The Gold Coast Pro 2024: Finals Day
The Gold Coast Pro 2024: Finals Day
Epic opening Changa event now wrapped after a week surfing fun to full-throated Snapper Rocks with a 9/10 bank and a pulsating east swell which provided an incredible high performance canvas for eventual winners Mikey McDonagh and Erin Brooks. One of whom will be giving thanks to God and the other friends, family, and the tight-knit surf community of Lennox Head.
'Sorry Kaipo, we want some time with our boy' (WSL/Miers)
Straight up though, is the Challenger Series the most difficult sporting competition on Earth?
I don't mean physically demanding or dangerous like F1, MMA, or Rugby League, but in terms of the insane competitiveness and difficulty in working your way through a huge field to get to the end and win? So much has to go right and the tiniest thing going wrong can derail it all. So many heats decided by fractions of a point, results that looked like they could have been reversed with a different panel of judges. So insanely difficult to make your surfing stand out amongst a stacked field of ex-CTers and no-namers.
My hypothesis that JJF and Jack Robbo would not qualify through the Changa was not tested when Jack pulled out of the draw, but I'm still certain he would have been smoked before Finals Day.
In the end, Finals Day did offer points of difference. For some, the dumb luck of being in the slot when a throaty peach came behind the rock - ala Josh Burke.
For others, the moxie to spin and go when an opponent was either a foot too deep or unwilling to strike, like Erin Brooks for her 10-point ride in the Semi with Isabella Nichols.
All contest, Josh Burke got off to blazing heat starts, none better than this 9-point ride in the Quarter-Final (WSL/Shield)
Humanity, by and large, has royally fucked over nature with our engineered interventions and built structures but Snapper almost stands alone as a monument to the human capacity to improve on Mother Natures gifts. It's a freak of nature/engineering. The wave quality is astounding.
On pure surfing you'd have put massive money on either Michael Rodrigues or Sammy Pupo hoisting the Soy Milk trophy.
Sammy did the best rail surfing all event yet came up short in the Final (WSL/Miers)
M-Rod was bested by deep tubes and repertoire from George Pittar who has transformed in front of our eyes from a Q'ey aspirant into a full blown surf star. What looked like over-coached wavey-arm turns has blossomed into a CT-ready attack and a favela-like sense of hunger.
Of course, after every heat win, I could only think of one thing: Pipeline. Can he surf Pipe? Has he surfed Pipe? There's no sense of security at all, under the current schedule, for rookies on Tour. Straight into Pipe, where you're likely to get your arse handed to you by a 53-year old man or else end up the quisling of some other establishment Pro.
As he hits his stride on the Changa, the next six months will be huge for George Pittar (WSL/Shield)
Sammy made it to the Final and looked unbeatable after the performance of the contest to knock out George in the Semi's. The best turns of the event, better small wave surfing than anyone bar our convalescing current World Champ, who we would have forgiven if he did a Slater and showed up to surf “injured.”
But Sammy was beaten. Beaten by an inspired and strategic showing from Mikey M. Squalls had sat on the horizon all day threatening an onshore blast, and within minutes of starting the Mens Final the weather moved in, playing a decisive factor in the result. Mikey went straight to work on anything that moved before it turned to mud, laying heavy, stylish tracks on successive rides, allowing the emotion of a charged support crew to bolster the surfing. Within minutes he had Sammy comboed, under deteriorating conditions.
Time pressure, scoreboard pressure, and the natural elements combined to make Pupo's task less and less probable, then, eventually, not possible.
Mikey slotted in his Semi (WSL/Shield)
I've seen Mikey surf since he was a micro-grom. At one point he looked like the best 16-year old surfer in the world - or top five at least. It's taken a minute since then for his surfing to catch up with his physical frame. Q'ey and CS surf hasn't always agreed with him. He will be better suited for the CT. Big turns, big frame, major competitiveness, no backing down to more fancied opponents. Very good people in his corner.
The same caveat as Pittar applies: he still has to deal with Pipe. And he will get that opportunity. It's inconceivable Mikey won't qualify from here after this Snapper win.
