The North Mackay Sinkers continue preparing for a major meet with the Masters Swimming Qld State Championships providing the main focus for April. As part of the preparation more sessions have been scheduled along with several club nights to assist race preparation. The most recent night held Friday 22nd March saw members swimming chosen events with 25, 50, 100 and 200/400m events available to improve starts, turns and race pace skills for the event.

Club Night: The start of the 25m event

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Coach Departs: The Sinkers also bid goodbye to club coach Igor Demin after some three years as the club's coach as he heads to a new horizon in the ACT with both a Swimming Australia and Masters Swimming Australia club coach position drawing him away from tropical climates. Coach Igor introduced members to a range of innovative and challenging sessions that were always diverse in structure to help members and the club reach goals. The Sinkers wish Igor and his family all the best in their new location and role.

The final session with coach Igor was Wednesday 27th with most of the night's squad present for the photo

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Laps For Life Draws To A Close: The seven members participating in the Laps for Life swim and fundraising challenge have now completed the month-long event. The swimmers completed some 5,860 laps (50m pool) to record a total of 294 km for this event. Importantly the funds raised by the Sinkers was even more impressive with a total of $5,404 committed to assist youth mental health and suicide prevention. Together with the other 2 Masters clubs in Qld the grand total settled at $8,110 has been raised for the ReachOut foundation.

Easter Eggs On The Swimmer’s Menu: The Easter weekend allowed swimmers to swim outside the pool with Good Friday pool closures. Three Sinkers visited a popular Sinkers open water swim (OWS) Balnagowan location to check conditions before we enter our northern OWS season. This location is used for training as well as our annual river swim (Nov 3rd 2024) with a few Townsville, Whitsunday and Keppel Island destinations on the list of must-do events.
Saturday saw a great gathering of Sinkers that may have been eyeing the traditional after-swim social supplies of Easter eggs, hot cross buns, cakes and biscuits to accompany the eggcellent coffee at the Memorial pool.

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Balnagowan Good Friday
Some input for the Saturday session content prior to starting
Masters is not all swimming with social activity key to the club's popularity

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Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday morning fixtures March 26, 2024:

Division 1:

Jaguar (Branko Vucurovic, Peter Goodson, Kevin Abbott) d Leopards (Charlie Payne, Cheryl Pearson, Judy Zahn) 7-5. Judy d Peter 9, 8, -10, -7, 3.

Pumas (George Camilleri, Coral Morgan) d Tigers (Don Boettcher, John McGee) 7-2. Coral d John 8, -5, -5, 8, 7.

Lions (Tony Bowman, Pam Joyce, Bran Marshall) d Cheetahs (Donna Abbott, Iris Grasso, Val Austin) 10-2. Bryan d Val 5, -13, -10, 8, 5.

Division 2:

Lime (Helen Ware, Fred Saliba, John Hamelink) d Teal (Ken Best, Kim Daffy, Kim Challender) 8-4. Kim Challender d Helen -9, 7, 9, -9, -7.

Cyan (Robyn Bushell, Marie Taylor, Louise Gould) d Aqua (Judi Hicks, Gloria Vella, Josie Davis) 12-0. Louise d Gloria 5, -9. 13, 3.

Division 3:

Diamonds (Thelma Caruana, Myles Dutton) d Emeralds (Glenda Brookes, Trish Zamparuti) 6-3. Myles d Glenda 6, -8, -9, 5, 8.

Rubies (Sharon Muller, Allison Day, Glenda Dutton) d Sapphires (Carmel Cristaldi, Madge Saunders, Darryl Ross) 7-5. Sharon d Darryl 9, -6, -9, 7, 10.

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Glenda Brookes in action in Tuesday morning table tennis fixtures. Photo: Charlie Payne

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Sunday was a Social Ambrose and everybody was welcome. It was a great turnout, with 92 people taking to the course. Logan and Winston were the winners of the day.

