Over an eight-week training regime, participants from Base 51 Functional Fitness challenged themselves to gain muscle and lose weight for the chance to nab a cash prize of a thousand dollars.

With a combination of personal training and dieting, the eight-week challenge winner and “$1000 Dollar Man” was Paul Douthwaite, who pulled off some staggering results.

Paul’s outcome was a loss of 10 kilograms of Body Fat – dropping him down to 8.7 per cent body fat – and a gain of six kilograms of lean muscle mass.

Base 51 Head Trainer John Russolillo said he was astounded by Paul’s “legendary results”.

“The effort, showing up every day, consistency and a good program is what gets those kinds of results,” John said.

“It’s testament to both the training of Base and to Paul’s commitment.”

Paul, who took part in Base 51’s Elite Squad small group personal training as well, attributed his success to a few factors.

“My body has changed dramatically in the time I’ve been training. I couldn’t even do a push-up at the start and now I’m kicking goals everywhere,” Paul said.

“I’ve been to plenty of gyms and lasted a few weeks, but here it captured my attention. There’s a family there and that’s a real appeal – you see the same faces every week and you get to know each other.

“We were all working together towards a goal and that helps you form bonds. The training and making sure you’re working out with the right form helps massively. It’s helped me get back into my running, which I haven’t done for two or three years.

“Being able to work out alongside my wife and my son now is really the biggest reward. And my golf is at a different level now, so I have to thank John and Base 51 for all of that.”

Paul is now being affectionately known at the gym as the “$1000 Dollar Man” and plans to take part in another challenge – although he’s not expecting to lose another 10-kilograms.

Image1: Winner, winner chicken dinner for Paul Douthwaite as heclaimed a $1000 dollar prize in the Base 51 Functional Fitness Eight-WeekChallenge

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Grand Final Day, Saturday, September 17: With two teams in Grand Finals for the first time ever, Whitsunday United Supporters were buzzing with excitement whilst players nervously waited for the action to start.

With the U14 Premiers side playing early in the day and a supporter bus organised for the Premier Men, the tangerine machine was going to be out on force and vocal on the sidelines.

The U14 Premiers took to the field focussed, ready to play and determined to add the Grand Final Trophy to their collection. Unfortunately, lady luck was not wearing orange on Saturday morning and despite one of their best performance all year, the young Whitsunday side fell short of a win.

They started strong, and despite running into a tough headwind, were equal to everything the Crusaders threw at them. The Mackay side scored first and Reef Peel returned the compliment with a great finish to equalise.

The arm wrestle continued till half time and the Whitsunday side was looking good with a 1-1 score and the wind at their back for the second half.

Against the run of play, Crusaders scored an early goal in the second half and despite being camped in front of the Crusaders goal, the Whitsunday side was unable to capitalise on several chances and went down in a nail-biting finish. A genuine contest between two string sides and the U14's have every right to be proud of the Minor Premiership they achieved in 2022.

As the evening drew on, the excitement built for the clash of the day. The matchup between arch rivals Whitsunday and Mackay Lions was eagerly anticipated by the large crowd of supporters and with their team favourite to win, the Whitsunday fans were in full song, adding to the electric atmosphere.

The anticipation was palpable.

After a stellar year in which the Whitsunday Premier Men took out the Minor Premiership, The Championship was within their grasp for the first time ever.

From the opening whistle, the crowd was treated to a fast and physical opening to the match with both sides determined to dominate early, and Lions knowing that a front running Whitsunday side would be impossible to catch.

To the Whitsunday crowd raucous delight it took only 7 minutes for their side to draw first blood through a brilliant strike by Tommy Torzsok off a Ben Smith pass. It was a dream start to the game and Whitsunday started to dominate play with their speed and precision. Scott Ferries and Tommy Torzsok controlling the middle whilst Ben Smith caused havoc up front with a brilliant performance.

The second goal was only 12 minutes later as Harry Hodgen drove forward down the left wing working towards goal, beating his man and cutting back a perfect ball for Francisco Puentes to drive into the net. With a two-goal lead, the Whitsunday freight train was on a roll and continued to pile on the pressure. With only minutes to go in the first half, a perfect Ben Smith long range free kick found the net again but was disallowed.