It seems a measure of how far Women's surfing has advanced in the last three years to say Pipe is less of a problem for the 16-year old girl who won Snapper today.
Erin Brooks, born in Texas, raised in Hawaii, now surfing under the Canadian flag already has a proven skill set in hollow lefts. A proven skill set now in hollow rights after the expert threading of the wave of the day for what was one of the clearest 10's in any surfing competition this year. We will see Erin at Pipe, hopefully Tahiti and Cloudbreak too as the last of the old barriers surrounding womens pro surfing fall away. Girls coming through now see it and realise not just what can be done, but that they will be expected to do it. That realisation may not have fully sunken in at the top level yet.
The first legends heat was magic, the second confected rubbish, showing you can't bottle lightning twice in the same event.
Snapper has spoken, loudly and clearly about its worth as a Championship Tour stop.
As for Mikey and his victory. Do not show up at the Lennox Pub tonight anytime after 9pm expecting a drink. The bar will have been drunk dry long before then.
//STEVE SHEARER
Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Women’s Final Results:
1 - Erin Brooks (CAN) 13.90
2 - Luana Silva (BRA) 12.57
Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men’s Final Results:
1 - Mikey McDonagh (AUS) 15.43
2 - Samuel Pupo (BRA) 12.93
Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Women’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Erin Brooks (CAN) 16.83 DEF. Isabella Nichols (AUS) 10.63
HEAT 2: Luana Silva (BRA) 14.17 DEF. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.90
Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men's Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Mikey McDonagh (AUS) 14.66 DEF. Josh Burke (BRB) 11.33
HEAT 2: Samuel Pupo (BRA) 16.10 DEF. George Pittar (AUS) 14.00
Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Women’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Erin Brooks (CAN) 13.67 DEF. Nadia Erostarbe (EUK) 10.10
HEAT 2: Isabella Nichols (AUS) 16.46 DEF. Macy Callaghan (AUS) 10.34
HEAT 3: Luana Silva (BRA) 13.83 DEF. Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 13.77
HEAT 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 10.73 DEF. Alyssa Spencer (USA) 10.53
Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented by GWM Men's Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Josh Burke (BRB) 15.83 DEF. Joao Chianca (BRA) 11.16
HEAT 2: Mikey McDonagh (AUS) 13.77 DEF. Dakoda Walters (AUS) 12.77
HEAT 3: Samuel Pupo (BRA) 12.23 DEF. Ian Gouveia (BRA) 9.93
HEAT 4: George Pittar (AUS) 17.00 DEF. Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 15.17
Comments
I actually really enjoyed watching this today & the Swannies beat the Giants.
I tuned out...the waves were too small, surfers were going too fast and there were no techno beats.
Replying to myself. Dumb 2nd beer comment. Love your work Tim. Thanks for the write up FR.
@ tim , nice one bro! Cappa fan huh?
Top event.
Good write up Steve.
What's Mikey's backhand like?
How do I say it politely. His backhand is more Mid to low level challenger….
Let’s say at the beachie changa events he will be hoping for rights.
Yeh I only ever see him at Lennox point, or the odd occasion at boulders.
Never seen him go left.
Me either, looks like we'll know how he does in onshore lefts by sunday
Phwoar, how's Erin's 10! Smashed it.
Mikey M. Squalls
I read that as his name and will hence forth call him such in perpetuity.
Doesn’t matter as he won but can anyone explain the judge’s decision to give that wave 6 point whatever when it definitely went 8 plus? If you were watching you’d know what I mean
Absolutely. And the commentariat were talking him down at that point too.
I wouldn't say that Mikey's a sure bet to qualify at all. I remember in 2014, Timmy Reyes won the prime in Ballito and still didn't qualify. Even last year, Deivid Silva won in Portugal and only managed to finish 10th and grab the last CT slot. Last year's cut off was 17,120 points, so Mikey would still need at least 8-9000 more points to feel safe. Prior to this event his best results have been a 9th last year in Sydney and a 9th in Ballito. That's it. I could maybe see him doing well at a wave like Ericeira but I'm just not sure his slow tempo will be enough to get him through the whole year...
