It is difficult for most sports fans to reconcile the current situation at Cricket Australia with the Australia players threatening to boycott the Ashes Tour if their demands are not met in the upcoming Player payment negotiations.
It is testament to our player development systems that in Australia that a boy from the ‘burbs or a kid from the country can make it to the top echelon of sport, and there would be few fans who would deny those players the opportunity to earn big bucks.
But with most players earning phenomenal money in the IPL and such tournaments, these days there are not many chasing the wolf from the door.
Many punters who spent hours on the phone trying to get tickets to any of the Ashes games and shelled out big bucks for the privilege of a ticket will not have a great deal of sympathy I’m thinking for the current crop of players, their imported sports cars and expensive postcodes.
In fact the players who did the hard yards in the ’70s ’80s and ’90s paving the way for these well-paid players are finding this threat a little hard to swallow.
Interesting to see where this stoush goes. Like so many others, I’m hopeful that after a lengthy stint on the computer to ensure my tickets I get to see the best of the best later in the year.
– Casey
Let Kids be Kids
The Warwick and District Junior Rugby League clubs across the region are supporting a wonderful new initiative started by a not-for-profit organisation.
Parents all want their children to shine on the sports field, yet there’s nothing that will dull a child’s sparkle more than having parents and spectators pressure them from the sidelines.
Many kids react negatively to the pressure and stop playing their favourite sports, including rugby league.
Parents, volunteers and spectators, need to allow kids be kids while playing the sports that they love, especially the Greatest Game of All.
The Play by the Rules initiative aims to encourage better sideline behaviour in all junior sports by simply asking parents to let kids be kids.
Research has also shown that aggressive behaviour on the sideline is embarrassing junior participants, making them lose confidence and can lead to them quitting junior sport in general.
Some of the positive things parents, volunteers and spectators can do is to respect all players, coaches and officials.
This includes supporting and praising the efforts of all players during matches and being enthusiastic and positive about playing the game for fun and enjoyment.
WDJRL chairman David Landers says the excessive pressure from the sidelines contributes to losing junior players from not just rugby league, but all junior sports.
“We are finding that an over emphasis on winning, excessive instruction from the sideline and criticism of match officials and coaches is having a detrimental effect on junior participation rates, not only in our sport but in all junior sports,” Landers says.
Every junior league club across the WDJRL and the whole state will be dedicating a “Let Kids Be Kids” Round on the weekend of 20 and 21 May, and Landers hopes this will encourage better sideline behaviour throughout the season and beyond.
“I am sure all clubs within the WDJRL will support this dedicated weekend to ensure that we continue to provide our young players in our game a positive and healthy experience,” he says.
The message being sent is clear … let kids have fun and do what they love.
On the rugby league field, let kids be kids.
For more information, contact Michael Jensen on 0439 735 865 or email m.jensen@qrl.com.au for further information.
TANNY TALES
The final of the Tannymorel Open Singles saw Ron Philps and Mick O’Leary go head to head for the title. In a tough game, it was the old Fox Philpsy who got away with a 25-15 win. The score not a true reflection of the game. Congratulations to the club’s 2017 Open Champion. With the men and ladies both playing in the competition, it is a strong but fun competition.
The club hosted a Four’s Carnival last weekend in perfect conditions, with the greens in top condition and playing well, thanks to the hard work of Peter Gynther.
It was the visiting team of Greg Ambrose, Dave Smith, Gil Battersby, and Nev Richardson from Tenterfield who ran out winners on the day. Runners-up were the local crew Terry Banditt, Ron Philps, Brian Walsh and Dale Callaghan.
First Round winners were Tom Seaniger, Trev Wright, Gene Rapp and Ed Welsh. Peter Gynther, Koala, Geoff Creighton and Grumpy won the second round.
Winners of the final round were Mick O’Leary, Pete Collis Frank Taylor and Mick Mills.
Big thank you to all who helped out on the day in the bar and the kitchen.