It didn’t take long for Whitsunday to seal the game in the second half, with Marty Goodey charging down the left-hand side, beating several players and feeding a beautiful ball to Ben Smith who calmly slotted it past the keeper. Players and supporters both went wild with pandemonium breaking out in the technical area with coaches, official, subs and players embracing.

Player awards after the match included Harry Hodgen with the Golden Boot award and Scott Ferries the league’s season MVP. A well-deserved and popular win to top off a great year for Whitsunday.

With the Premier Men leading the way, and strength through all age groups, Whitsunday United is looking forward to 2023 already and is aiming to be the major force in the regional football league for many years to come.

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Infront of a huge crowd at BB Print Stadium, the Bowen Mudcrabs faced off against their closest rivals, the Proserpine Whitsunday Raiders, in a grand-final matchup with extreme bragging rights.

The question on the region’s lips was whether the pincer would be mightier than the sword when the two sides met for the Mackay Rugby Union final on Saturday – and there was only one certainty: it would be a tight affair.

Raiders had fought hard against Kuttabul the weekend before to make their claim in this final trophy game, with the Mudcrabs having taken a well-deserved break the week before, having already beaten Raiders to shoot straight through to the final game.

The Bowen side had served up Raiders their only loss in almost two seasons in that Major Semi-Final, leaving the Proserpine side with a point to prove coming into the game.

Each of their matchups in the season had been arguably some of the best games of Mackay Rugby Union played in years, and the pressure was mounting.

And this grand final did not disappoint; it was an instant classic.

Busloads of fans witnessed Bowen and Whitsunday players leave it all on the pitch, decked out in their supporter gear – one even dressed as a crab – and revelled in a rugby final that well exceeded the price of admission.

For the Bowen side’s supporters who made the three-hour trip down to the Sugar City, the petrol price was worth its weight in gold.

It was one of the most incredible final games the league has ever seen, with it heading right down to the wire with Casper Turner scoring for Bowen in the last 10 seconds to win it.

Muddies made history come the end of the 80 minutes, winning the final and ending their 41-year drought in the process, claiming their first ever league title with a 25 to 22 win against the Proserpine Whitsunday Raiders.

Coach Tom Anderson, whose father was one of the original Mudcrab founders of the club and was watching on the day, led the long, post-match celebrations that ran through into the early hours of Monday morning.

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The 14th annual Paul Bowman Challenge saw 5000 young footballers and their families, spread over 75 teams from as far afield as Mount Isa, attend the Proserpine Football grounds this weekend.

The Under 9’s two-day Rugby League carnival is held in the Whitsundays every year and over the weekend excited kids were queuing up in droves to meet their favourite sport stars, Cowboys players Heilum Luki and Mitch Dunn.

5000 Attend Paul Bowman Challenge

The Proserpine Junior Sportspark came alive with brightly coloured jerseys and thousands of families setting up camp for the weekend, when the Paul Bowman Carnival came to town, attracting 75 players from across the state.

Councillor Al Grundy said that with no declared winner of the tournament, the event is set up to promote participation and sportsmanship for the formative years of under nine competition.

“It’s about getting the kids involved!” he said.

“And it was so nice to see so many people coming from so far away and travelling from all over the state.

“The whole event went really well – it was so well organised and the volunteers did a fantastic job. The people think it’s really amazing and it was lovely to hear them all saying thank you.”

Cowboy players Heilum Luki and Mitch Dunn both said they were thrilled to see such a great following for the event.

“It reminds me of going to this sort of carnival when I was younger and now they are all coming to see me!” said Heilum.

Coordinator Kim Bates said she was proud of all the organising committee and volunteers.

“It gets better every year, it’s wonderful for the whole community and we always do it for love!”

Kate Clark, Manager of the Whitsunday Brahmans under-nine team said it was awesome seeing everyone gather for the kids.

“Everyone played their best and showed really good sportsmanship,” she said.

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Two long-time rivals battled for the Mackay table tennis open women’s championship last week.

