Sport
16 September, 2024
Fighting grand final effort by Bulls
THE Mareeba Bulls put in a fighting effort against Marlin Coast Rangers in the men’s FQPL Far North & Gulf grand final on the weekend despite a last-minute berth, and an injury depleted team.
But for captain Adrian Madrid, there were no excuses, the Rangers got the better of them, he said after the 4-0 loss.
The Bulls were brought into the grand final after an error in player eligibility meant Leichhardt had to forfeit their preliminary final win against Mareeba the previous week.
“We got the team together, we were ready, and we started strong,” he said.
“They were better than us on the day.”
An early attempt with a header near the posts and a second shot in great offensive play by Liam Pozzebon soon followed but were wide of the mark.
The Rangers broke through a defence gap for an easy first goal, and the Bulls were pressed through the first half.
“They opened us up after that first goal, and wore us down, pretty quickly,” Adrian said.
The Bulls did push forward more in the second half, when Wayne Srhoj took to the field, but a second Rangers goal played on a tense Mareeba side.
“We didn’t play like we normally do,” Adrian said.
“We were our own worst enemy I think.”
An aggressive Rangers side, who clocked four yellow cards, continued to break through and two more goals in quick succession sealed the result.
For the side, the result was disappointing, but not the fans who turned up to Endeavour Park in a strong, and often amusing, display of support.
“Yeah, they are great,” Adiran said.
“And we want to thank the crowd, they are always there to support us, they’ve got our backs.”
The club did find some joy in their day, with the Under 14 Bulls side winning their grand final match.
