Sport
16 July, 2025
Danggara books spot in finals as Dragons make statement
The final round of the Battle of the Gulf cluster competition in Burketown saw some thrilling contests.
Moungibi Danggara qualified for a semi-final after successfully hosting the last round of the Battle of the Gulf Cluster on Saturday.
The Burketown side had to win at least one of its two matches to secure a finals berth and did so in the opening match of the day in a thriller against Kowanyama.
The Danggara were down 16-12 with just a couple of minutes to go until Desmond Armstrong came up with a clutch try to level the scores.
Josh Collard stepped up to make the conversion, handing Moungibi a two-point win.
“We didn’t make it easy for ourselves,” captain Sage Marshall said post-match.
“There were a few errors there.
“But, it’s rewarding, you know, on our home ground, to get the win straight up.”
Marshall said it was great for Burketown to again host rugby league after the community broke its long hiatus in 2024.
“It means everything to us; this is our second year hosting it ... a lot of us were little fellas running around when we previously hosted so it’s a big moment for us to be able to do these carnivals at home in front of our own fans.”
While it was a heartbreaking loss for Kowanyama, Minh Kular captain Maxwell Luke said his side should be proud of their efforts in their first year back in the Gulf competition.
Kowanyama players piled into a bus at 3pm on Friday and didn’t arrive in Burketown until midnight.
They stayed at the army barracks before returning home on Sunday.
“We played pretty hard but I thought Moungibi, being the home side, had an advantage with their forwards,” Luke said.
“I thought we gave it a good shot across the two Clusters after we missed the first round because of road closures.”
Because Kowanyama sat out the first round, the Minh Kular had to play three games apiece in the next two rounds to catch up.
While they finished last on the table, they had an average losing margin of just 10 points.
Meanwhile, the Doomadgee Dragons could be one to watch in the semi-finals after they produced a major upset against Normanton on Saturday.
Once again, a last-minute try was scored to secure the win, with 17-year-old winger Keelin Hookey scoring in the corner to level the scores at 10-10. Izaak Toby then slotted the goal from the sideline to win it for the Dragons.
Those two sides will meet again in the semi-finals, which will be hosted by Normanton on Saturday, August 23.
The other men’s semi-final will be played between minor premiers Mornington Island – which went through the season without a loss – and Moungibi.
In the women’s competition, the Doomadgee Dragons leapt over the Moungibi Magawas to secure a grand final berth.
Their opponent will be the winner of the Moungibi v Normanton semi-final.
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Men’s: Moungibi Danggara 18 d Kowanyama Minh Kular 16; Doomadgee Dragons 12 d Normanton Stingers 10; Mornington Island Raiders 24 d Doomadgee United 6; Doomadgee Dragons 30 d Kowanyama Minh Kular 12; Doomadgee United 20 d Kowanyama Minh Kular 14; Mornington Island Raiders 16 d Moungibi Danggara 4.
Women’s: Moungibi Magawas 16 d Normanton Stingers 6; Doomadgee Dragons 10 d Normanton Stingers 6; Doomadgee Dragons d Moungibi Magawas (forfeit).
SEMI-FINALS ON AUGUST 23
Men’s: Mornington Island v Moungibi; Normanton v Doomadgee Dragons.
Women’s: Moungibi v Normanton.
Semi-finals to be played at John Henry Memorial Oval in Normanton, with the men’s and women’s grand finals to be played on the same day.