PRIDE OF NT
NRL star takes out top Territory sports award
RUGBY League and basketball grabbed the limelight at last night’s NT Sports Awards when Australian Kangaroo Will Chambers won the Sportsperson of the Year and junior Opal Abby Cubillo won her third consecutive Junior Sportsperson of the Year.
Almost 300 of the Territory’s best athletes, coaches, officials, administrators and support staff were at the awards night at the Doubletree Hilton on Darwin’s Esplanade.
Chambers rose from humble beginnings as a junior league player in Nhulunbuy to representing Australia at last year’s Rugby League World Cup and playing big roles for NRL premier Melbourne Storm and the Queensland State of Origin side.
Territory Sports Minister Lauren Moss said being crowned the NT Sportsperson of the Year cemented Chambers’ place in the history books of great NT sportspeople.
“Will Chambers has been a long-time Territory success story whose stellar career has seen him star for the Melbourne Storm in their 2017 grand final win and representing Queensland in State of Origin,” Moss added.
“It’s fantastic to see his hard work, talent and achievements recognised in front of his fellow Territorians.”
Moss also congratulated Abby Cubillo for winning the coveted NT Junior Sportsperson award for the third year in a row.
“Abby is an exceptionally talented young basketballer and her drive and determination is second to none which is evident in her many representative appearances for basketball,” she said.
“Abby has played for the Northern Territory and Australia at national and international level and was part of the under-19 Australian FIBA World Championship team that competed in Italy in July.’’
Cubillo continues to star in the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence’s South East Australian Basketball League team.
Nhulunbuy made the headlines again when Benn Prowse was named NT Volunteer of the Year, the first time surf lifesaving has won any category at the Sports Awards.
Prowse’s 53.5 volunteer patrol hours during the 2017 season came on top of several other projects at the Gove Peninsula Surf Lifesaving Club, including his work in obtaining grants to assist with the building of a new clubhouse.