Emma Widdup and Anne Sheridan have been teammates and competitors since they were in their teens, both first winning Mackay Closed women’s titles as juniors in the 1990s. Between them have won an estimated 15 championships.

Emma repeated her feat of winning all her matches at the recent Queensland Veterans Championships in Mackay, taking out every event she contested at the closed titles.

She also won the mixed open doubles with Andrew McHugh, beating Mick Ruhl and Andrea Nicholson, but her most treasured win was in the women’s doubles with veteran Coral Morgan, over Anne Sheridan and Janice Kent.

“It was most special because last year in the final against the same pair we were down 9-10 and I served a fault,” she said.

“After that game last year I did a Kerry Saxby walk around the hall to process my disappointment - Coral cheekily said she’d play with me again this year only if I didn’t fault to lose the match.”

Perennial winner Mick Ruhl has taken out another Mackay Closed men’s championship at the Mackay Table Tennis Centre.

Mick defeated another former title winner Andrew McHugh, to bring his tally of titles to eight.

Emma Widdup kept up her good form to win the women’s open singles from Anne Sheridan, building on her form at the Queensland Veterans Championships in Mackay when she was unbeaten in singles.

Emma and Anne will play in the Australian Veterans Championships in Darwin next month. Nine Mackay players will compete at the titles.

Persistence paid off for Branko Vucurovic, who won the singles and doubles crowns at the Avril Hodges Memorial tournament at the Mackay Table Tennis Centre.

Branko won the singles final -11, 8, 9, 5 over Charlie Payne, and teamed with Donna Abbott to take out the doubles over Steve Mathieson and Coral Morgan.

Using a steady, defensive style, most players find it very hard to get on top of Branko.

David Butler won the B singles final over Noreen Fredericksen, and John Hamelink and Ian Dodds won the doubles over Robyn Bushell and Sharon Muller.

The tournament is played in memory of Avril Hodges, a popular figure who was one of the main organisers of the Tuesday morning fixtures during the 70s.

The fixtures will now break for the school holidays and resume on October 5. New players are welcome, contact Iris Grasso 0419 702 392.

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Mackay Rangers Football Club are finalising preparations for its annual

eight-a-side soccer tournament to be staged at Eric Homan Park at Cremorne

during the October long weekend.

With $6000 in prizemoney and titles up for grabs, football enthusiasts

are in for a treat when the two-day carnival kicks off on Saturday

October 1.

The unique eight-a-side concept is an Open Men’s and Women’s competition for players aged 17 years and older, drawing teams from far and wide including Sarina, Yeppoon, Rockhampton, Hall Creek, Emerald, Townsville, Innisfail, Cairns, Brisbane, Toowoomba and Sunshine Coast.

An added highlight is the Penalty Shootout competition which is

traditionally staged on the Saturday night when participating teams put

forward a goalkeeper and striker to compete for $150 cash.

Mackay Rangers boast a proud 54 year history in the Football Queensland Whitsunday Coast Premier League Association where they have annexed numerous championship titles and produced a host of talent among the Men’s and Women’s grades.

The Carnival is traditionally run each year on the October long weekend

with round fixtures and finals held over the Saturday and Sunday and is

one of only a handful of senior competitive Football Gala events that

are staged in Queensland.

For further details and registration inquiries contact Mackay Rangers FC

eight-a-side co-ordinator Andrew Susani 0400 000 990.

Contributed with thanks to Chris Karas.

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Monday 12 September 22 – Under and Overs Teams Event

1st Under - Angela Welks and Cheryl Machen, Overs – David Ting and Karin Le Roux

2nd Under – Griffin Bancroft and Marylin Wilson – Nicoll, Overs – Terrence Sheedy and Janelle Conroy

