Mixed Results For Burdekin Roosters Across All Grades

It was a weekend of mixed results for the Burdekin Roosters across all grades.

The action kicked off on Friday night, with the Burdekin River girls fighting back to earn a hard-fought 22-all draw against Brothers in Ingham. Missing several key players due to the early kick-off, including star attacker Martina Monday, the team showed great resilience to come from 16–4 down. Paige Horvat starred with three tries, earning best-on-ground honours. Abby King, Toni Daisy, Tanley Rowe and Lily Chappel were also among the standouts. King and Chappel added a try each, while Rebecca Pace slotted a conversion. The Burdekin River side now sits fourth, with the combined Burdekin–Herbert River experiment showing promising signs.

On Saturday, the Reserve Grade Roosters made it three wins in a row, storming back from an eight-point deficit to defeat Centrals 24–20. Coach Peter Horan praised his side’s determination after they trailed 20–12 early in the second half. “Centrals were on a roll, but the boys said no and fought back,” Horan said. “Some of these boys are still eligible for under 20s, so to see them respond like that was impressive.”

Dylan Doak led the way with a try and four goals. Adam Camer, Caleb Noah, and Riley Easton also crossed the line. Archer Swindey was named players’ player for his standout effort, while Camer was solid at fullback and Llama Ghee looked dangerous in attack. Horan also welcomed back Riley Easton after a week off due to illness. The reserve grade side is now sitting fifth and will look to continue their winning streak against Bowen this weekend before facing the strong Crushers outfit in Ingham the following week.

Later on Saturday, A Grade faced Centrals in Townsville and went down 24–14 in a controversial match. Despite a spirited comeback attempt, the Roosters were undone by both contentious calls and their own fundamental errors.

After previously defeating the Tigers 36–24, Burdekin began the match confidently but dropped ball and a fired-up Centrals outfit kept them scoreless in the first half, which ended 16–0. Defensive lapses and attacking mistakes continued to plague the visitors, who then conceded another try early in the second stanza to trail 20–0.

Burdekin rallied, scoring three tries to bring the margin back to 20–14. A fourth try was disallowed by the touch judge—a decision that, if reversed, could have levelled the scores with the conversion. Centrals sealed the match with a late try to secure the 24–14 win.

Coach Steve Lansley was blunt in his assessment. “We were our own worst enemies. Dropped ball, falling off tackles, poor decision-making in attack and defence—it cost us dearly.”

Logan Dickson was named players’ player for his efforts at fullback, while forward Terrence Mosby and big man Braedyn Cotter also impressed. “A few weeks ago, we hadn’t won a game after three rounds. Now we’re fifth, nearly in the top four—but we need to cut out the errors and stay focused,” Lansley added.
Try scorers were Terry Connors (2), Saleki Walifeo and Jye Olsen, with one goal kicked.

Weekend Results Summary

A Grade

• Centrals def Burdekin 24–14
• Brothers def Herbert River 24–12
• Charters Towers def Western Lions 38–24
• Souths def Norths 44–8

Reserve Grade

• Burdekin def Centrals 24–20
• Herbert River def Brothers 18–14
• Charters Towers def Bowen 14–6
• Souths def Norths 58–0
• Western Lions – Bye

Women’s Grade

• Burdekin River drew with Brothers 22–22
• Charters Towers def Bowen 54–0
• Byes: Western Lions, Centrals, Norths

This Week’s Fixtures

• Burdekin A Grade – Bye
• Burdekin Reserves & Women – vs Bowen in Bowen
• Souths host Charters Towers (A Grade & Reserve)
• Brothers host Norths (A Grade & Reserve)
• Western Lions host Centrals (A Grade, Reserve & Women)
• Herbert River – Bye (A Grade & Reserve)

‍