Sport
3 October, 2026
NRL stars hit the El Arish fairways
RUGBY league royalty descended on the Cassowary Coast earlier this month as Radiant Life College’s Ganyarra Rugby League Academy launched its inaugural golf day, a star‑studded event where locals played alongside some of the biggest names to ever grace the NRL.
Twelve teams hit the fairways for a memorable Ambrose competition, creating an atmosphere that blended sporting excitement with rare meet‑and‑greet opportunities.
The celebrity line-up included James Tamou, Michael Morgan, Scott Bolton, Jake Granville, Kane Linnett, Alex Glenn, Michael Bani, Robert Lui, Jackson Nicolau, Antonio Winterstein, Kenny Edwards, Sam Williams, Anthony Milford, Josh Dugan and Adrian Purtell, giving players and spectators a chance to rub shoulders with legends of the game out on the golf course.
The winning team, IGC 2, featuring Adrian Purtell, Jake Cockle, Caine Cockle and Tom Arnold, claimed victory with a score of 30. Two signed retro Cowboys jerseys were raffled, with Marc and Gino Di Carlo taking home the prized memorabilia.
The celebrations continued that evening at the Innisfail Shire Hall, where a retro rugby league charity auction dinner drew a large crowd.
Guests enjoyed live entertainment, player interviews, raffles, auctions, signed memorabilia and plenty of rugby league stories.
Former NRL players mingled with fans, posed for photos and signed autographs, helping make the night a major success. The academy plans to make the golf event an annual highlight.
Meanwhile, local golfer Kevin Walsh travelled to Atherton for the FNQ Seniors Open on 16-17 September. After finishing tied for fourth on day one, Walsh produced a superb 66 Nett on day two to win the Super Seniors (65+) division on countback. His strong form continued back home.
Interest is building for the upcoming FNQG pennants season, with Innisfail set for three October clashes: 4 October: Innisfail vs Mareeba at Atherton; 11 October: Innisfail vs Atherton at Mossman and 25 October: Innisfail vs Mossman at Mareeba.
In weekly competitions, Rob Mills won Wednesday all sporters on 16 September with 25 points (c/b), followed by Alan Cooper (25) and Adam Summers (24 c/b). Friday sporters on 18 September did not have enough players for a full competition, though Ryan Turnbull led strongly.
Perfect weather greeted players for Saturday’s 18‑hole stroke event on 19 September, producing standout scores. Morning leader James Scullen posted -2, before afternoon players surged. Mills tied Scullen on -2, Kevin Walsh finished -3, but Leanne King claimed victory with an impressive -4.