CONDITIONS GOOD FOR McPHERSON
There was a slight chill in the air on Sunday morning when Sporters hit the course in Stanthorpe but conditions were perfect for a good round of golf. Winner was Jim McPherson with Ian Anderson taking the runner-up prize and the Pin Shot at the third. Phil Zikan and Max Hunter figured in the run downs. Mark Lynam had the best gross and Paul Byrnes took the pro pin. Mark Lynam and Phil Zikan also scored a meat tray each. A reminder that tee off is from 8am to 8.30am on Sunday, and visitors and new comers to the game are always made feel very welcome by the Sporters’ crew.
MURPHY IN SCORCHING FORM
Wallangarra Golf Club held a single stableford competition last Sunday, and Tony Murphy scorched the field, scoring 44 points to take the win ahead of Kevin Williams who had a solid round to finish with 39 points. Williams also took the pin on the ninth by a whisker. Andrew Thompson was another who played well. He finished with a score of 37 points and claimed the captain stakes. Thompson finished off a solid round taking the pin on the difficult 11th hole and Steve Hampstead claimed the pin at the 15th.
This Saturday members and guests will be playing a flag event.
A reminder for all players and friends that the Frank Hodgson Memorial Trophy day is 27 June. For those who are planning their golf diaries a little further ahead, the annual Breast Cancer Golf day (a Two Ball Ambrose) has been scheduled for 12 June. Tee off in this popular event will be 9am – 10am, and the cost of $25 per person includes lunch.
A reminder also for all Wallangarra club players that a general meeting will be held at 10am on 3 June prior to play.
This Sunday there are several players heading to Texas for the Sand Green Champions – best of luck to all those attending.
ORIENTEERS HEAD TO CHERRABAH
All roads lead to Cherrabah Resort, on Sunday 21 May for an orienteering event organised by the local Bullecourt Boulder Bounders Club.
A number of club members have recently returned from competing at the Oceania Championships and the World Masters Orienteering Championships in New Zealand and Sunday’s event will be an opportunity for them to discuss the challenges of competing in this completely different terrain.
The Bullecourt Boulder Bounders Publicity officer, Liz Bourne, said the club was expecting a number of orienteers from Brisbane in addition to those from Warwick, Stanthorpe and Toowoomba, as Cherrabah is a popular competition venue and has been used regularly by the club since 1987.
Sunday’s event will include short, easy courses for beginners in addition to the more challenging courses for regular orienteers. There will be instruction available on basic map reading and navigation and interested in trying orienteering is most welcome to attend. Orienteering is suitable for all ages from youngsters to the young at heart. There is no special gear required although sturdy footwear and a hat are recommended. Compasses may be borrowed at the event.
Events begin between 9am and 11am and directions to Cherrabah will be signposted from Warwick. Cherrabah may also be accessed from Stanthorpe via the Old Warwick – Stanthorpe Road, Dalveen. For further information, contact Liz Bourne (ph 07 4683 6374 or go to www.oq.asn.au/events).
LEADING THE WAY
Val Fancourt and Justin Liddy had outstanding performances at golf croquet last week. Both had exceptional performances. Val Fancourt was in the winning team in all three games. She top scored in two games and had the equal top score with Dianne Wren in the other game. Justin Liddy was also in great touch. He top scored in one of the two winning teams he was a member of and shared the top score with John Castles in the other. Liddy was also one of several players who scored holes in one this week; others were Shirley Page and Teresa Pyne.
All players are playing well and in good form at the moment, and scores have been close in most games. An example of how tight games have been was the game between the three doubles team. Val Fancourt scored a narrow win. She played two balls and scored seven. Both of her opposing teams, Pauline Inglis and Elaine Brown and the pairing of Teresa Pyne and Dianne Wren scored six.
MILLS BEST IN SINGLE STROKE
A good field turned out for the Single Stroke event at the Stanthorpe Golf club last Saturday. The event was sponsored by popular club member Bob Watts.
Paul Mills returned the best score of the day with a round of nett 66. Paul recorded 44 on the outward journey coming home in 43. Runner-up was Graham Tonkin who finished a shot back on 67.
