DAUGHTERS OF FOOTBALLING FATHERS CHASING IRONWOMAN GLORY
February 18: Three daughters of famous footballing fathers will line up in Saturday's Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironwoman Trial as they chase the final three positions on offer for Sunday's prestigious $100,000 final at North Cronulla.
The qualifiers will complete the 20-strong Ironwoman and Ironman fields and join Australia's elite for the season's grand finale to be televised live on Channel Seven from 11.30am.
Maroubra's Tara Coleman, the 19-year-old daughter of South Sydney Rabbitoh great Craig Coleman, will line up for her third shot at a place among the country's elite Ironwomen.
Coleman only just missed qualifying through the Series Trial at Tugun in December, finishing 13th with the top 11 qualifying for the Series and she was fourth in the Kurrawa Trial, again just missing the cut.
She will be joined in the Trial by Freshwater duo Devon Halligan, the 17-year-old daughter of New Zealand's former Bulldogs goalkicking legend-now Parramatta Eels goal-kicking coach Daryl Halligan and Alisha Miller, the 19-year-old daughter of Manly Rugby Union's former first grade breakaway and Australian Schoolboy representative Ian Miller.
All three girls are in winning form following their respective Branch Championships.
Coleman last week won eight gold medals and one silver - including the Open and under 19 Ironwoman, single ski and board race doubles at the Sydney Branch Titles at Elouera.
At the Sydney Northern Beaches Championships at Queenscliff, it was Miller and Halligan who finished second and third respectively to Manly's defending Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Series Champion Naomi Flood in the open Ironwoman.
(Flood is currently lying third on the overall pointscore behind Hayley Bateup and Alicia Marriott.)
Miller also won the open board at Queenscliff with Halligan finishing second to Flood in the open surf, which saw Miller fourth while Halligan also added the under 19 surf race to her impressive medal collection.
But they will have to be on their game to keep Metropolitan Caloundra's 44kg dynamo Kelly-Anne Perkins at bay.
Perkins has qualified for the first four rounds and is currently 17th on the pointscore with 20 points - the best placed of the five Trialists in the Series.
The triplet will make the trek to Sydney from the Sunshine Coast with her club mate and former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Rebecca Creedy, who is currently seventh in the Series - and an outsider to qualify for a top six position and a contract for next year.
Perkins won the under 19 single ski and was placed in the under 19 Ironwoman at the Sunshine Coast Branch Championships at Noosa last weekend and Creedy won the open Ironwoman.
The men's trial will see Swansea Belmont veterans Josh Blair, 32 and Adrian Tobin 31, try their luck against round three and four qualifier Cameron Cole (Mooloolaba), his team mate and last year's Series qualifier Jack Hansen.
They will be joined by Trent Martin (McMasters Beach) and Blair Day (Warilla-Barrack Point), the brother of emerging Ironman star, Ali Day, who goes into the final in fifth place and with a mountain of "We Love Ali Day" fans heading to North Cronulla to cheer him on.
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KELLOGG'S NUTRI-GRAIN IRONMAN SERIES - Progressive pointscore after round 4: MEN - Shannon Eckstein 79 Hugh Dougherty 73 Ky Hurst 65 Rhys Drury 60 Alaistar Day 56 Corey Jones 52 Pierce Leonard 51 Nathan Smith 47 Dylan Newbiggin 45 Matt Poole 44 Cory Hill 42 Chris Allum 41 Sam Hamilton 39 James Stewart 36 Jono Stock 25 Daniel Moodie 24 Mark Simpson 22 Alex Tibbits 11 Mitchell Miller 11 Josh Minogue 8 Cameron Gordon 5 Samuel Hunt 4 WOMEN - Hayley Bateup 74 Alicia Marriott 72 Naomi Flood 70 Elizabeth Pluimers 63 Courtney Hancock 61 Kristyl Smith 60 Rebecca Creedy 49 Terri Sullivan 46 Bonnie Hancock 45 Brodie Moir 43 Gemma Newbiggin 41 Amy Nurthen 40 Flora Manciet 33 Allira Richardson 32 Alyce Bennett 22 Sheree Merryful 22 Kelly-Anne Perkins 20 Harriet Brown 17 Katie Graham 16 Casey Leo-Litzow 10 Jessica Walker 4 |
FAST FACTS....
START TIMES
Sunday February 21 - 11.30am - (Ironwoman races followed by Ironmen)
DATES AND LOCATIONS
Round 5 21 February 2010 North Cronulla (Sydney)
SEVEN NETWORK BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Sunday 21 February 2010 11.30am - 1.30pm
*Check local guides for more details
FORMATS
Round 5 (FINAL): "The Eliminator"
The finale to the series will be the same eliminator format as in 2009.
The only difference is that the first two races will also carry prize money for the winners.
Race 1: Swim / Ski / Board, 20 athletes down to 15
Race 2: Ski / Board / Swim, 15 athletes down to 10
Race 3: Board / Swim / Ski, Top 10 race in final