Tuesday Evening – 13 September 2022 – 3 Table One Winner Green Points

1st Terrence Sheedy / Helen Van Den Broek

2nd Janelle Conroy / Eric Leivesley

3rd Janel Hansen / Diane Morgan

Wednesday 14 September 22 – 8 Table Mitchell

1st Janet Hansen / Del Ryan 1st Sandra Morris / Jan Harris

2nd Josie Cowley / Barbara Tait 2nd Carol Gaskell / Ian Gaskell

3rd Karin Le Roux / Nancy Wix 3rd Noel Bugeia / Doone Mitchell

4th Ming Ting / David Ting

1st Mick King / Patricia Garner

2nd Graeme Smith / Diane Stokes

3rd Ken Seaniger / Robert Carless

Thursday 15 September 2022 – 4 Table One Winner

Friday 16 September 22 – 9 Table Mitchell Green Points

N/S E/W

1st Terrence Sheedy / Noel Bugeia 1st Lorna Shuttlewood / Karin Le Roux

2nd Graeme Smith / Nancy Wix 2nd Julie O’Neill / Ann Whitmore

3rd Monica Darley / Del Ryan 3rd Susan Wright / Clare Wallace

4th Marie McGuire / Diane Stokes 4th David Ting / Ming Ting

Saturday 17 September 22 – 10 Table Mitchell Green Points

N/S E/W

1st Ken Seaniger / Terrence Sheedy 1st Frances Brown / Alan Brown

2nd Christine Nice / Faye Wright 2nd Janelle Conroy / Robert Carless

3rd Geoff Taylor / Del Ryan 3rd Diane Stokes / Ann Whitmore

4th Janine Rogers/ Mick King 4th David Ting / Ming Ting

5th Doone Mitchell / Lorna Shuttlewood 5th Susan Wright / Patricia Garner

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With an abundance of natural sporting skill in its ranks, long

established St Patrick’s College remains a rugby league stronghold in

the Mackay region.

Having chalked up two Grand Final appearances in both the prestigious

Confraternity Shield Rugby League and Aaron Payne Cup secondary schools

competitions this season, the depth of talent has never been stronger.

This was evident when the Wanderers club squared off with Northern

Suburbs Devils in the recent Mackay and District Junior League Under 17

Grand Final in Mackay.

No less than 18 members of the St Patrick’s College first grade Class

of 2022 featured in the title decider with Wanderers claiming the

premiership honours after a stirring 24-18 victory.

Talented Wanderers’ five eighth Ethan Van Kerkwyk was judged best

player on the ground after a superb display in the number six jumper –

igniting the attack with his sharp running and creating opportunities

with clever passes and a sound kicking game.

Van Kerkwyk was one of 15 St Patrick’s top grade players in a powerful Wanderers line-up that also included boom hooker Xavier Kerrisk, fullback Kai Simon, half back Will Shears, back rowers Hudson Galletly and Jack Clark and lock forward Reece Morris.

Other St Patrick’s students that helped the Wanderers lift the Under

17 trophy were centre Leo Gupwell, props Patrick Shanks and Oscar

Tweddle, centre William Veitch, Lachlan Cocco, forwards Campbell

Grisan-Hodges and Hunter Harris and 16-year-old Jeff Peady.

St Patrick’s young gun Jaxon Purdue spearheaded the Devils’ title

charge along with school colleagues in lock forward Levi Love and second

rower Tyler Shandiman.

Playmaker Purdue gave Norths an early 12-0 lead when he collected a try

double and booted the extras inside the opening 16 minutes.

Soon after the Wanderers put points on the board with a Simon penalty

goal before strong running centre Veitch (24th minute) and back rower

Clark (31st minute) burst through for tries to set up a 14-12 advantage.

When the dynamic Shears scooted over for his side’s third try after

48 minutes that was converted by Simon and the Wanderers had surged ahead

20-12.

Nippy hooker Braedyn Roberts kept the Devils in the hunt when he

burrowed over for a second half try in the 55th minute with Purdue

potting the extras.

Grisan-Hodges responded minutes later when he crashed over for a

deserved try to seal the premiership for Phillip Davies’ well-drilled

charges.

Wanderers had trump cards in Van Kerkwyk, Simon, Shears and Kerrisk –

all part of a formidable St Patrick’s College spine – while the gifted Purdue was at his classy best for Norths until sustaining an injury late in the first half.

Impact forwards Levi Love and Tyler Shandiman turned in wholehearted displays for the Devils, who suffered only two losses during the preliminary rounds to finish minor premiers on 22 points and with the best defensive record in the competition.

