Sport
7 August, 2023
Inaugural Soccer Cup thrills big crowd
LINDSAY Australia Stadium in Mareeba buzzed with excitement at the weekend as close to 1000 spectators gathered for the inaugural Mareeba Moriconi Bomben Soccer Cup.
While the Mareeba United Football Clubs premier men's team suffered a defeat against Leichhardt in their match, Mareeba’s over 45s secured a thrilling victory through a penalty shootout.
The premier men's team took an early lead in the competition, establishing a commanding 1-0 advantage in the first half.
Coach Kane Alderson noted that in the second half, they were swiftly caught off guard by Leichhardt, ultimately resulting in a 2-1 victory for their opponents.
“It just wasn’t our night. We were up early but then we had two players out to injury and then we had one boy running late,” he said.
“We just didn’t play our best football and we could have done a lot better. I think we need a lot more consistency because we are engaged at the start and taking early leads but then we just slowly fade away.”
With a larger crowd than usual, Alderson was impressed with the positive community support and how some of the younger players drew energy from the spirited atmosphere.
"I told the boys that this kind of crowd is reminiscent of what we had 10-15 years ago, so it's heartening to witness that atmosphere again," he said. "It's especially valuable for our emerging young players to experience that environment."
Italian Festival organiser Steve Cordenos said it was incredible to watch the community come together for the cup, with the over 45’s game proving to be a hit.
“It was an idea we came up with to commemorate Alfio Moriconi and John Bomben for the many many years of dedication towards soccer they had given both the clubs,” he said.
“It was a huge success and the game I wanted to make sure we played was the over 45s game and I think even though the event ended on a really important game, most of the crowd came for the over 45s.
“We got to see some of the best players from the last 20 to 30 years and it was a great environment. No team wanted to lose and even though there were no tackles they ended on a penalty shootout and Mareeba won.”
The Mareeba United premier men will be playing a catch up game against Leichhardt on Wednesday night before going up against Edge Hill on Saturday.
The team is currently sitting third on the ladder in the FQPL Men’s competition.
