Sport
30 June, 2025
Clean sweep for Gladiators
BLOOD boiled, tensions rose, and big hits were seen left and right at the recent local rugby league derby where the Mareeba Gladiators came up trumps in all three games in front of their home crowd.
The Tableland rivalry was in full swing over the weekend with each of the three games between the Mareeba Gladiators and Atherton Roosters seeing a few push and shove contests as tensions flared.
It didn’t come easy for the Mareeba club, however, with all games won by a single-digit margin. The Under 19 Gladiators defeated Atherton 28-26, the Mareeba Reserve’s toppled their rivals 24-20, and the A Grade Gladiators took down one of the competition’s most in-form teams 30-22.
UNDER 19s
The action was kicked off by the Under 19s, who put on an excellent show for the early afternoon crowd.
The back-and-forth match went right down to the wire and a try from Mareeba winger Daniel Morris in the final five minutes proved just enough to edge his team over the line for a two-point victory at 28-26.
RESERVE GRADE
Next up was the Reserve Grade match which saw another closely fought contest and a narrow Mareeba win.
Mareeba got on the front foot early through a try from second-rower Bradley Lyall in the third minute. Mareeba held a 12-8 lead at halftime, but a second half effort from the visitors and a four-try masterclass from Atherton five-eighth Caleb Foster gave them a fighting chance.
However, the Mareeba Reserve’s managed to hold Atherton out to secure the club’s second win of the derby at 24-20.
A GRADE
The Mareeba Gladiators found a good win against their in-form local rivals over the weekend after taking them down 30-22 and handing them their second loss for the season.
Mareeba struck the first blow with tries in the fifth and 13th minute through centre Bronson Ryan and prop Caleb Dally respectively.
The Gladiators managed to hold Atherton out until the 27th minute when winger Regan Herd went over for their first points of the game, he was soon followed by lock Jhidan Dikes.
With just a couple of minutes to go in the first half, Mareeba answered back through winger Joe Shadrick, who went over for a try to extend his team’s lead. The score was 16-10 at the break.
Just a few minutes into the second half, Atherton hooker Oskar Coutts found his way over the white line and a successful conversion levelled the scores at 16 apiece.
After 10 minutes of back-and-forth play, Mareeba found their way back to the tryline, this time through fullback Tommy Waianga. He was soon followed by Shadrick who went over for his second of the night.
Mareeba weren’t finished there, however, with prop Caleb Dally going over for his second four-pointer with less than 10 minutes to play. A successful conversion brought the score to 30-16.
A last-minute try from one of the Atherton second rowers helped soften the blow and brought the final score to 30-22.
Gladiators co-coach Trent Barnard said it had been a rough month with injuries, but he was happy that his team got the job done, especially against their local foe.
“It’s always a big game against Atherton. They’re a top side, they’re a hard footy side to beat, but everyone kept turning up for each other,” he said.
“I’m just really happy for the boys, they’ve been working really hard the last month. I think we really needed that win to get the boys back up and about and it was a great night for the club too.
“Thanks to all the supporters who came out Saturday night, from both clubs, there was a good crowd there and it’s always a good battle between Atherton and Mareeba.”
Roosters coach Joel Riethmuller said it wasn’t his team’s best performance but he’s confident they can fix their mistakes and keep pushing on.
“We didn’t play real well. There was always a risk after having a couple weeks off,” he said.
“We just weren’t good enough on the night and it definitely wasn’t our best performance.
“But I’m still confident in this group, and they’ll fix what went wrong. They’re a good enough footy side.”
This week, the Gladiators will host the Cairns Kangaroos at Davies Park on Saturday. The Under 19s will get things underway from 3pm with Reserve Grade at 4.30pm and A Grade at 6pm.
The Roosters will now travel to Innisfail, also on Saturday, to take on the Leprechauns. The Under 19s kick off at 3pm, followed by Reserve Grade at 4.30pm, A Grade at 6pm.
