The Voguey Memorial men’s team claimed the Brodie Pearson Memorial 9s champion’s shield last weekend with Floyd Tighe proving himself more than a worthy Player of the Day.
Tighe (pictured above) injured his right hand in the opening game, but played every match including the final against last year’s champions, Woy Woy Roosters.
He was then told his hand was fractured and needed surgery. He underwent the operation on Monday morning.
It was all part of a frenetic day of competition with 250 players from 16 teams – eight men’s and eight women’s – doing battle in 18-minute matches (two nine-minute halves) at Maitland Sports Ground on Saturday 12 October.
The annual tournament honours former Aberglasslyn Ants teammate Brodie Pearson, who died after suffering a serious neck injury during a match in June 2023. All proceeds from the day – more than $7,000 – went to the Westpac Helicopter Rescue Service.
A minute’s silence was held for Brodie before the start of the men’s grand final, while members of his family presented both shields to the winning teams.
The women’s champion was Steel City Elite for the second year in a row, beating West Wallsend. Player of the Day was Ava Osland.
The 2024 Memorial 9s also paid tribute to Blake Tisdell, 31, and Lynan Scott, 33, who had connections with the Ants and who passed away in the past 12 months. Their names headlined the men’s and women’s pool games.
Tournament organiser Jack Kelly said there was a great community vibe from the Maitland-Cessnock-Greta areas as it made sure the legacy of the three Aberglasslyn Ants members was remembered.
“We will definitely be going ahead with this event for a third time in 2025 and we expect it to grow even more than what we’ve seen from 2023 to 2024,” he said.
“Already we’re getting interest from the Upper Hunter Valley areas right down to clubs on the NSW south coast.”