Madeline Jarman’s score of nett 73 was good enough to give her a one shot win in the Ladies event. Runner-up with nett 74 was Fiona Kelly.
In the Ladies event, there were no pin shots claimed at three and 12, but Kay Webb had best approach at 17.
Pin shots went to Rod Werner at three, Graham Tonkin at 12 and Matt Waterworth at 17.
Pro-pins were claimed by Darryl Boekholt at 1/10, Rachael Hendry at 5.14 and Tom Fittock at 9/18. Birdies nest went to Wes Smith.
In the Men’s event, rundowns went to nett 70 and in the Ladies to nett 75.
There were plenty of players attempting to position themselves well in the second round of the Club Championships. At the completion of the second round, Grant Howard leads the A Grade competition three shots clear of the field. In second place is Matt Waterworth who has been in good form recently. Bill Pyne leads the B grade, three shots clear of Graham Tonkin. In the C Grade, it is Max Hunter who has the lead. He played well in the second round and holds a one-shot lead over Bob Watts.
There are two rounds of the championships remaining, and there are a planet of players still in contention for the titles.
Round three, a stroke event sponsored by club member Peter Hines gets underway on Saturday and a seeded draw has been completed. Players should check their tee times on the sheet at the club house and club officials ask all players to arrive early for their tee position.
Club members are reminded that the Stanthorpe Golf Club AGM, which will be held in the clubhouse, is scheduled for Tuesday 23 May at 7pm.
PENTATH POPULARITY
From humble beginnings 14 years ago the Warwick Pentathrun which will be staged this weekend has grown in popularity, and this year has already attracted 2300 runners. By race time as many as 2500 could be competing according to organisers.
The Pentath combines five different race events run over the course of the weekend. At the end of the event, those who have completed all five races will have run the Marathon Distance – 42.2klm.
A half marathon kicks things off on Saturday morning and is followed by a breakfast. Competitors are taken back to the starting point by bus, and after a rest period the next event on the programme is a 4.6 cross country run. A five km flat road race winds up Saturday’s competition.
Sunday kicks off with a 10km hill climb and the event wraps up with a spectacular 1500 metre sprint race in Warwick’s main street.
Organisers expect close to 350 runners will compete in all five races. – The Pentath is five races in two days and the event motto is – “42.2 km – do one, do all or do as many as you can.” While nominations for the event closed earlier in the week more information is available from the website pentath.com
WARWICK TURF CLUB KICKING HOME WINNERS
At a time when Racing Queensland is once again set to target Queensland Country Racing as some areas struggle to attract runners and more importantly jockeys, the Warwick Turf Club is one club bucking that trend and making every post a winner.
Last Saturday the club held the popular Warwick Picnic meeting, and it was a great success both from a racing perspective and as a popular social occasion.
There was good support from owners, trainers and jockeys and the big crowd enjoyed a perfect day at the races and the recently improved facilities at Allman Park.
After copping a fine at Friday’s race meeting in Bundaberg for excessive whip use, Jockey Cecily Eaton bounced back to ride two winners and a second at the Warwick meeting. Eaton claimed back-to-back race wins in the fourth and fifth events.
Her first winner came on board King Ludwig an $11 chance trained in Toowoomba by Jackie Crompton. Despite over racing in the early stages, the eight-year-old who lumped 60kgs proved too strong for the opposition in the run to the line. The fancied $2.00 favourite in the race Bam’s Princess a last start Toowoomba winner finished in third place.
Eaton’s second win came in the following event. The bookies were cheering as she piloted the $21 chance, There’s Nemo to a comfortable win in the final race on the card, the Bill and Margaret Hoiberg Memorial Benchmark 55 Handicap. Trained in Warwick by Steven Thomas There’s Nemo was not entirely unwanted in the betting it came in for some early support at the opening quote of $50.
