P d Cheryl A 5, -6, 6, -11, 9.

Aqua (Pam Keune, Rhonda Griffiths, Glenda Dutton) d Grey (Ian Dodds, Allison Day) 7-5. Pam d Ian -7, 7, 4, -6, 8.

Contributed by Charlie Payne

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Pam Keune was part of the winning Aqua team in Division 3. Photo credit: Charlie Payne

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Mackay Cutters dynamo Jasmine Peters is relishing her new role in the NRLW premiership.

The strong running Peters has left her mark in the early rounds of the competition with the North Queensland Cowboys with pundits describing her as “a sharp attacking weapon”.

Her powerful bursts from fullback inspired the Cutters to a semi-final appearance in the Queensland Rugby League’s BMD Premiership earlier this season and the try scoring merchant has made every post a winner since linking with the Cowboys.

Peters has switched to centre for the NRLW campaign and has caught the eye of keen judges with slick performances against Gold Coast Titans, Newcastle Knights and the Brisbane Broncos.

The emerging number three turned in a solid display in the Cowboys’ 40-12 loss to the Broncos last Saturday at Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium and hopes she can replicate that fine form for the remainder of the series.

New Zealand international and Brisbane centre Mele Hufanga grabbed the limelight with a powerhouse performance for the visitors.

The former Tongan rugby star etched her name in the record books with a spectacular four try haul as the Broncos ran amok after the interval.

Hufanga’s solo achievement equalled the NRLW record for most tries in a match.

The Cowboys trailed 18-12 at the break but struggled to contain the rejuvenated Broncos who piled on 22 unanswered points in a second half blitz.

With Jillaroos great Ali Brigginshaw calling the shots at half back, there was no stopping the Brisbane outfit as they ran in eight tries in a dominant showing.

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Three-time Indigenous All-Stars centre, Jasmine Peters

The winning NRLW Cowboys team after defeating the Newcastle Knights last month

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The North Mackay Ladies Bowls Club has been keeping the bowls rolling with some exciting social matches. On July 17th, the winning team consisted of Lesley Baumgarten, Wendy McGee, and Lidia McCarthy, with Pam Louis and Bev McDonald as the runners-up.

Moving to July 24th, Bev McDonald, Pam Louis, and Jean Schmidtke clinched victory, while Sue Roscoe, Lesley Baumgarten, and Lidia McCarthy took the second spot.

In the latest action on August 2nd, the winning pair was Ann Smith and Sue Hazledine, with Bev McDonald, Narell Schmidtke, and Jean Schmidtke as the runners-up.

As the club approaches the finals, the under 70’s and over 70’s competitions, along with the Consistency contests, are all shaping up for an exciting finish.

Contributed by Sue Hazledine.

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Division 4 Ladies for 2023 L-R: Pam Louis, Min Andrew, Brenda Trannore, Wendy McGee, Rondelle McDermot, Margaret Creese, Sue Hazledine, Helen Fleming, Maureen Blucher

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Eight teams battled in the final of the Whitsunday Zone GNOT Gold Points event on Saturday at the Mackay Contract Bridge Club. Team Conroy came out on top winning the event.

Monday 31 July 2023 – 6 Table One Winner Green Pts

1st Janelle Conroy / Terrence Sheedy

2nd Frances Brown / Vicki Howard

3rd Monica Darley / Joy Robinson

4th Margaret Jennings / Marilin Robins

5th Helen Van Den Broek / Jan Harris

Tuesday 1 August 2023 Evening - 4 Table Mitchell Green Pts

N/S E/W

1st Janelle Conroy / Eric Leivesley 1st Terrence Sheedy / Helen Van Den Broek

2nd Faye Wright / Marilin Robins 2nd Janet Hansen / Diane Morgan

Wednesday 2 August 2023 10 Table Mitchell Green Points

N/S E/W

1st Janet Hansen / Alan Brown 1st Eric Goodchild / David Ting

2nd Sandra Morris / Jan Harris 2nd Monica Darley / Kath Poole

3rd Max Holewa / Diane Holewa 3rd Susan Wright / Bob Ellis

4th Joy Robinson / Robert Carless 4th Geoff Patterson / Sandy Patterson

5th Debbie Ludkin / Cath Willis 5th Victor Mason / John Ludkin

Thursday Evening 3 August 2023 - 5 Table One Winner

1st Janet Hansen / Diane Morgan

2nd Ian Cruickshank / Mary Cruickshank

3rd Terrence Sheedy / Jan Harris

4th Ken Seaniger / Robert Carless

Friday 4 August 2023 – 9 Table Mitchell Green Points

N/S E/W

1st Edward Kliese / Nancy Wix 1st David Ting / Ming Ting

2nd Joyce Deguara / Toni Large 2nd Janine Rodgers / Richard Wix

3rd Terrence Sheedy / Janelle Conroy 3rd Geoff Cowan / Joy Robinson

4th Eric Goodchild / Sandy Patterson 4th Monica Darley / Gwen Liddell

Saturday 5 August 2023 – Whitsunday Zone GNOT Final - 8 Table Mitchell Gold Points

