Sport
10 August, 2026
Bulls let early lead slip against Dolphins
THE Mareeba Bulls let a dream start slip through their fingers after going down 5-3 to the Stratford Dolphins in an eight-goal thriller last Sunday.
Playing away from home, the Bulls could hardly have asked for a better opening, stunning Stratford with two goals inside the opening six minutes.
Iacutone got Mareeba off to a fairytale start when he found the back of the net in just the first minute, immediately putting the Dolphins under pressure. Before Stratford had time to settle, a Pozzebon penalty in the sixth minute gave the Bulls an impressive 2-0 advantage.
With two goals on the board and the Bulls seemingly in control, the early advantage may have worked against the visitors as they became complacent and allowed Stratford to work its way back into the contest.
The Dolphins began to find more possession and apply pressure to the Mareeba defence, eventually being rewarded with a goal in the 28th minute to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Mareeba held on until halftime, taking a slender one-goal advantage into the sheds despite having looked capable of putting the game beyond Stratford in the opening stages.
The second half proved to be a completely different contest. Stratford came out determined to capitalise on its momentum and Gary Burke-Brady levelled the scores at 2-2 in the 52nd minute.
Just four minutes later the match was turned on its head when Nichol found the net to give the Dolphins a 3-2 lead. Having surrendered their early two-goal advantage, the Bulls were suddenly forced to chase the game.
To their credit, they responded strongly. Mareeba refused to lie down, and Cummings stepped up in the 65th minute to find the equaliser, bringing the Bulls back to 3-3 and setting up a tense final 25 minutes.
With both teams pushing for the winner, the game opened up and opportunities began to appear at both ends. Unfortunately for Mareeba, it was the Dolphins who were able to make their chances count when it mattered most.
Gary Burke struck again late in the contest to restore Stratford’s lead before Jeffrey Lassche added another to finally put the result beyond the Bulls and seal an entertaining 5-3 victory for the home side. It was a frustrating result for Mareeba after producing such a devastating opening six minutes. With three rounds and a mid-week catchup remaining, the Bulls are still unsure of a Top 4 finish. Coach Victor Madrid will need to have the boys humming to qualify.