Wednesday's comp was a Single Bogie. John Storrie won the men's, Brad Fleet was runner up. Freddy Lynch won the ladies', and Leanne Swan was runner up.

Easter weekend hosted two events, both sponsored by Lion Nathan XXXX.

Saturday was a Single Stableford Event.

Ladies' Winner was Grace Nott and Leanne Swan was Runner up, 3rd Place to Pauline Martin.

Frank Broucek won the Men's, and James Lockwood was Runner up, 3rd Place to Murray Cannavan.

The Joker Draw and meals return to Friday nights, all welcome, to book your table for dining in please call 47851206.

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Contributed with thanks to Linda Scells.

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Sunday Ambrose Winners Winston and Logan with Bowen Golf Club President Mike Brunker. Photo supplied

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Scott Mason had 40 points to win Tuesday's stableford by a shot from Aaron Prosser, while Diane Chard had 34 points to win the ladies' division by a shot from Elspeth Scotford. Pins went to Scott Mason, Aaron Prosser, Leanne Alexander and Heather Luvis.

Wednesday's stableford winner was Diane Chard who had 35 points to beat Tiina Randmae by a shot. Two pins went to Diane Chard and one to Ann Gardel.

Brent Daniels had 38 points to win Thursday's competition by a shot from Brendan Spann. Pins went to Joe Taylor, John Roser, Nathan Holohan and Aaron Prosser.

The Easter Saturday stableford was taken out by John Wallace with 40 points.

His A Division runner up was Blake Lovelock on 36. Andrew Smart turned his form around to win the B division with 38 points; one ahead of Martyn Goodey. Noelene Spurway won the ladies' division with 34 points ahead of Tina Badenhorst on 31. Two pins went to Jon Miller, and one each to John Wallace, Ash Law, Jill Farinelli and Heather Luvis.

Levi Holmes had 35 points to edge out Jason Bourke for the main prize in the Sunday competition. Tiina Randmae had 32 points to beat Anna Winterbourn by a shot in the ladies' division. Pins went to Jason Bourke, Diane Chard, Peta Thomas and Anna Winterbourn.

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Contributed with thanks to the Proserpine Golf Pro Shop.

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There were two important matches played over the past few weeks, and they were important for very different reasons.

The first was between Art McMinn and Jayden Lloyd, and the other saw Jamie Maher pitted against Joe Wilson for the second time already this season. 

Both Jayden and Jamie looking to kick start their campaigns by securing their first wins of the year, and the task was a tough one as both Art and Joe have been playing well.

Art started his match off against Jayden by jumping out to a 3-nil lead.

Jayden managed to nick back-to-back legs to narrow the lead to one, before Art took over again, hitting 3 x 140’s to secure 3rd place on the ladder with a 7/3 victory.

Jayden with some work to do.

Jamie had a massive task taking on the in-form player of the comp in Joe, but he didn’t let it phase him, jumping out to a 4/2 lead early with a very solid 70 average.

However, Joe showed why he’s going to be a strong contender for the title this year, as he backed himself and clawed the match back from Jamie, who was in control at the time, to level it up at 4 all.

At that stage, Jamie just couldn’t wrestle the momentum away from Joe, as he was just scoring too big at the right times, hitting 4 x 140’s in those last 3 legs, and ultimately running out a 7/4 winner with a solid 60 average. 

Top of the league for Joe. Jamie can be happy with his performance but will need some wins soon to resurrect his season.

The Premier League is sponsored by Mika Airlie, Whitsunday Tattooing and Master Butchers Whitsundays.

Don’t forget our Genesis Cup which is a one-day event open to all. To get involved simply message the club through our Facebook page.

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Art McMinn securing 3rd place in the league on Sunday at the Bowls Club. Photo supplied

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The PWRUC Raiders Rugby Union Women and Men teams showcased their potential in the MRU 2024 pre-season shorter version hit outs in Mackay on 16 March 2024.
 
