TAIPANS SET TO STRIKE
FOOTBALL THEY are about to face one of Queensland’s best sporting nurseries but St Augustine’s College’s football team is confident ahead of today’s Bill Turner Cup showdown.
The Cairns school will go head to head with Ignatius Park College at Tiger Park, with a spot in the state finals on the line.
Centre back Darcy Fitzroy, 14, expects a tough contest against the Townsville team.
The side enters Round of 32 clash after sweeping the Far North portion of the draw, which included a penalty shootout win against Cairns SHS and a dominating victory against St Stephen’s Mareeba.
“We knocked in nine in the first half so it was game over from there,” Fitzroy said.
Left-footed striker Tom Waddingham bagged a swag of goals in that contest, and will look to add a few more to that tally when he plays at the ground at which he has spent most of his junior career.
Should he strike them cleanly, it could lead to the start of a few successful seasons for St Augustine’s with all but five of the squad eligible to return next year.
“All of them are club players who know each other pretty well,” coach Terry McDonough said. “We only have five who will be unavailable next year.”
Cairns State High’s girls’ team smashed Mackay 10-0 to reach their state final.
Kick-off is at 1.30pm. BASKETBALL EXPERIENCED American playmaker Scott Machado is likely to be Mike Kelly’s import point guard for the upcoming NBL season.
The 29-year-old has bounced around the world since 2012 and most recently played with the Los Angeles Lakers and the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League.
Cairns Taipans coaches and officials are big fans of the veteran floor general who has three NBA stops on his resume, with an agreement likely to be struck soon for the 2019-20 NBL campaign.
The deal is not quite yet completed between the point guard and the Far North NBL team but it could be soon.
Machado was born in New York but is of Brazilian heritage and has played for the Brazilian national basketball team on several occasions.
He would be the first of the three import signings for Kelly if he agrees to a Cairns deal.
He has also featured for the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, as well as the Lakers, earlier in his career.
While he has three NBA stops on his resume, he is well travelled overseas also, playing at a handful of world clubs.
Machado would replace reigning club MVP Melo Trimble, who departed in the offseason to sign with NBL bigspenders Melbourne United.
Cairns have opted to sign young import point guards across their last three seasons with Machado more of a veteran, having played as a professional since 2012.
Trimble, Travis Trice and Scoochie Smith were only recently out of the college system PORTIA Eden overcame a shocking start at the BMW World Championships to claim a world plate in Belgium.
The Cairns BMX Club member, right, started well in her first moto of the 12 and under girls cruiser class competition, but came off her bike halfway through the run. Crossing fifth, the Cairns sportsperson of the year had to dust herself off and produce her best to be any chance of advancing.
Eden has won several world championships already, and Cairns BMX Club’s Rachel Rayner said overcoming adversity was perhaps her greatest attribute.
“She’s always one who has dealt with adversity really well,” Rayner said. “She is that good at it, it was not surprising she was able to put that behind her and fight back.”
Eden won her next two motos, qualified for the final, then showed why she is one of the greatest young talents on two wheels to win her class.
She and fellow Cairns rider Nate Maroske competed in the challenge classes overnight. while the Snakes’ new man would provide veteran leadership and a steady hand with the ball.
The Far North NBL club has Majok Deng, Mirko Djeric, Fabijan Krslovic, Tom Jervis, Kouat Noi and Jarrod Kenny signed for the 2019-20 season, with Australian Boomer Nate Jawai about to join them.