As a side note, I just don't understand the appeal with George Pittar. His lower half is sound, and the
board is being placed well during each turn, but everything above the waist just seems out of place and frantic.....I just don't dig it. yet. Maybe he'll grow on me.
As another side note, I'm finding so many of these interviews during the contest harder and harder to watch. I rate Stace as an interviewer but some of the people interviewed are genuinely hopeless. Macy Callaghan couldn't even link more than 6 words together after being asked four questions. Jett Schilling just goes "fuck" and "shit" a bunch of times to sound edgy and cool but just comes across as a try hard douche. Then there's that Jacob Zeke bloke trying to get his face in every interview. He's not a competitor, coach, or family member, why is a convicted criminal like him even allowed in the competitors area? Kaipo just screams, and all Flick can say is ahuahuahua wow! every 30 seconds. I only had the sound on for about 45 minutes before I muted it, I just can't handle it anymore. Having said that, I'm glad these are the biggest dramas in my life today. I would thank god for letting me have it so easy but he's too busy figuring out which person will win the next comp.
hahahaha.
Mikey will make it- he won't let this opportunity slip.
Agree with the interview assessments, except I reckon Stace is a terrible interviewer most of the time.
He's good in the booth though and knows his shit.
VAUGHN BLAKEY
That was an awesome rant.
tail high - at least the chipmunk wasn't there. That always has me going for the
Agree on Pittar, but the same style seems to work for Joao. Sometimes it creates a feeling of more drama than there actually is through the turn.
Bang on. Just created an account to let you know that the last scentence was hilarious. And great writing as always Steve Shearer.
The women put on a show at Snapper and Brooksy iced the cake with that unforgettable ride, Izzy flinched, what a contest. Featherweight goof gets the W sticking it in the lip
Felt like the blokes were the sideshow till the crowd found an Aussie battler having a red hot crack to get around.
Yew
Loved the Aussie passion and support crew. Pretty cool to watch. Stoked for Mikey!
Loved it too, Kaipo kept trying to get the interview but Mikey kept palming him, hugging his support crew was way more important to him.
I wonder how the success of this event may influence where the WSL decide to place Snapper in the schedule. Might make them more comfortable leaving Portugal as is and slotting Snapper in after the cut if they are leaning that way, but obviously not ideal timing.
Some real sweaty eyes as Mikey was getting chaired up the beach - the raw emotion on the guys face was unreal!
Never hear them snark on Satan for snaking them when they lose. Not making the cut and stuff.
Shouldn’t that be an ipso facto type deal? Divine intervention admits malign intervention.
He’s gotta be worthy of some acknowledgment, poor old Lucifer. Even if it’s just a little shout out or a few quick words in Brazilian . Or perhaps in French Canadian. For friends, fans and family staying up late in Quebec.
But really - good on her. Works for her. She seems like a good un. Not to mention being right up there in the front line of the avant garde.Has to get a Cloudbreak wildcard. At least.
In comparison Luana Silva looked like a promising young up and comer - firmly in the manner of the old guard.
Sheldon Simkus won the first edition of this? And didn’t qualify.
Sheldon lost to Cal Robson in the final.
Copy that.
I watched that final and would've sworn that Sheldon won. I remember them cutting - Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift style - to Macy Callaghan every time he caught a wave. On that basis guess I musta subconsciously pegged him as the winner.
Hanse Cronje blamed the devil
Right. Didn't work out too well for him. But loved those early post ban SA cricket teams anyway. Bunch of hard cnts.
Erin Brooks! Amazing & definitely the outstanding surfer of the contest! Sammy Pupo on the mens side was a cut above the field, however the conditions in the Final & some very savy surfing strategy by young aussie Mickey got him over the line! Congrats to the winners & losers for a GR8 show on a wave that I'd love to surf with just one other surfer!
A good event over shadowed for me by more poor judging. Mikey M was in the Nat Young heat remember and for me Nat should have got through. But you take your chances and he did that. Kolohe and Gentil also stiffed. But super entertaining all the same. I enjoyed the second legends heat as much as the first by the way. Could watch mick and park and Steph out there every night
Sammy Pups was my pick for the contest and tbh had never really heard much about Mikey, that changed today. Great win- smashed it.
