Sport
17 April, 2026
Brothers given a fright
THE 2026 Cairns District Rugby League season has found some momentum with a massive round three seeing some huge results across all four grades with an enormous weekend of NRL for the region.
Under-19s
The weekend kicked off with the under-19s games beginning with Ivanhoes hosting Southern Suburbs. Ivanhoes came away with a comfortable 30-18 victory.
The Mareeba Gladiators hosted the Tully Tigers but were unable to defend home field with Tully winning comfortably 42-18.
The next game was a heavyweight clash between the Atherton Roosters and the Cairns Brothers, where Brothers trounced Atherton 30-6.
The round finished with Yarrabah facing Innisfail, where Yarrabah proved to be too strong, winning 26-16.
Women’s
The women’s games also started with Ivanhoes and Southern Suburbs and came away victorious 28-10.
The Kangaroos were up next when they faced the struggling Mossman Sharks, thrashing them 44-4, leaving the Sharks winless in 2026.
The Yarrabah Seahawks hosted the Innisfail Leprechauns where they continued their hot streak winning 42-22.
Reserves
The reserves grade saw a very similar draw to the other comps.
Ivanhoes defeated Southern Suburbs in a nailbiter coming out on top 20-14, with no points being scored in the second half.
The Cairns Kangaroos handled the Mossman Sharks with a convincing 34-12 win. Tully were able to knock off Mareeba 28-6, while Cairns Brothers also defeated Atherton 34-26. The round finished off with Innisfail defeating Yarrabah 48-30.
Seniors
The round finally finished off with a huge round of senior games.
Southern Suburbs won their first game of the day defeating Ivanhoes 40-18.
The Sharks couldn’t find a win going down to Kangaroos 40-22.
Tully won their game over Mareeba 20-16 putting them into the top four, while Innisfail took down Yarrabah 24-10.
The headline of the round was the Atherton Roosters taking down the five-time defending premiers and league powerhouses Cairns Brothers 40-20.
The Roosters saw seven different try-scorers in their triumphant win.
Rooster captain/coach Justin Frain has described the win as “monumental”.
“It was one for the ages, I’m beyond thrilled,” he said.
This win puts the Roosters in first place on the ladder, giving them a huge momentum boost going forward.
