Sport
15 June, 2026
Gladiators six and counting
THE Mareeba Gladiators have tied local rivals, the Atherton Roosters, on the FNQ Rugby League ladder following their sixth consecutive win at the weekend.
The Gladiators have added another win to their hot streak after dismantling the Mossman Sharks 46-18 at home, while the Atherton Roosters took a 32-18 loss to Cairns Kangaroos.
The Round 11 results bumped the Gladiators into third position with the same competition points as the Roosters, who have now dropped to fourth.
GLADIATORS vs SHARKS
THE Gladiators hosted the Sharks at Davies Park on Saturday evening and put on a great show for the home crowd after outscoring their opponents eight tries to three.
The home side got straight to business after kick off, putting two early tries on the board through hooker Bailey Aldridge and centre Trezman Banjo in the third and sixth minutes respectively.
Just minutes later, fullback Ty Grogan crossed over to give his side an 18-0 lead just 11 minutes into the game.
Both sides soon settled into the contest and it wasn’t until the 25th minute when another try was scored, this time it was Mossman who put their first points on the board.
The Gladiators kept the pressure on and closed out the first half with another two tries, through wingers Bronson Ryan (34th minute) and Hubert Elu (39th minute). The home side went into the break sitting comfortably at 26-6.
Hoping to turn their game around, the Sharks hit the front foot early in the second and managed to score two quick tries within the first five minutes.
However, they were still no match for the home side who went on to score three more tries, with Elu claiming his second and five-eighth Denzel King crossing over for his own, to finish the game with a 46-18 victory.
The Gladiators Reserves found a narrow 44-42 win after a late, five-try charge from the Sharks nearly cost them the game.
This Saturday, the Gladiators will head to Smithfield to take on the Ivanhoe Knights at the Smithfield Sporting Complex. The Under 19s will get things underway from 12pm, followed by Reserve Grade at 1.30pm, and A Grade at 3pm.
ROOSTERS vs KANGAROOS
THE Roosters have given up second place on the FNQRL ladder and now sit in fourth following their second loss in a row at the weekend.
The Roosters travelled to Cairns on Saturday to take on the now fifth-placed Kangaroos but were ultimately overcome 32-18.
It was a quiet first half from the prolific point scorers, who let in four Roos tries in the third, ninth, 18th, and 25th minutes, before scoring their first through centre Jack Althaus in the 29th. The Roos led Atherton 24-6 at the break.
The Roos got the jump on the visitors again in the second half, scoring in the 44th and 49th minutes to jump out to a 32-6 lead.
However, tries from Atherton’s Cale Melville-Simmons (winger) and Jamaron Mothe (fullback) in the 68th and 76th minutes softened the blow for the visitors and brought the margin down to 14.
The Roosters Women weren’t very fortunate also, losing 18-8, nor were the Reserves who were pummelled 40-6, meanwhile the Under 19s celebrated a narrow 22-18 win.
This Saturday, the Roosters will host the Tully Tigers at the Atherton Junior Rugby League Club, due to preparations for the Atherton Show at the senior club grounds. After a full day of junior football, the Under 19s will kick the senior games off from 3pm, followed by Reserve Grade at 4.30pm, and A Grade at 6pm.
