QSL Wrap: Sunshine Coast back on track

The Queensland State League resumed in round eighteen following last week’s weather-affected cancellations as all four home sides did their favouritism justice while no match produced fewer than three goals.


Whitsunday Miners 4 – 2 Gold Coast
(Van Moolenbroek 27’, 43’, 59’ Oldring 42’) (Bina 61’ Kallis 81’)

Whitsunday Miners extended their unbeaten run to four matches with a comfortable victory over Gold Coast at Virgin Australia Stadium on Saturday.

Michael van Moolenbroek was again the star of the show for the Miners, firing his season tally to seventeen with a hat-trick inside an hour.

Predictably, it was van Moolenbroek who got the first of Whitsunday’s four for the night, before he followed Matt Oldring's goal with a second on the night to give the home side an expected 3-0 lead at half-time. The star attacker completed his treble on the hour before consolations from Stars pair Daniel Bina and Blake Kallis somewhat salvaged the scoreline for the visitors. Those twin strikes rounded out the scoring for a 4-2 win in favour of the comfortably fourth-placed Miners.

Whitsunday now face a huge fixture away to Sunshine Coast next week where they can potentially jump into second, while Gold Coast must deal with the toughest task in the QSL as they meet the Strikers at Perry Park.


FNQ Bulls 3 – 0 Bundaberg Spirit
(Bird 19’ Hurney 43’ Carroll 57’)

Far North Queensland produced a professional performance on Saturday to dispose of Bundaberg Spirit and keep pace in the race for second.

The Bulls will have been glad to confirm the important result following a tough week which saw the departures of returned star Wayne Srhoj, who could only make two outings for the Cairns club, and youngsters Bronson Koppen and Peter McGrath.

Nathan Bird got the hosts on track in the 19th minute before Spirit made them wait until two minutes from the interval for a second via Glenn Hurney, which was added to after the break when Jamie Carroll netted his eleventh of the campaign.

The three points keeps Far North Queensland ahead of Whitsunday in third on goal difference and two points from Sunshine Coast in second, an enviable situation for eighth-placed Bundaberg who lead only Gold Coast.


Queensland Academy of Sport 5 – 3 NQ Razorbacks
(Riis 15’, 18’, 37’ Borrello 13’ 89’) (Koppen pen 21’ Richardson 28’ Crowley 56’)

Starring performances from QAS attackers Josh Riis and Brandon Borrello helped their side to a hard-fought 5-3 win over North Queensland on Sunday.

The Razorbacks remarkably recovered from, firstly, three goals down in just the 18th minute, and from 4-2 at the break, to twice draw within a goal, but could ultimately not manufacture an equaliser.

The opening twenty minutes were a clinic in attacking from Riis and Borrello as they combined to tear apart the Razorbacks defence set the Academy for a seemingly simple afternoon. The visitors, however, responded with a pair of quick goals to shake the match into a contest, before Riis slammed home his hat-trick to give the hosts a 4-2 lead at the break. Jacob Crowley again hit back for the visitors shortly after the break but, despite the hitting crossbar, their resolve was broken when Borrello produced a sublime finish late in proceedings to end the rollercoaster at 5-3 and snap the QAS’ four-match losing streak.

The Razorbacks will hope to stay in the mid-table scramble when they travel to Cairns next week while the QAS, already holding a game in hand and three points on the teams directly below, are scheduled the bye.


Sunshine Coast Fire 4 – 1 Capricorn Cougars
(Knight 42’ Cronk 44’ Blackman 57’ Bechar 64’) (Waterland pen 6’)

Sunshine Coast shot to a morale-boosting victory over Capricorn on Sunday, recovering from a goal down to score twice either side of the break.

Owing to a dip in form, the bye and a fixture cancellation, Fire had tasted victory just once in the six weeks prior to round eighteen’s fixture, making star Cougars striker Sander Waterland’s penalty six minutes into the contest all the more worrying for the reigning champions.

It wasn’t until just before half-time that coach Richard Hudson could breath a sigh of relief as his side struck twice in quick succession to head to the changerooms buoyant about the turnaround. Further goals from centre-forward Shaun Blackman and winger Nicolas Bechar further improved the mood around Stockland Park as the victory meant while Brisbane’s imposing lead in first remained at ten points, Fire’s two-point gap in second also stayed intact.

A result which initially appeared to have great promise for Capricorn now has them fully requiring of a home win against Bundaberg next weekend as they look to stay in the top six.

Brisbane Strikers – BYE