The 24th annual Hacker's Cup, hosted by the Lower Burdekin Hockey Association on Saturday, September 23, saw around 40 passionate players take to the field for a fun day of grass hockey. In a remarkable turn of events, the Broncos, leading the way for their NRL counterparts, clinched victory, adding to the day's excitement.

The carnival was designed to introduce new players to the sport of hockey through a 5-a-side competition on modified fields.  Teams are mixed gender with novice hockey players, or hackers, a hot commodity.  A number of teams also use junior players in their roster, helping to ensure that the future of the sport is in good hands.

The windy conditions were welcomed by players to combat the effects of a sunny, cloudless sky.  Fields were green and lush, with the unpredictability of ball movement on grass proving to be a challenge for some of the experienced turf and indoor hockey players.  

Although the day was physically challenging with all teams playing in at least four games, the spirit of friendly competition was evident all day.  The Darcy Duggan Memorial Award for Spirit of the Carnival (introduced in 2014) acknowledges the player who epitomises the friendly, fair and inclusive hockey player we all strive to be.

Results

A Division Winners – Burdekin Broncos

B Division Winners – Thunder

Best and Fairest Female – Ashley Green and Lynette Wheeler

Best and Fairest Male – Westley Darwen, Wesley Glover, Mark Nicolaides, Bradley Sibson

Goal Hog – Westley Darwen

Spirit of the Carnival – Matthew Gardner

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B Division Winners, Thunder

Three Burdekin Roosters Junior Rugby League squads recently travelled to compete in tournaments, bringing their 2023 seasons to a close.

The under 9s team travelled to Proserpine to compete in the Paul Bowman Challenge from September 16 to 17.

The non-competitive carnival welcomed over 80 teams from across Queensland to the Proserpine Junior Rugby League Fields.

“Every year, our whole club attends all carnivals from under 8s to under 15s,” said Burdekin Roosters JRL President Jared Smith.

“It’s good for the kids to get out and play a lot of different kids from a lot of other communities.

“They play eight or nine games in those two days, so they jam in a lot of football and get a lot out of it.”

The Burdekin Roosters under 9s team wore black armbands as they ran onto the field for the Paul Bowman Challenge in Proserpine, honouring local rugby league legend and Burdekin Roosters life member Norm Bohl, who passed away on Sunday, September 10.

Norm’s great grandson played in the under 9s team at the carnival.

“The boys wore black armbands for Norm because he was instrumental in the starting of junior rugby league in the Burdekin,” said Mr Smith.

The weekend of September 23 to 24 saw both the under 10s and under 14s compete in respective tournaments.

The under 10s travelled to Townsville for the Gorden Tallis Cup where 80 teams from across Queensland met for the non-competitive carnival.

“They played five games on the Saturday and four on Sunday,” said Mr Smith.

“They have an absolute ball, those kids.”

The under 14s then travelled to Cairns for the Tassel Trophy Challenge, the boys unfortunately not making it past the group stages of the tournament.

“The boys kept training once a week and went up there to have a good time rather than trying to take it out,” said Mr Smith.

“We’d rather go with the teams we have and give all of our kids the opportunity to play in those carnivals.”

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The under 9s Burdekin Roosters recently travelled to Proserpine to compete in the Paul Bowman Challenge. Photo credit: Bronte Hodge

The Burdekin Roosters under 9s team wore black armbands honouring local rugby league legend life member Norm Bohl. Photo credit: Bronte Hodge

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