In a close tussle Murwillumbah went down to a strong Broadbeach, 1-0. MFC went into the match missing five key players but welcomed back captain Luke Morley. It was a tough, tight first half with Murwillumbah running into a strong wind. An early chance was missed when a shot from Baithok Ring hit the crossbar.  

Following some unsuccessful MFC corners, Broadbeach broke quickly, scoring with a good shot from left forward. Goalkeeper Pierce Essery then pulled off two spectacular saves to keep MFC in the match.  

The second half was strongly contested, play swinging from end to end. Backs Sam Reynolds and Shaun Core were prominent in stopping numerous opposition raids. Overlapping backs Simon Hurcombe and Ben Blair looked likely to prove the difference, with Hurcombe narrowly missing a goal late in the game.  

David Lonie began to dominate in the midfield, and Shaun O'Brien running off Luke Morley looked to be the other avenue to a goal, only to be denied by strong opposition defence.  Late corners created goalmouth scrambles, but, no luck! The game finished 1-0 to Broadbeach. The Reserves went down 6-2 in an open game. Bryce Tory scored for MFC and was instrumental in a Broadbeach own goal. The second half in particular saw some good chances for MFC with Michael Forrester looking dangerous but unlucky. New keeper Alex Amodei impressed in his first game for the club. Final score was a 6-2 win to Broadbeach.  

Next week’s game will be the first round of the FA Cup. Murwillumbah play premier league side Gold Coast Knights on Sunday at 2pm (QLD) at the Croation Sports Centre, Carrara. Others in Murwillumbah’s group are Veto League teams Magic United and Palm Beach who play at 4pm (QLD). 

It is the first year of an FA Cup in the format that includes both Premier League and Veto League teams. The next two rounds of this competition will be mid-week games in late April. Watch for details and support your club in a fantastic Football Gold Coast initiative.