Raiders Women’s first game missed a little game day cohesion, which was expected “Our team showed resilience in their first game, with positive effort given the limited practice time due to recent weather”, coach Sainsbury said.
 
The second game saw improvements, especially in defence, with Captains Maddy Spruce and Lily Sainsbury leading by example.

The team welcomed new debutants Kendra Shields “who looked comfortable out there amongst it” and Summer Foreman who graduated from Juniors to the Seniors ranks.
 
Sainsbury highlighted, “as a squad we’re looking forward to women playing rugby in the MRU and what this 2024 season unveils.”
 
Raiders Men triumphed 14-12 in their first match against Bowen Mudcrabs, dominating the first half and spending most of the time in Bowen's playing half.

Jack Briskey and Landry Bezombes scored tries and converted them successfully. Coach Rota expressed satisfaction, "we played well and were happy to come away with the win."
 
Despite challenges in the second game against Moranbah Bulls, where they played with only 14 players due to injuries, the Raiders held their ground.

Captains Waikato Nepia–Katipa and Rhys Ward “showed good leadership both on and off the field throughout the day”.
 
Rota mentioned he’s “excited to see where the season takes us with such a young squad”.
 
Official MRU Rugby Union Season start Saturday 6 April, with both teams heading to Bowen for the 1st game of MRU Round 1.

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Contributed with thanks to Karla Houston.

Get into Raiders Rugby - Trainings held at Whitsunday Sports Park
Men: 6:30pm - 8:00pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays
Women: 5:30pm - 7:00pm, Wednesdays
Facebook/Messenger: Proserpine/Whitsunday Rugby Union Club

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Congratulations to Tora Delac, Jy Parkinson, Noah Malty and Ehsan Helou for qualifying and nominating to compete at the Australian Age Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast.  
On Wednesday night’s Club Night, swimmers and coach, Mark Erickson, were presented with their special Cannons shirts and the Cannons wished the team all the best.  
During the last week of school, 17 Cannonvale Cannons swimmers were selected for the NQ Team to compete at the Queensland School Swimming Championships held in Brisbane.  
Congratulations to Jacob Bell (NQ Team Captain), Holly Perrin, Remy Hedges, Anisa Helou, Ehsan Helou, Noah Maltby, Tora Delac, Don Algie, Jax Clayworth, Harris Delac, Ruby Harland, (NQ Team Captain), Nelson Malady, Isaac Pisaniello, Andie Reynolds, Indi Smith, Levi Smith, Alex Trefz and Kate Thomson (Manager).  
Special mentions: 13 – 19 years: Ehsan and Noah swam excellent Breaststroke times, swimming PBs and making the finals for the 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke. Ehsan was presented with a bronze medal for 3rd place in the 50m Breaststroke final. Holly swam super Backstroke and made the finals for her 100m and 200m Backstroke. Jacob swam extremely well in his varied program. His best placings included: 4th place in 400m IM, 6th place in 400m Freestyle and 1500m Freestyle.  
Special mentions: 10 – 12 years: Don swam extremely well, achieving 5 PBs and swam 9th place in the final for 100m Breaststroke. Jax swam fantastic times in his 100m Freestyle, 200m IM and 100m Breaststroke achieving PBs over 3 sec. Jax made the finals for 100m Butterfly and achieved 9th place in Qld.  
The Cannonvale Cannons Swimming Club would like to commend all the swimmers who represented NQ and thank the wonderful parents who officiated – Andrew Bell, Kristin Pisaniello and Danny Delac.  

Contributed with thanks to Raylene Rasmussen.

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Cannons competing in the NQ School 10 - 12 year old’s competition
National Team 2024. Photos supplied

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Tuesday saw Tony Whitehorn and Arthur McManus beat the all-star field.

On Wednesday afternoon Warren Mills, Billy Gordon and Mervyn Stewart won the day while Rick Galea went home with the prestigious Health Hub award. 

Wednesday night Business House Bowls saw a great win to the Burrows Girls.

