Sport
18 May, 2026
Clean sweep for Gladiators
THE Mareeba Gladiators are back in the mix of the FNQ Rugby League competition following a strong win against the Yarrabah Seahawks at home at the weekend, while the Atherton Roosters were handed their first loss by the Innisfail Leprechauns.
The Mareeba club, known for its green and gold kit, found a clean sweep across all three senior grades, while Atherton’s senior division could not post a single win.
GLADIATORS vs SEAHAWKS
A VOCAL home crowd no doubt boosted the Gladiators to their 42-28 win when they hosted the Seahawks at Davies Park on Saturday evening.
The Gladiators found momentum early, with halfback Malie Tom claiming the first two tries in just the second and 15th minutes. Yarrabah soon found their first points but Mareeba did not back down, with winger Bronson Ryan and interchange prop Terence Anau-Sailor crossing the try line in the 30th and 35th minutes respectively.
Yarrabah managed to put another on the board just shy of halftime, but Mareeba still held a 10-point lead at 22-12 at the break.
The Gladiators were quick off the mark to start the second half, with Tom scoring in the opening two minutes again to claim a hattrick for the match. Yarrabah soon got back into the grind and eventually found two more tries to bring the score to 28-22.
Just minutes later, however, Mareeba prop Caleb Dally burst through the Seahawks defence to add another four points to home side’s tally. A fifth successful conversion from fullback Trezman Banjo brought the score to 34-22.
Still, Yarrabah refused to back out of the fight and soon found another try through fullback Rhys Murgha, but the Gladiators stamped their authority on the game with their seventh try, this time through young second-rower Tyler Srhoj.
A penalty goal in the 78th minute, kicked by Tom, put the icing on the cake for the Gladiators to celebrate a 14-point victory over their opponents.
The Gladiators Reserve Grade also celebrated a hearty win, taking down Yarrabah’s Reserves 28-20, as did the Under 19s, who scraped through with a 28-24 win.
This Sunday the Gladiators will once again play hosts, with Gordonvale’s Southern Suburbs making the trek up the hill to Davies Park, Mareeba. The Under 19s will get things underway from 12pm, followed by Reserve Grade at 1.30pm, and A Grade at 6pm.
ROOSTERS vs LEPRECHAUNS
AN injury-riddled Atherton Roosters were delivered their first loss of the season after going down 26-6 to the Leprechauns in Innisfail on Sunday.
The Roosters seemed to have been run through in the first half of the match, with the home team posting four tries within the first 30 minutes of play to take a comfortable 20-0 lead by halftime.
It wasn’t until the 57th minute that the Roosters found their only points – through young winger Nathaniel Ross. Atherton’s defence seemed to have tightened up in the second half, given the Leprechauns were only let in once, in the 66th minute.
It was also a tough day out for the remainder of the Atherton club, with the Women taking a 20-4 loss, the Reserve Grade going down 42-12, and the Under 19s losing 20-10.
This Saturday, the Roosters will travel to Yarrabah to take on the Seahawks. The Women will kick things off at 1.30pm, followed by the Under 19s at 3pm, Reserve Grade at 4.30pm, and A Grade at 6pm.
