Sport
23 February, 2026
Close competition in first trial round
HEAVY rain and local rivalry made for some close competition in the first trial round of the FNQ Rugby League competition at the weekend, with the Atherton Roosters taking home the glory for the A Grade and Reserve Grade games, while the Mareeba Gladiators just came out on top in the Under 19s.
The eagerly anticipated annual trial match between the Roosters and Gladiators provided an entertaining show for the local crowd at Mungalli Ck Dairy Stadium, Atherton at the weekend.
Getting things underway on the day was the Under 19s, where the Gladiators drew first blood in a tight match that finished 18-16.
Things soon got slippery, however, with a late-afternoon thunderstorm dropping heavy rain as the Reserve Grade sides took to the field. Another close battle ensued, but this time Atherton claimed a win with a tight 20-18 finish.
All eyes then turned to A Grade, with both sides running a near full-strength side for some of the game, before reserves and younger players tried their hand at the top grade.
With rain continuing to pour down, Mareeba couldn’t quite find their footing early on and suffered from drop balls and a strong Roosters forward pack. Atherton quickly found their rhythm that kept them in stride with the top sides last year and trotted off to an early lead.
However, a solid second half effort from Mareeba saw another close match round out the first trial round, with the game finishing 36-30 in favour of the Roosters.
“She was pretty tough for the first game,” A Grade captain-coach Trent Barnard said.
“It was wet as, the ball was slippery and we just couldn’t complete for the first 20 minutes or so.
“But we changed a few things at halftime and started to come back in the second half. I think the boys kicked into gear and we started completing our sets and started defending well.
“Once we started playing some footy, we started scoring points – it was good. And it was good to see all the boys have a crack after a good preseason.
“But I think the big standout for us was that second half. It was the type of good footy I know we can play, so it’ll be good to see what we can do when we’ve had some more time together.”
This Saturday, the Gladiators will host Cairns Kangaroos for the final trial match at Davies Park, with the Under 19s getting things underway from 3pm, followed by Reserve Grade at 4.30pm, and A Grade at 6pm.
While the Roosters will host Southern Suburbs at the Atherton Showgrounds. The premiership-winning Roosters Women will get play underway from 3pm, followed by Under 19s at 4.30pm, Reserve Grade at 6pm, and A Grade at 7.30pm.
The fierce local rivalry is also set to turn Round 1 of the regular season into a blockbuster match as the Roosters once again host the Gladiators on 21 March, this time with competition points on the line.