Saturday and Sunday saw Manny Isgro, with his team of Russell Jackson and John Fielding win the two bowl triples for the second year in a row.

Saturday morning saw Andy McDougall go up against Russell Jackson and Tony Whitehorn while Di Jackson was beaten by Ash Warland in the B Division final.

Sunday afternoon social bowls saw Rick Galea and Alan Pershouse with 18 points, beat Arthur McManus on 17 points with Ian Furner and on 16 points Billy Gordon, new member Tye Webber with skipper Tony Kelly in third place.

Contributed with thanks to Mark Mawson.

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Triples Champions - Manny Isgro, John Fielding and Russell Jackson. Photo supplied

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Sunday Social: I. Thatcher, Wendy Coles and Gus Munro defeated Keith Kirk, Daryl Tuttle and Steve Roome. Glen R, Ross Scanlon and Lloyd White had a drawn game with Gordo, Ray Muir and Jane Gilbert.

There was one game of Scroungers: Ron Gould won against Lee Welsted, Brit Neal.

Wednesday Social: Ron Gould, Robyn Stitt and Gavin Charles defeated Dave White, Rob Robba, Lloyd White. Allen Williams, Wendy Coles and Jane Gilbert defeated Ray Muir, Helen Jacobsen and Steve Roome. I. Thatcher and Gus Munro defeated MaryEllen Pratten.

Contributed with thanks to Joan Edwards.

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There has been a combination of competition games and social bowls played this week as opportunities presented themselves.

In "B" Singles David Ling defeated Bruce Uhe 27 - 18; Gavin Noonan defeated Ken Watts 25 - 10.

On Wednesday Social Bowls John Anderson and Mike Harrison drew 22-all with Arthur Griffith and Peter Lawton; Alen Sanderson played double lead. Alen, Philip Brown and Heather Brown defeated Alen, Bruce Uhe and Sandy Daffara. 

On Sunday the weather was looking very iffy but held off enough for Social Bowls to take place.

Bruce Uhe and Heather Brown defeated Arthur Griffith and Peter Lawton 32-15;  Philip Brown and Mike Harrison defeated Mary Hedgelong and Sandy Daffara 25-16. 

Contributed with thanks to Heather Brown.

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Results for social play on Tuesday Bron Tolcher, Robyn Stitt and Penny Warren defeated Margaret Wilson, Mark Drummond and Sugar Brunker. Merle Elphinstone, Sue Shearing and Geoff Danvers defeated Irene Laird, G Charles and Greg Colquhoun.

Ladies Club Competition: B Singles Gwenda Lydom defeated Deb Retchless. Triples: Denise Wallace, Linda Scells and Penny Warren defeated Gwenda Lydom, Irene Laird and Lyn Danvers.

Men’s Competition: A Singles Allan Rolfe defeated Kevin Daniels, Mitch Wright defeated Steve Roome.
A Pairs: Kennedy Whitton and Herb Dalton defeated Jason Wright and Mitch Wright.  

Winners for Sunday afternoon social bowls were Toni Bowen, Graeme Read and Allan Rolfe defeated Deb Retchless, Albi Vigar and Pat Tracey. Jim Quod, Isobel Wheeler and Mark Drummond defeated Merle Elphinstone, Penny Warren and Kevin Daniels.

Don’t forget Barefoot Bowls this Friday night.

Contributed with thanks to Penny Warren.