Contributed with thanks to Chris Karas.

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Pioneer Swimming Club held its first club night of the season on Thursday, 8 September 2022 at the Pioneer Swim Centre.  The night was a great start to the season with returning swimmers excited to welcome many new members and their families to the club – sharing a barbeque and an evening full of fun racing.

There were many personal bests achieved – swimmers having shaved seconds off their previous season’s times, several swimmers challenging themselves by taking on distances they had never attempted in a race setting before and even one new member overheard boasting how proud they were to have made new friends.

The club will be hosting its long course carnival on 1 and 2 October 2022 at the Pioneer Swim Centre.  If any families are thinking about making the plunge into the sport of swimming, this would be a great event to attend and experience the excitement and fun this sport brings, even if just to observe for the weekend.

The club will also continue to hold an almost weekly club night and we encourage families to “come and try” Pioneer Swimming Club.  Simply contact the club either via Facebook or email the club secretary, Tahnie Malagueno, secretary@pioneerswimclub.com.au.

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Five past presidents were among 93 bowlers who celebrated the 80th anniversary of Sarina Ladies Bowls Club.

The roll-up included 78 bowlers from clubs throughout the district, four past members and extra guests.

A two-hour game of bowls was followed with a little entertainment from several Sarina lady members, then a lovely lunch and cent sale to finish the day.

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PHOTOS:

1:

Sarina Ladies Bowls Club president Rita Hughes, centre, with Mackay District president Lynn Jackson and Bowls Queensland representative Colleen Ryan at the club’s 80th anniversary celebrations. Photos: Contributed

2:

Mackay District president Lynn Jackson and Sarina president Rita Hughes cut the cake

3:

Sarina Ladies Bowls Club bowlers at the club’s 80th anniversary celebrations.

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The Past Presidents Day, ladies vs men, held at Goosies last Monday was a huge success, with all 16 rinks filled. Once again men won the day, and all present voted to continue this event annually. Play was followed by nibblies.

There is a “Come and Try” day being held at Goosies club on Tuesday, 11th October commencing at 6pm. Please register at the club at 5.30pm. This will be a free fun evening, giving any prospective bowlers a chance to try the sport. Bowls will be supplied, and all ages are welcome.

Our annual prizegiving dinner for both ladies and men will be held on Monday, October 24. Tickets will be available shortly from reception.

Social Bowls

Monday mixed pairs winners were Graham Moore and Don Agnew, followed by Gloria Sam and Helen Rose. Lucky draws were won by Phyllis Morgan and Terry Willey.

Wednesday ladies’ day was won by Lois Deguara, Sandra Sommerfeld and Ann Bailey, with Daphne Offield, Jean Comelli and Margaret Armitage in second place. Great to see Margaret back playing after a long layoff due to ill health.

Friday mixed pairs winners were Asko Helenius and president, Eric Galletly. Lucky draw winners were Lydia McCarthy and Jean Schmidtke, followed by visitors, R and D. McClay. Tony Allsop missed the $500 kitty toucher by about 25cm.

Saturday men’s day was taken out by John Priest and Ray McCarthy with Alan Cooney and Darren Addie filling second place. Andrew Coates and Ernie Sealy won the jackpot.

Contributed by Tony Allsop.

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46 BMX riders from Mackay and District BMX Club are travelling to Cairns this week to compete in the Auscycling Queensland State Championships.

The Championships will be held on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September at Cairns BMX Club.

The Mackay riders are hoping to bring home a prestigious Q plate, to celebrate their state ranking.

Mini Wheeler Mia Moy, 4, is the club’s youngest member competing, with Club President Brett Wilson, Chris Bolger, Adam Mustapha and Brendan Knights, showing the younger riders how it’s done.

Riders competing for the prestigious Superclass title include Brock de Silva and Tristyn Kronk.

Chasing the Junior Superclass Men’s title are Tyler Morgan, Connor Parish, Tyler Smith and Brodie Wilson.

Sarah Tickle will compete for the Junior Superclass Women’s title.

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Belief and will power have propelled the Magpies Under 13 rugby league

team to a stunning premiership triumph in the Mackay and District Junior

League competition.

