Sport
10 August, 2026
Narrow margins in final round
THE Atherton Roosters have finished third following a four-point win over the Tully Tigers at the weekend, while the Mareeba Gladiators finished in fifth after Cairns Kangaroos just got the better of them.
The Roosters managed a 30-26 win over the Tigers after making the long trek to Tully on Sunday, while the Gladiators went down 30-24 in front of a home crowd.
ROOSTERS vs TIGERS
IT was certainly a second-half affair at the Tully Showgrounds at the weekend, with Tully heading into halftime leading 12-10.
The home side got the jump on the visitors, putting two tries on the board in the 46th and 55th minutes, which extended their lead to 22-10 halfway through the second stint.
However, a miraculous comeback would soon ensue, with Atherton winger Cale Melville-Simmons crossing the line to put the Roosters’ first second half points on the board.
Just minutes later, the electric fullback Regan Herd found a four-pointer of his own. Successfully converting his own try, Herd brought the score to 22-20.
Tully weren’t out of it yet though, with winger Jamie Muriata finding his second of the match – putting the home side back in front, 26-20.
The home side lifted in defence, knowing the game laid in the balance, however, with six minutes on the clock, Roosters centre Austin Kombo crossed over to give his side a chance to equal the scores. A missed kick left the score at 26-24 in favour of Tully.
With the game now in the dying stages, the Roosters scrambled looking for a try, and who better to find the game-winner than Herd, who crossed over in the 77th minute and converted his second try to give his side a 30-26 win.
The Roosters Under 19s found a 26-18 win, earning them a second-place finish just two points behind Cairns Brothers, while the Roosters Reserve Grade did not play due to forfeit, and finished ninth on the ladder.
GLADIATORS vs ROOS
IT was a quality game of football at Davies Park on Sunday afternoon as the Gladiators hosted the Cairns Kangaroos.
After a tightly contested first half, both teams went into the break with the scores locked at 12-all. The home side hit the front foot early in the second, with centre Trezman Banjo claiming a try just five minutes into play.
Roos answered back with a try of their own in the 52nd minute before Mareeba winger Bronson Ryan went on to score a double, with tries coming in the 57th and 65th minutes.
The score was now 24-18 in favour of the Gladiators, however, the Cairns side soon produced two quick tries with less than 10 minutes to play, which gave them a 30-24 lead.
Mareeba had the visitors defending their tryline in the final minutes of the game, but they were unable to produce any points and Kangaroos managed to hold onto their lead for the win.
Goalkicking proved to be the Gladiators’ kryptonite, with Ty Grogan only slotting 2/5 compared to Bradley Stephen’s (Roos) 5/5. The loss saw Mareeba drop to fifth, with the Roos taking their spot in the Top 4.
A short-staffed Gladiators Reserve squad took a 64-6 beating. Despite this, they still finished fourth on the ladder and will play in the first round of finals this weekend. Meanwhile, the Under 19s lost 40-18 and finished in 7th place.
WITH the regular season of the 2026 FNQ Rugby League competition now at a close, the Roosters and Gladiators are gearing up for the first round of finals footy this weekend.
The minor semi-finals will be held this Saturday at Alley Park, Gordonvale. First up, the Gladiators Reserves will face off against the Tully Tigers at 3.30pm.
Following this, the A Grade will take centre stage, which will see the Roosters take on Southern Suburbs from 5pm, while the Gladiators will get a rematch against the Roos at 7pm. Meanwhile, the Roosters U19s will play in the major semi-final next weekend.
