Gold Coast Stingrays Capture 3 Titles Same Day in Australia

The Gold Coast Stingrays have created national history in Australia by becoming the first club to win grand finals in three divisions.

The triumphant Stingrays completed the clean sweep of the Queensland men’s, women’s and colts premiership deciders at ­Langlands Park in Brisbane.

The men smashed Bayside ­Ravens 63-6 in their Sunbowl, the women made it two out of two with a 20-8 win, also against Bayside, in the Summerbowl, then the colts completed the treble with a 26-6 win over the Sunshine Coast ­Spartans.

“That’s an Australian record, the first club to win all three divisions in the same year,” men’s coach Ben Walker said.

The Rays also provided three different match-day most valuable players through Kevin Walsh (men), Zoe Barnett (women) and Ben Karikari (colts). While the women and the colts had to battle it out to the end, the men completed one of the most dominant seasons in gridiron history.

It was the men’s fifth Sunbowl in a row and the 10th in 11 years but this year’s statistics were remarkable. Overall the Rays scored 561 points (including the Sunbowl) and conceded only 27 points – made up of four touchdowns, all from the Ravens.

“We’re trying to find out if anyone keeps records to see if any other team has done what we have this year,” Walker said. Only four touchdowns against us all season? That has to be a record.”

On Saturday the Gold Coast juggernaut ran in nine touchdowns – three to defensive player Walsh – and rubbed salt into the Bayside Ravens’ wounds by landing a field goal.

Link to original story in the Gold Coast Bulletin.