The Magpies capped a memorable season after turning ‘giant killers’

by toppling the previously undefeated Proserpine Brahmans 28-0 in the

recent Grand Final at the Mackay Junior League Fields.

All conquering Proserpine – who dominated their age division all

season – saved their worst performance until last.

They were rattled from the outset by a determined Magpies side that

tackled like trojans and bustled the minor premiers into error with

swarming defence and an excellent match plan.

Promising Magpies second rower Tyran Attard was the best player on

ground – ripping the Brahmans’ defence to shreds with his powerful

running and clever off loads and nabbing three tries to earn the

official Player of the Match award.

Attard stamped his mark by crashing over for two first half tries in

the 8th and 25th minutes with five eighth Nate Frost converting and

booting a penalty goal to give the Magpies a handy 14-0 lead at the

break.

When back rower Luke Clarke, Attard and fullback Marik Srsen posted

three second half tries in the space of 14 minutes there was no stopping

the marauding Magpies outfit.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the boys”, beamed winning Magpies

coach Michael Muscat post-match.

“The team was busted for much of the season with injuries to key

players but found a way to get the job done.

“Our match plan was to slow down the ruck and apply constant pressure

to their go-to players which they did with tremendous effect.

“The boys have had some great tussles with Proserpine over the years

and really believed they could go all the way and win the competition.”

In a superb team effort the Magpies’ tough-tackling forward pack laid

the foundations for victory with classy halves Frost and half back Isaac

McFarlane and the inspirational Srsen spearheading the attack.

Star utility Darcy Cabassi – deputising for injured hooker and

skipper Mason Muscat – created havoc with his darting runs and snappy

service on the fringes.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Proserpine colts who recorded

three wins over the Magpies (26-14, 12-10 and 30-14 in the major semi

final) before the Grand Final showdown.

The Brahmans finished undefeated minor premiers on 26 points ahead of

the Wanderers (20 points) and Magpies (19 points) and during the season

scored a massive 510 points while conceding only 108.

Turning point for the Magpies was the 12-10 loss to Brahmans in the

final preliminary round at Proserpine Junior Sporting Complex – a

match that could have gone either way.

“It was after that game that the boys started to believe they could

hold their own against the Brahmans and gained plenty of confidence in

the lead into the finals,” said coach Muscat.

The nucleus of the Magpies team has played together since forming back

in Under 7s with Michael at the helm.

During the past seven seasons both the Brahmans and Magpies have

dominated the Mackay and District Junior League age divisions through to

Under 12s and have built a keen rivalry.

“As coach I’ve watched the team develop over the years and there is

a strong bond amongst them which is evident when they play,” said

Michael.

“The Grand Final victory is something they’ll cherish forever.”

Four of the Magpies’ top prospects – Srsen, Frost, McFarlane and

hooker Mason Muscat were selected to participate in the Brisbane Broncos

Junior Academy train-on squad where they have undergone extra fitness

and skills work under an elite coaching panel.

The Magpies’ premiership-winning Under 13 squad was: Marik Srsen

(captain), Charlie Cochrane, Johnny Ziegeler, Austin Armitage, Griffin

Borg, Nate Frost, Isaac McFarlane, Sangwani Chinula, Luke Clarke, Tyran

Attard, Joshua Kunst, Mason Muscat (captain – injured); Darcy Cabassi,

Cooper Elliott; Braithe Williams, Zac Robinson, Hunter Wood, David

Phineasa, Ngatimakea Tuiravakai, Jazon Chammen; Coach: Michael Muscat;

Manager Kylie Muscat; Trainers: Denis Clarke, Russell Ziegeler.

Contributed with thanks to Chris Karas

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The growing popularity of women’s rugby union was on display last Saturday as the Women’s Opens Grand Final was played between Kuttabul Bokettes and Proserpine Whitsunday Raiders.

A round-robin tournament was played between the Bokettes, Raiders and Slade Point Slashers earlier in the day with the Kuttabul and Proserpine Whitsunday clubs finishing on top to face off in the grand final.

The ultimate match was a one-sided affair, with the Bokettes scoring two tries in each half to win 26-0.

