AN UNEXPECTED day of rest and reflection was afforded local football teams, as the entire regional rugby league round was cancelled on Saturday 6 July.

All teams were ready and champing at the bit for another weekend of community footy, so many were dismayed and to learn of the cancellations, the beautiful weather locally only causing more confusion.

“Several local councils had closed their grounds due to recent wet weather,” a Tea Gardens Hawks club member told NOTA.

“As soon as 50 percent of the grounds were closed, the League decided that, out of fairness, all games would be cancelled.”

The Tea Gardens Hawks Men’s C-grade were due to battle the Stockton Sharks on home turf at Myall Park, which itself remains in relatively good condition, despite several recent weeks of playing during rain.

Some divots, remnants of the infantile post-finals attack on the field last year, had been filled in, so the playing surface could profit from the weekend of rest, after all.

The Sharks sit on top of the ladder for C-Grade, but the Hawks are a very close second, making the cancelled clash for the ladder leadership all the more disappointing for both sides.

In that competition, the Hawks’ Shaqueil Saunders leads the try scoring tally with eight, and three more Hawks share spots in the top six – James Sinclair (equal third), Luke Perry (equal fifth), and Braith Cotterill (equal sixth).

Saunders also currently leads the points tally, having racked up 80 points so far this season in tries and kicks.

The Women’s Tackle competition was set to see a local derby clash between Tea Gardens Hawks and Karuah Rooettes at Lionel Morten field.

While the Hawks women find their feet, the Rooettes are sitting at third on the ladder in their competition, and have five players in the top six try-scorers tally, including Tash Harris (equal third), Chloe Zdebski (equal fourth), Emily Harman and Ebony Oakley (equal fifth), and Sophie Anderson (equal sixth).

By Thomas O’KEEFE