Sunday winners. Photo contributed

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In a thrilling showcase of rugby league prowess, the QCCS Mackay Cutters delivered an outstanding performance last weekend at their fortress, BB Print Stadium in Mackay. With a jam-packed schedule featuring five consecutive games, fans were treated to a day filled with exhilarating action on the field. Supported by their loyal fans and bolstered by the sponsorship of Muscle Garden, the Cutters emerged victorious across all grades, cementing their dominance over their Rocky rivals, the CQ Capras.
The headline act of the day was undoubtedly the Hostplus Cup squad, who continued their winning streak by triumphing over the Capras with a final scoreline of 26-14. Winger Josh Smith stole the show with a stellar performance, bagging two tries to propel his side to victory.
Not to be outdone, the BMD Premiership ladies staged a remarkable comeback, overcoming a 14-point deficit to emerge triumphant with a 26-14 win over the Capras. Maddison Hegarty emerged as the hero of the match, notching up a hat-trick of tries to inspire her teammates to a stunning comeback victory.
Meanwhile, the Junior Reps demonstrated their talent and potential with convincing wins across the board. The Mal Meninga Cup squad maintained their unbeaten record, dispatching the Capras with a commanding 32-8 win, while the Harvey Norman U19 girls showcased their dominance with a resounding 36-4 victory.
In the Cyril Connell Cup, the QCCS Mackay Cutters emerged victorious with an 18-10 win, capping off a perfect day for the club across all grades.
Reflecting on the previous weekend's triumphs, the Cutters celebrated the debut of ten players in the Hostplus Cup squad. Semi Valemei, Viliami Vailea, Mahe Fonua, Riley Dean, Kauri Aupouri-Puketapu, John Radel, Jamal Shibasaki, Jai Hansen, Wil Sullivan, and D'Jazirhae Pua'avase made their mark in their first appearance for the team. These newcomers made an immediate impact, contributing to the team's success on the field. Their debut was marked by a thrilling win over the Sunshine Coast Falcons the weekend prior, where the Cutters showcased their depth and talent, securing victory with a remarkable performance.
After a bye in week one, this makes the Cutters two-from-two after three rounds of the Hostplus Cup.
As the Hostplus Cup takes a break for the Easter long weekend, anticipation mounts for their return to action on April 6th for Round 4.

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10 players made their debut in the QCCS Mackay Cutters’ opening game against the Falcons. The team is now two-from-two after a dominant win last weekend against the CQ Capras
Maddison Hegarty emerged as the hero of the match in the BMD Premiership, notching up a hat-trick of tries for the Cutters

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North Queensland Cowboys Stage Epic Comeback Over Dragons

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In a thrilling encounter at Netstrata Jubilee Oval, the North Queensland Cowboys orchestrated a stunning comeback to maintain their best start to a season in 17 years, clinching a commanding 46-24 victory over the Dragons.
Facing an early deficit of 18-4, the Cowboys showcased their resilience and grit, bouncing back to score seven unanswered tries. This remarkable achievement marks the first time since 2006 that North Queensland has secured three consecutive wins at the start of a season.
The Cowboys' resurgence was ignited by winger Murray Taulangi, who breached the try line in the sixth minute following a precise pass from fullback Scott Drinkwater. Building on this momentum, North Queensland added three more tries before halftime, courtesy of hooker Reece Robson and second-rower Griffin Neame.
Trailing by four points at halftime, the Cowboys continued their onslaught in the second half, capitalising on opportunities generated by their dynamic attacking play. Drinkwater and Chad Townsend orchestrated the charge, with tries from Holmes and Townsend sealing the victory.
Despite a late consolation try from Zac Lomax for the Dragons, it was not enough to derail the Cowboys' momentum. With a final score of 46-24 in their favour, North Queensland emerged triumphant, underlining their credentials as formidable contenders in the NRL.

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Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday night fixtures March 19, 2024:

Division 1:
(Final) Lexus (Andrew McHugh, Janice Kent and Barry Patterson) won 6-5 over Jaguar (Tim Shehan, Anne Sheridan and Vince Boeske). Andrew d Vince 8, -8, -4, 10, 11.
Audi (Mick Ruhl, Lee Brake, Lily Boland) d BMW (Ishan Rana, Emma Widdup, Allan Edwards) 7-4. Lily d Allan -9, 10, -6, 6, 6.  

