Sport
3 August, 2026
Bulls denied at the death
THE Mareeba Bulls were left heartbroken after conceding in the 82nd minute to go down 2-1 to Leichhardt Lions in a hard-fought Far North Premier Division clash at White Rock on Saturday night.
The match formed part of the Cairns Italian Festival celebrations, with both clubs proudly acknowledging their strong Italian heritage. Adding further significance to the evening, the winner also claimed the prestigious Premier Moriconi/Bomben Cup.
The Bulls made the perfect start, and it was a night that 16-year-old Colin Walsh will never forget. Making his Premier Division debut, the talented youngster wasted no time making an impact. Within the opening minute, Walsh delivered a superb pass that released Braith De Faveri, who calmly finished to give Mareeba an early 1-0 lead.
The dream start settled the visitors immediately as they controlled much of the opening half with confident passing and disciplined defending. Despite the difficult, slippery conditions, the Bulls looked composed in possession and created several promising attacking movements while limiting the Lions’ opportunities.
Their reward was a deserved 1-0 advantage at the halftime break.
Mareeba carried that momentum into the second half and continued to take the game to the Lions. The Bulls looked hungry for a second goal, pressing high and forcing Leichhardt into mistakes, but were unable to convert their chances into what could have been a match-winning cushion.
Leichhardt found the equaliser in the 60th minute when Dylan Gawronski capitalised on an attacking opportunity to level the scores at 1-1 and set up a tense final half-hour.
However, just when it appeared the spoils would be shared, Leichhardt delivered the decisive blow. Emmanuel Dushimamana found space inside the penalty area and struck the winning goal in the 82nd minute, breaking Mareeba hearts and securing a dramatic 2-1 victory for the Lions.
The result handed Leichhardt all three competition points while also seeing them lift the Premier Moriconi/Bomben Cup in front of a strong Cairns Italian Festival crowd.
Although disappointed with the result, Mareeba can take plenty of positives from the performance. The Bulls matched one of the competition’s strongest sides for almost the entire contest, while the impressive debut of young Colin Walsh highlighted the exciting future developing within the club. His composure, vision and immediate contribution demonstrated that the Bulls’ youth pathway continues to produce players capable of performing at Premier Division level.
