Sport
26 August, 2026
Leps go down in semi-finals
RESERVE grade minor premiers Innisfail were stunned early when Kangaroos raced to a 10-0 halftime lead, then extended their advantage to 22-0 with two more tries.
The Leprechauns finally broke through with a converted try to Floyd Sakail, before launching a desperate late comeback. Two more converted tries in the final six minutes brought the margin back to four, but time ran out.
Try scorers: Floyd Sakail 2, William Laza. Goals: Michael Morton 3. Kangaroos beat Innisfail 22-18.
Reserve grade player Rhaymus Tomarra said the team left too much work too late.
“The game didn’t go the way we planned,” he said.
“We had a lot of missed opportunities, especially in the first half. We only really turned up in the last 10 minutes and were lucky to put on three tries but it wasn’t good enough.”
He praised several teammates, including under-19s standout Sakail.
“Floyd was reliable, turned things around with his defence and scored two tries,” Tomarra said.
“Michael Morton kept his cool as captain, even when things were going against us.”
He said the group must reset quickly and sharpen their preparation ahead of suburbs. “Before our game against Suburbs, there are a lot of things we need to improve on, especially our start,” Tomarra said.
“At training, we need to prepare our mindset for the long road trip and work on our defence.
“Our dream is to finish first, so we need to start strongly and be bigger and better if we’re going to get the win against Suburbs and earn our place in the grand final.”
A-grade: Cairns Brothers 46 def Innisfail 18
Innisfail’s A-grade side faced the toughest assignment of the day against reigning premiers Cairns Brothers, chasing a fifth straight title.
Brothers struck twice for an early 10-0 lead before Innisfail hit back with a converted try.
A dropped high ball proved costly as Tom Spark capitalised and a long-range intercept from Patrick Lewis pushed Brothers ahead 22-6 at halftime.
The visitors continued their dominance in the second half, extending the margin to 46-18 to book their place in the grand final at Barlow Park on 5 September.
Try scorers: Ayden Kris, Michael Carroll, Siosifa Uasike. Goals: Queille Murray 3.
Major semi-final results – 22 August, Billy Slater Oval
A-grade
Cairns Brothers 46 def Innisfail 18, Southern Suburbs 22 def Kangaroos 8.
Reserve Grade
Kangaroos 22 def Innisfail 18, Southern Suburbs 28 def Mareeba 22.
Under 19
Cairns Brothers 28 def Atherton 16 Ivanhoe Knights 42 def Southern Suburbs 14.
This Saturday 29 August, both Leprechauns sides face a tough road trip north to Mossman’s Coronation Park for the preliminary finals, with reserve grade up against Southern Suburbs at 1.30pm and A-grade also against Southern Suburbs at 3pm, A win for both teams will secure a grand final berth.