The day started much better for punters when favourite Red Heavy ridden by Beau Appo saluted in the opening event. Trained in Toowoomba by Ben Currie the two-year-old colt by Easy Rocking was having on his third race start. Finishing second was the locally trained Colpo Di Tamburo. It was the colt’s first race start, and he is sure to take improvement from the run.
The claim of apprentice Jed Hodge helped carry top weighted Omission to victory in the second event. Starting at $10, the Beaudesert-trained galloper carried the big weight of 63.5kgs to victory.
Race Three was delayed when Australian Pharaoh dislodged apprentice Jesse Graham on the way to the barriers and galloped a full lap of the track before being re-captured. The Beaudesert galloper was declared a late scratching. The race was eventually won by Casino visitor Carrs Creek Kid who just edged out Toowoomba Galloper Bowies Bayconi and Bell Hop in a tight finish.
As the action wrapped up on the track, TV personality, Johnny Ruffo performed for the big crowd in the pavilion area.
Warwick Turf Club hosts their next meeting on 27 May for the running of the rescheduled RSL Long Tan Cup will be run.
TIME TO BRING OUT THE PIN
Surely there cannot have been a single footy tipster anywhere who jagged all of last week’s winners. Round 10 saws the form guide thrown out the door and some extraordinary performances. Games these days are certainly not over until the fat lady sings and then in some cases encore performances are required. Might just be time to bring out the pin if you are in a tipping comp.
So many games last round were games of two completely opposite halves where following the half time break I swear different sides took to the field in some jerseys.
For me the game of the round was the clash of the Titans and the Storm. Although Melbourne was uncharacteristically poor in their execution, it was possibly because of the pressure mounted by the Titans. Anthony Don continues to impress and looks to have found a great home with the Titans and Neil Henry who must be wondering what he needs to do to stem the flow of injuries to his troops. They were dropping like flies at Lang Park, but still managed to scramble well enough to get the points.
What a great spectacle of rugby league the double header was. It is a concept that we should see more of not only in the NRL but in local competitions also.
I’m hoping for more success with the tips this week and have gambled that the Cowboys with or without Thurston can upset the premiers at Shark Park. I’m sticking solid with the Broncos against the Tigers, but after last week anything can happen. Would not like to have been at the Melbourne training sessions this week, and I am sure Bellamy will have his boys primed for their match against Bunnies who found some form last weekend. The Dragons have some worrying injuries, and I think the Warriors will prove too good at Mt Smart if they remain switched on for the full 80 minutes. Manly will miss Tom Trbojevic injured in that controversial tackle in the game against the Broncos. The Titans have their own injury concerns but I think they can get the Eagles in this game.
Both the Eels and Raiders were disappointing last weekend, and go head to head this week. Tough game this one, and I am leaning towards the Eels with little confidence knowing Corey Norman is injured. The Knights knocked us all out of the park last week, and I think they might repeat the dose this week with a win over the Panthers who have been underwhelming.
The Roosters are looming as a big premiership threat, and I think will be too strong for the Doggies at ANZ. In the last game prior to the announcement of Origin squads, I expect to see the Storm back to their best.
WINS FOR ROOSTERS AND TIGERS
Round two of the BRL saw good wins for the last year’s grand finalists. At McIntyre Oval, the Roosters proved too strong for the visiting Killanrey side and notched up a 50-22 win.
Brent Osborne led the way scoring three tires. Nash Killen crossed twice while Brent Hearne Ryan Donovan, Zack Johnstone and Tim West all added to the results with a try apiece. Brent Hearne kicked well converting seven of nine attempts.
The game was closer than the score-line indicates with Ian Brown playing well for Killarney while John Trindall returned for the Cutters and played all 80 minutes in the front row.
The Inglewood Players Player award went to Tim West.
The Tenterfield Tigers hosted their first home game of the season, and notched up their first win in 2017 with a 38-18 victory over the Gremlins.
The young Gremlins side suffered a few injuries during the game, but are improving with each outing. Captain Coach Gary Skimmings led from the front and was on the best for the Gremlins.
