Sport
4 August, 2025
Roosters crowing over victories
THE Atherton Roosters are crowing following their Women's team booking a spot in the Grand Final and the Men taking down a classy Southern Suburbs outfit.
Women book spot into GF
PACE and strategic game play have secured the Roosters Women’s team a spot in the 2025 Grand Final after they produced a dominant 30-12 win over Cairns Kangaroos on Saturday.
The Roosters looked quicker, fitter and more organised than their counterparts, presenting a real threat to Yarrabah for this weekend’s Grand Final.
Playing in Atherton, the Roosters started well with a 10-8 lead at half time, thanks to tries scored by five-eighth Nicola Bradford (18th minute) and centre Sherente Caulfield (30th minute).
The home side began the second half on the front foot, with a try coming from fullback Rayleigh Opperman just five minutes into the contest. A successful conversion from Bradford brought the score to 16-8.
The Kangaroos were soon let back into the scoring following a penalty. They capitalised with a try but no conversion. The match grew close once again at 16-12.
But the Roosters hit back minutes later after the Kangaroos gave away a penalty, with a try coming from hooker Kimberley Bryant (55th minute).
Another successful conversion from Bradford took her team out to a 10-point lead at 22-12, the biggest margin in the game so far.
The Kangaroos quickly deflated and let slip a try from Atherton prop Lexeen Mathieson with just four minutes to play.
The Roosters weren’t done yet however, with Bradford finding open space and flying downfield for a long distance try right on the hooter. The Roosters ended their dominant performance over the Kangaroos at 30 points to 12.
Roosters Women’s coach Paul Stephens said his team had a “clunky” first half, but he was happy with their performance in the second.
“I was pleased with their effort and their desire. They really wanted to win, they knew how much it hurt last year,” he said.
“(In the second half) they stopped rushing things and took their time. They thought about things a bit more in stops of play rather than trying to rush it.
“That’s what I said to them at halftime, just slow down and think about it. Just get your sets right, stick to the plan.”
The Roosters Women will now face up against the revered Yarrabah Seahawks in what is set to be a massive Grand Final clash this Saturday at Barlow Park from 1.40pm.
“We’ll approach it much the same as every game and just stick to the plan,” Stephens said.
“I’m confident that if the girls can play how we did on the weekend and just not get caught up in the emotion of the game, we can give it a good shake.”
A Grade take down Suburbs
SECOND spot on the FNQRL ladder now belongs to the Atherton Roosters after they narrowly edged out their fierce rivals in the Southern Suburbs.
It was a hard-fought battle for the Roosters at their home ground on Saturday as they took on one of this year’s most dominant teams and came away with a 28-24 win.
Yet another stellar performance was seen by Roosters winger Regan Herd, who scored himself a hattrick and kicked four from five conversions, scoring a total of 20 of his team’s 28 points.
The Roosters got the scoreboard moving quickly, with a try in the fourth minute coming from none other than Regan Herd.
The Roosters capitalised off field position quickly after, but this time took the ball to the other side of the field where other winger Shamish O’Quinn went over for his team’s second four-pointer (8th minute). The home side was off to a hot 12-0 start within the first 10 minutes.
The classy Suburbs outfit were prepared to put up a fight and soon scored their first try through winger Wes Walker (15th minute).
The Roosters quickly fired back with a try through one of their second rowers (20th minute), but a missed conversion kept the score at 16-4.
Suburbs would go on to score two more tries in the first half, bringing the score to 16-12 heading into the break.
The second half was a defensive battle with both teams going back and forth for two tries each.
Herd was the first to cross the line (53rd minute) and a successful conversion took the Roosters out to a 22-12 lead.
Suburbs fired back just five minutes later and brought the score to 22-18. Herd went over for his third try just minutes later and another kicked conversion took Atherton to a 28-18 lead.
However, Suburbs went over again just minutes later (66th minute), and with a successful conversion, brought the score to 28-24.
The final 15 minutes of the game was a battle in itself, with the visitors doing everything they could to level the score or take the lead, but Atherton held their own and secured the victory at 28-24.
The win has cemented the Roosters in second spot heading into the final round of the regular season.
The Roosters Reserve Grade found a confident win, taking down Suburbs 36-16, moving them to fourth on the ladder. The Under 19s match was forfeited by Suburbs, but the young Roosters are now tied for second in their competition.
This Sunday, the Roosters will make the trek all the way down to Tully to face the Tigers. The Under 19s will kick things off at 12noon, followed by Reserve Grade at 1.30pm, and A Grade at 3pm.
