The Bundaberg Cricket Association AGM was held at Salter Oval on Sunday morning and cricket scores were the order of the weekend in the Bundaberg Broadcasters A Grade Premiership round 14 matches.
It started at Eskdale Park, Maryborough, on Saturday night with hosts Wallaroos putting their Bundaberg rivals Easts Magpies to the sword, winning 50-4 to also shore up fifth place and almost certainly clinch a finals berth even with seven rounds to go, establishing a 10-point lead over the sixth place Magpies.
Then at Salter Oval on Sunday afternoon, competition leaders Past Brothers went berserk against the hapless Waves Tigers, amazingly passing the 100-try mark for the season from just 12 games in an 86-12 massacre.
The carnage continued with two-times defending champions Wests Panthers also posting a half-century with a 50-4 demolition of an extremely disappointing Isis Devils.
Coming off a skinny victory over the Tigers and their second bye, Roos made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season, starting to finally get it all together, establishing a 24-0 half-time lead and going right on with the job with livewire halfback Cecil Sullivan finishing with a double.
With the result, Wallaroos joined Isis on 16 points but they still trail them significantly on nett points differential -92 to -48, and they face a huge task this Sunday at Salter Oval against the high-flying second placed Hervey Bay Seagulls, who will be fresh from the bye.
Isis will get the perfect chance to redeem themselves when they host Waves at Childers Showgrounds this Saturday night, but the Devils will also need to regroup quickly after their mauling by the Panthers.
Again without their blockbusting lock Jake Thompson, they were woeful in the first half, trailing 36-0 at oranges, and while they improved in the second stanza, a try to inspirational captain and front rower Peter Grant was little consolation.
In what was another re-match of last year's grand final, Wests continued to go from strength to strength with captain and hooker Josh Tanner leading from the front but their outside backs dominated the scoring with flashy under-18 winger Delroy Tanner and centre Trent Seeds each bagging doubles, and fullback Willie Nagas, centre James Prichard and winger Robert Telfer each also among the four-pointers.
Wrecking ball interchange utility Joel Turaga also picked up another try in just his second game back in the red and black, ending also a special week for his family after the birth of another little sister five days earlier.
Wests will pick up the two bye points this week before getting the chance to further fine tune against Waves, leading then into successive showdowns with big guns Hervey Bay and Past Brothers.
Despite being without two of their best players against the Tigers in hooker Brent Kuskey and fullback Jake Carl, the Past Brothers juggernaut continued to build momentum.
They put their stamp on the game by taking a 34-12 lead to the break, before Waves' dam burst as they conceded an unanswered 52 points in the next 40 minutes.
Captain/coach Mat Templeman, returning to his former position of fullback, and halfback Joel Fagan, returning from an injury sustained playing for Central Crows at the Queensland Divisional Championships, cashed in with twin hat-tricks, while five-eighth Aaron Kuskey and team veteran unsung hero workaholic lock Bryce Holdsworth each notched doubles.
Winger John Akers racked up 22 points with one try and nine conversions, while his younger brother Tom, backing up from under-18, came off the bench to also join in the feast with a try of his own.
It was Past Brothers' 11th straight win and while at their best, Hervey Bay and Wests look capable of challenging them, the blue and whites are raging hot favourites to reclaim the title.
This week, they will take on Easts in what could be another mismatch.
To their credit, the Tigers never stopped trying after winger Danny Moran and affable and big-hearted second rower Chris Georgio had given their supporters at least something to smile about with first-half tries.
Wallaroos 50 (Cecil Sullivan 2, Joshua Crowley, Herbert Tanner, Mark Berkery, Kane Kowles, Ashley Rainbow, Anthony Gray, Stafford Saltner, Will Jung tries; Keith Gadd 5 goals) def Easts 6 (Reece Maughan try; Baidon Cooper goal).
Past Brothers 86 (Mat Templeman 3, Joel Fagan 3, Aaron Kuskey 2, Bryce Holdsworth 2, Luther Thompson, Corey Chapman, John Akers, Vahiti Hopoi, Michael Murphy, Tom Akers tries; John Akers 9, Hopoi, Tom Akers goals) def Waves 12 (Danny Moran, Chris Georgio tries; Dan McLennan 2 goals).
Wests 50 (Delroy Tanner 2, Trent Seeds 2, Willie Nagas, James Prichard, Robert Telfer, Josh Tanner, Patrick Tanna, Joel Turaga tries; Josh Tanner 4, Willie Nagas goals) def Isis 4 (Peter Grant try).
