Country, coast or metro…who can take the title?
Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast Tweed are the main contenders for this year’s crown, but Cunningham is chasing a metropolitan win, while Tropical Far North is carrying the torch for the regions. Sunshine Coast women sent a powerful message to would-be challengers today, going through sectional play undefeated and into tomorrow’s Division 1 play-offs, where they’ve no intention of giving up the Val Woodward Shield.
The host side battered Brisbane this morning 66-35, before fighting tooth-and-nail to keep out arch rivals Gold Coast Tweed in Round 8, 44-43.
Gateway also went down in Round 9, 69-43, as the Sunny Coast girls stamped their authority on their home turf at Club Maroochy.
But the hard work has only just begun for the 2013-2014 champs, with the slate wiped clean for tomorrow’s Division 1 play-offs at Tewantin Noosa (8.50am).
Most worryingly for the Sunshine Coast’s title defence, they’ll have to face three-time winners Gold Coast Tweed again (at 12-noon) and this time the Goldie girls will be out for revenge.
Gold Coast finished second in Section A, the loss to Sunshine Coast their only slip-up in sectionals.
Brisbane North and Southern Down were the latest sides to feel the golden girls’ wrath, going down 63-26 and 74-31 respectively.
In Section B, a slip-up from Day 2 ladder-leads Tropical Far North Queensland saw them drop to second on the table.
After an expected Round 7 win over Leichhardt 71-36, TFNQ went down to North Queensland, 40-53.
As a result Cunningham, who beat Condamine (66-28) and Port Curtis (59-40), leap-frogged to the top of the table and into the Division 1 play-offs.
The TFNQ girls squeezed out a five-shot win over Bundaberg in Round 9 to finish on 12 +109, but with North Qld, Bundaberg, Wide Bay/Gympie and Central Queensland also finishing on 12 points, they had a frantic wait on margin count-backs to see if they had made the top-flight finals.
When the dust settled TFNQ had their nose in front, 25-shots clear of third place North Qld.
But they will have some tough questions to answer in tomorrow’s Division 1 play-offs, with some commentators claiming both Cunningham and Tropical Far North had an easy ride to the final, avoiding the Section A draw of death which included Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast Tweed, Gateway, Mackay and other top teams.
Division 1 — Tewantin Noosa
Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast Tweed, Tropical far North Queensland (TFNQ), Cunningham
Division 2 — Coolum Beach
Gateway, Bundaberg, Mackay, North Queensland
Division 3 — Pacific Paradise
Brisbane, Downs, Central Queensland, Wide Bay/Gympie
Division 4 — Club Maroochy
Brisbane North, Caboolture, Southern Downs, Port Curtis
Division 5 — Caloundra
Burnett, Leichhardt, Maranoa Warrego, Condamine
2015 District Sides finals kick off at 8.50am (Wed, May 5). Click here to visit the event information page for full sectional results.