Tenterfield Tigers beat Stanthorpe Gremlins 38-18 in a BRL game. Scott Johns, Michael Parnell and captain-coach Gary Skimming were the Gremlins best.
This weekend the Gremlins host Killarney and Tenterfield play Inglewood.
WATTLES IMPRESSIVE
Wattles were without many of their top players for the round seven clash against Brothers, but were impressive in their 44-6 win. Wattles held a 16-6 lead at half time, and in the second half held the visitors scoreless as they ran in a flurry of tries. It was an impressive win without so many of their key players.
A GRADE: Wattles 44 (Ryan Duggan 2 Jamie Abbas 2, Michael Pearson, Jackson Green, Braydon Wilson, Ty Gardner, James Johnson tries Ryan Duggan 4 goals) defeated Brothers 6 (Mitchell Betros tries Jaren Bender goal)
Brothers had more success in the other grades winning the Reserve Grade 22-14 and under-18s 44-12.
COWBOYS TOUGH OUT WIN
The Cowboys were back in the saddle with a win over Gatton in a tough game at Fr Range Oval on Sunday. Warwick toughed it out to claim the two points with the final score 20-16.
Gatton stunned the home crowd when they led 10-0 after 15 minutes. Dylan Galloway and Matt Marshall hit back and at half time the game was locked up at 10-all.
Again, Gatton was better out of the blocks in the second half and fullback Billy Jackwitz posted the first points of the second half for the Hawks.
In a real arm wrestle, Cowboys Joe Fuimaono scored to put the home side with two points with 10 minutes left in the game.
In a nail-biting finish, it was Cowboys captain Paul Cantwell who put the Cowboys in front for the first time in the match when he scored with a couple of minutes left on the clock clinching the win.
A GRADE: Warwick 20 (Dylan Galloway, Matt Marshall, Joe Fuimaono, Pail Cantwell tries Dan Watson 2 goals) defeated Gatton 16 (Callum Woolacott, Shannon Hicks, Billy Jackwitz tries Callum Woolacott 2 goals)
In Reserve Grade, the Hawks had a 46-20 win over the Cowboys. Gatton also won Second Division 46-10.
TANSEY TOO STRONG
Tansey Polocrosse Club once again proved too strong in the A Grade final at the Polocrosse Carnival held in Killarney last weekend. They dominated the A Grade competition defeating the Gold Coast in 21-12. Shane Gehrke Tansey won Best horse and rider.
Visiting teams from Inverell and Guyra played the B grade final with Inverell taking a 17-14 win.
Warwick defeated Tansey 3 in the C Grade final 13-9. Other winning teams at the Carnival were Cunningham 5 in D Grade; Tara/ Toowoomba in E Grade and in the Junior Competition Guyra defeated Cunningham. Killarney junior Jacinta Sillis won the Patron’s Trophy.
GONE TOO SOON
Far too often we are reminded that life is precious and often far too short.
Last week the Granite Belt community sadly farewelled Angelo Musumeci. Angelo’s unexpected passing was a shock to the entire community. He was so very well respected in the business and sporting community and the wider Granite Belt Community.
Angelo was a dedicated member of the United Football family, and club stalwart and long time friend Steve McEvoy has kindly allowed us to share some of his thoughts.
“As many of you are now aware, recently we lost an indescribably special member of our United family. Angelo; it is hard to put into words the impact you had on all our lives. You were a husband to our beautiful Rose-Alba, a father to two incredibly strong children; Dani and Josh, you were a manger to our Men’s and Colts teams, but you were also a friend and pillar of support for every member of United. You played each role perfectly and never failed to make our United family, that much more whole.
This weekend and every weekend, we played and will play for you. We will honour your memory in the best way we can, by taking to, and leaving the field each week with our heads held high; knowing that we truly belong to the greatest club, and family in the world.
You will always hold a place in our hearts, Angelo; with love always, from your United family.”
There is little more than can or needs to be said other than to pass on our condolences to Rose-Alba and the family.
Casey’s tips
Cowboys
Warriors
Broncos
Titans
Eels
Knights
Roosters
Storm
