Sport
29 August, 2026
Comets toe to toe until Bulls late rally
THE Southside Comets produced a determined performance against the Mareeba Bulls on Saturday night but were eventually undone by two second half goals in a 2-0 loss at Borzi Park.
Coming up against a Mareeba side desperately fighting to keep its slim finals hopes alive, the Comets matched the home side throughout an evenly contested opening half. There was little separating the two teams during the first 45 minutes, with both sides enjoying periods of possession but neither able to find the breakthrough.
Southside worked hard to limit Mareeba’s opportunities and ensured the Bulls were unable to build any real momentum in front of their home crowd.
The Comets remained organised defensively and continued to challenge Mareeba across the park, sending the teams into the half-time break locked at 0-0.
However, the Bulls emerged with renewed intensity after the interval and began applying greater pressure to the Southside defence.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 60th minute when Mareeba’s Leon Peressini found the back of the net to put the home side ahead 1-0.
Despite falling behind, the Comets remained in the contest and continued searching for an equaliser. With only one goal separating the sides, Southside had every reason to believe it could take something from the match as the clock moved towards full-time.
The Comets continued to push forward, but Mareeba held firm and prevented the visitors from finding the goal they needed.
Southside’s hopes of snatching a late point were finally ended in the 85th minute when Peressini struck for a second time.
His late goal gave the Bulls a 2-0 advantage with only minutes remaining. While the final scoreline favoured Mareeba, it did not entirely reflect how competitive the contest had been, particularly during an opening half in which Southside went toe-to-toe with the home side.
The difference ultimately proved to be Mareeba’s ability to capitalise on its opportunities after the break, with Peressini’s two finishes separating the sides.
For the Comets, the result will be disappointing, but their ability to remain competitive for long periods against a Bulls side with plenty to play for provides positives to take from the performance.
Southside will now regroup as they look towards their final match of the season this Sunday at home to Innisfail Cutters.