Division 2:
Mazda (Mark Sleeman, Niro) d Kia (Peter Goodson, Matt West) 5-4. Matt d Niro 7, 6, -10, -5, 9. Nissan (Will VanDeKaa, Duncan Treloar, Simon Hogan) d Isuzu (George Camilleri, Steve Mathieson, Judy Zahn) 9-2. Will d Steve -6, -11, 9, 6, 9. Honda (Jye Callander, Leo Gilbert, Andrea Nicholson) d Hyuandi (Donna Abbott, Noreen Fredericksen) 9-2. Leo d Donna -6, 8, -7, 7, 14.

Division 3:
Fiat (Aarnav Reelh, Trent Day, YiLin Kiang) d Ford (Misha Palod, Tiffany Camilleri, Ollie Hamelink) 8-2. Trent d Tiffany 5, -6, -6, 8, 13.  Holden (Saisha Palod, Rohit Bansod, Anaya Reelh) d Alfa (Craig VanDeKaa, Kade Wright, Nehmat Dhaliwal) 6-5. Rohit d Kade -9, -9, 10, 4, 10.

Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday morning fixtures March 19, 2024:

Division 1:
Jaguar (Branko Vucurovic, Peter Goodson, Kevin Abbott) d Cheetahs (Donna Abbott, Iris Grasso, Val Austin) 9-2. Peter d Donna -8, 7, 8, -11, 6. Tigers (Andrea Nicholson, Noreen Fredericksen, John McGee) d Leopards (Charlie Payne, Steve Mathieson, Judy Zahn) 8-4. John d Charlie 8, -6, 12, -10, 9. Lions (Tony Bowman, Josie Davis, Bryan Marshall) d Pumas (George Camilleri, Coral Morgan) 6-5. Tony d George -9, 8, 5, 4.

Division 2:
Cyan (Robyn Bushell, Marie Taylor, Louise Gould) d Lime (Helen Ware, Fred Saliba, John Hamelink) 9-3. Helen d Louise 8, -8, -7, 9, 6. Aqua (Judi Hicks, Gloria Vella, Gerry Synnott) drew Teal (Ken Best, Kim Daffy, Kim Challender) 6-all. Judi d Ken -9, 5, -9, 9, 9.

Division 3:
Diamonds (Frank Caruana, Thelma Caruana, Charyl Pearson) drew Sapphires (Pam Keune,  Madge Saunders, Darryl Ross) 6-all. Frank d Pam -7, 7, -11, 10, 7.  Emeralds (Ian Dodds, Glenda Brookes, Trish Zamparuti) d Rubies (Sharon Muller, Allison Day, Carmel Cristaldi) 7-5. Allison d Glenda -7, -8, 10, 12, 8.

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Lily Boland in action in Mackay Table Tennis fixtures. Photo credit: Charlie Payne

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Despite the rainy weather conditions, the Marian Ladies Bowls Club managed to hold their annual Harvest Triples on March 13, 2024.  This was well attended with eight rinks used with 48 ladies participating in a great day of bowls.

Winners on the day were:
First place -  J Insch, G Meng, M Stockton
Second place - J Caban, C Savage. R Schatkowski
Third place - L Jenner, M Mayfield, D McNamara

Contributed By Lyn Jackson

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1st Place winners
2nd Place winners
3rd Place winners

Photo supplied

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The 2024 NBL1 North Season Launch Event held at Queensland Parliament House in Brisbane provided an insightful preview into the upcoming basketball season. Local State Government MPs, Julieanne Gilbert and Amanda Camm, lent their support to the event, emphasising Mackay’s backing for our teams.
The gathering offered a glimpse into the camaraderie among players and supporters, setting the stage for an exciting season ahead. With Round 1 scheduled to commence on April 12, the McDonald’s Mackay Meteorettes and Meteors are gearing up to face off against rivals, the Townsville Flames and Heat. Fans can anticipate a compelling showdown as the teams vie for early dominance in the league.
Season tickets are still available, visit Mackay Basketball’s Facebook page to Back the Mack!

Photos supplied: Mackay Basketball

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