Team Team Members

1st Conroy Janelle Conroy / Geoff Taylor / Monica Darley / Ken Seaniger

2nd O’Neill Julie O'Neill - Sandra Morris - Patricia Garner - Sandy Patterson

3rd Morgan Diane Morgan / Janet Hansen / Frances Brown / Alan Brown

4th Leivesley Eric Leivesley - Tex Sheedy - Max Holewa - Diane Holewa

5th Sheffield Marilyn Scopelliti / Ellie Sheffield / Betty Andison / Renate Feige

6th Robins Marilin Robins - Anne Lutz - Antonia Tarradas - Christine Nice

7th Breeze Deb Breeze / Lydie Martin / Sue McInnes / Maureen Gallichan

8th Goodchild Debra Goodchild - Ming Ting - Eric Goodchild - David Ting

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GNOT Finalists from Left to Right: Geoff Taylor, Janelle Conroy, Monica Darley and Ken Seaniger

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Ian Schifilitti was renowned for his dedication and work ethic as a professional rugby league journeyman.

The industrious forward – who represented Italy at the Rugby League World Cup – was highly regarded during his playing career in the Townsville region and English Super League for his tenacity, courage, ball play and copybook defence.

Those admirable traits have rubbed off on his St Patrick’s College Mackay team that has just secured the minor premiership in the Aaron Payne Cup.

The all-conquering Mackay colts edged out Kirwan State High 22-16 to extend their winning streak and set up a semi-final showdown this week with St Augustine’s Cairns.

While proud of his charges’ efforts during a crippling injury crisis, the respected mentor faces a selection headache in the finals with ten key players returning to bolster the team.

“Reducing my 30-man squad to 17 remains a difficult proposition with so many of our fringe players stepping up in recent weeks to push their claims,” coach Schifilitti revealed.

St Patrick’s College can now claim to be the powerbase of northern Queensland school rugby league after wrapping up both the Aaron Payne Cup and Year 10 Cowboys Challenge minor premierships and the Girls team finishing runners up at the QISSRL Confraternity Shield Carnival.

The College is on track to secure a championship double with both sides preserving their undefeated records after rousing victories over Kirwan State High in Townsville.

Boosted by the return of Queensland Schoolboys reps Xavier Kerrisk and Jaxon Purdue and a slick display by centre Will Shears, the Mackay giants grabbed a psychological edge over their rivals.

It has been a tremendous team effort by the senior Mackay colts who have all contributed to the minor title with courageous performances.

Promising fullback Hayden Cumming, wingers Bailey Anderson and Hunter Harris, centres Tenzin Contor, Will Whippy and Reuben Saron, five eighth Bailey Venz and forwards Darcy Clark, Tyler Shandiman, Diesel Costigan, Jake Bryan, Kayne Smith, Hudson Clark and Cohen Jackson, Darcy Daly, utility Nelson Fenlon, Javan Ramsamy, Harrison Considine, Mikey Hinchy, Lachlan Starr and Jack Townsend have also shown dedication to training and a will to win despite the College fielding depleted line-ups.

“We even had to blood 15-year-old forward prospect Mark Morrow in the top grade and he rose to the challenge,” said Schifilitti.

“I am just so proud of their commitment and the energy they take into each game,” he added.

Morrow, who has signed a three-year contract with the Canberra Raiders, is one of the big guns in a powerful and hungry St Patrick’s Year 10 team that is on the prowl for another Cowboys Challenge Shield title.

Coach Tom Gaviglio has the side in tip-top form.

Having conceded only three tries in this campaign, the St Patrick’s outfit are warm favourites to sink Mackay State High in this week’s semi-final and book a berth in this year’s Grand Final.

Talented half back Adam McSherry, centre Norm Campbell, lock Caleb O’Brien, Queensland Under 15s prop Sam Anderson and hooker Cooper Deguara led the way in a 28-0 victory over Kirwan High.

By Chris Karas

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St Patrick’s College senior rugby league coach Ian Schifilitti is proud of his squad’s efforts in claiming the Aaron Payne Cup minor premiership

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