The grand final wrapped up the first ever season of women’s rugby in the Mackay region.

Bokettes captain Miranda Davidson said she couldn’t be prouder of her team.

“We’ve got girls from all different backgrounds … so for those girls to come out and have a crack and to see them develop over the season has been pretty impressive,” she said.

“We also have some girls that are juniors, 17-year-olds stepping up and playing in the senior division, too, which is pretty exceptional stuff.”

Miranda hopes to see the competition grow over the coming seasons.

“I really want to shout out to all the clubs that have had a crack at women’s union this season and all the coaches because the coaches have been by far the driving force,” she said.

It was Sharne Adams’ first season with the Bokettes after playing rugby league for Magpies and being invited to play by friends.

“Two of my mates from there (Magpies) are union girls, they have a union background,” she said.

With union on Saturdays and league on Sundays, Sharne’s weekends were all about footy and she says both are getting more popular.

“The growth’s been really good,” said Sharne.

“It’s just onwards and upwards from here.”

Sharne’s daughter Adelle has been playing league for three years and started come-and-try union sessions this year.

“I’ve learnt what you do when you get tackled,” she said.

She also learnt the difference between league and union tackles.

“You try and get the ball, but you can’t go passed the ball,” she said.

“If you go passed the ball it doesn’t count.”

Adelle says she looks forward to following in Sharne’s footsteps and playing club rugby.

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Mackay turned out in force to watch the stars of the AFLW take to Great Barrier Reef Arena last Saturday.

It was the Gold Coast Suns facing off against St Kilda, with both sides looking to bounce back from big defeats in round four of the 2022 competition.

With the sun shining above, fans of all ages took to the arena for the match, with mums, dads, boys and girls all donning their favourite guernseys.

Great Barrier Reef had previously hosted three elite women’s matches since the partnership between the Suns and Mackay Regional Council began in 2019; a partnership that was extended for four years in July.

“The Suns have made Mackay our second home for our AFLW team and we’ve had great support from the region every time we visit,” said Gold Coast Suns Chief Executive Mark Evans.

“We’re committed to bringing marquee AFLW matches to Great Barrier Reef Arena and continuing to grow women’s football in the region, which has seen a 50 per cent participation increase since 2018.”

AFLW Returns To Mackay

The Gold Coast Suns eclipsed St Kilda in Mackay on the weekend, regaining their confidence after a 73-point thrashing at the hands of the Brisbane Lions the week before.

While the first major went the way of the Saints in the 7th minute, it was to be their only goal until the last quarter, with the Suns dominating the majority of the game.

The Suns had the match all but won in the third, keeping the Saints scoreless and slotting three goals of their own.

While St Kilda finished with a strong last quarter, the Suns were able to hang on, winning 5.12 (42) to 4.4 (28), claiming their second win of the season.

The Suns’ Charlie Rowbottom proved why she was picked first in the 2021 draft, collecting a game-high 30 touches, six clearances and laid nine tackles.

Kalinda Howarth also turned it on, booting Gold Coast's first goal to finish with two majors and 22 possessions.

Howarth, who is of Indigenous descent, celebrated her first goal with a special dance as the Suns wore their First Nations jumper.

Local stars Lauren Bella and Wallis Randell both performed well in front of their home crowds, with six and 11 disposals respectively.

Bianca Jakobsson was the Saints' leading ball-winner with 19 possessions, while key forward Caitlin Greiser slotted two goals to be St Kilda's only multiple goalkicker.

Gold Coast coach Cameron Joyce said he was impressed with his team’s performance.

"We knew the Saints had come in with some decent form and held Melbourne for the last three quarters as well, which I think can get underestimated,” he said.

“Just the way our girls went around the contest and were able to then get the ball forward for us and give us a chance to score, it was really pleasing."

The AFLW fixture is the first of many elite games coming to Great Barrier Reef Arena this spring, with the ground to host nine WBBL matches over a week in October.

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Image: The Gold Coast Suns took on St Kilda at Great Barrier Reef Arena on Saturday to claim their second win of the season. Photos supplied: Gold Coast Suns

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