Likewise, Erin too- deserved winner. She rips.
Just watched Erin Brooks' 10. Unbelievably good.
But yeah, she obviously should have had points deducted for being a Christian...
Margo Oberg reincarnated - I thank the Lord!
Hot takes .......
Great waves finals day.
Huge win for mm
Total changing of the guard on the women's tour........
Great surfing from the Barbados gent J bouke
Dakota ,pupo, Macy, Ian G
Big push from the next generation of aust surfing....
Where was the 2 % crew?
Booth was entertaining, comp was entertaining!
Shout out to Bug's
The co creator of this shit still in the booth.
Shout out to KAIPO the ultimate hype man i thought he handled the interview with mm in a pro manner...............
You got love someone who's willing to climb a ladder in hi vis or kick back in a tool box.......
Spend the day on a ski
Or walk around all day with his name on his own shirt
Faultless employee for the WSL.... gold !
Yeah Lanky he looks like he was taking the piss out of it, he certainly grew on me this contest as everybody did. Seems like the entire crew snuck out from under the thumb of the grown ups and let lose. Back to the future?
Maybe Sal sees the new breed coming through the ranks and knows the old comfortable on tour lifestyle is threatened….solution = let’s increase the amount if girls on tour = old timers stay for more years and the new girls get on tour?
This CS event was better than some of the past CT events.
Brooks was exciting and charging…more competition on CT when she arrives ready and willing to compete.
surprising that a surfer who has missed the mid year cut a couple of times in a row thinks the tour should be expanded.
I’m not a big comp watcher but I really enjoyed watching that one….
And Erin Brooks….what a little star…loves God and loves to rip and rip she does.
Was a fun comp with good commentary etc etc….loved it.
but with so many competitors in it they were lucky to have a long run of good conditions...maybe reduce the number of the mens division......
The Superbank is one of the very, very few locations on Earth where you get day after day of good surf when the E swell machine is running.
Plus, in the comp, they seemed mostly to be surfing from behind the rock to Little Marley. Percentage wise, that’s a very small section of the bank. They only need a relatively small section of the bank to be groomed nicely and the comp conditions are good.
imagine the final 5 event there?
Would be crazy I think.
Imagine it as a location for the final 5 event
Long waiting period 1 day anywhere from Kirra to dbah.......................
I don’t know LD…my major gripe with Trestles (other than only being a small fat wave) is that it gives a significant advantage to a certain type of surfer.
I think Snapper when it’s small can seriously advantage the naturals.
Admittedly that could be circumvented with a decent waiting period but the area is still guaranteed to serve up only right handers.
If they’re going to keep this final 5 format It’s got to go back to Pipe.
Can be left or right.
Big or small.
Turns or barrels.
It’s the spiritual home of surfing and its eternal proving ground.
I think it may not be possible at pipe cause they need 4 surfers in each heat......
heard that thru the wireless coconut.......
we all want pipe yet vans now owns the whole pipe show in Dec ......so I have written it off.
And the bank is as good as it was. Maybe this time of year is better than Feb where it gets bashed by NE winds and seems to destroy the bank.
holy cows this guy woke the dead up here... hahha all do, the kid brought home the gold in a crazy way... yewwwwwww
That backhand drop by Erin Brooks was pretty crazy. I tried one just like it today on a dropping tide. I didn't make it and ate shit hard.
Great venue and really good comp with some wonderful performances all the way to two terrific and well deserved results. Nice write up to Steve and I agree with you about how hard a sporting event winning a Challenger series comp is. Though I reckon your line about Jack Robbo getting smoked out there is ridiculous. He will probably win there next year. We shall see…
Say what you want about Fisher but you can’t deny he’s doing something right.
His music is dogshit hahaha but jeez people love him.
Nice to be enjoying watching professional surfing again. It’s pretty simple eh? Just give them waves.
I’d forgotten until this year just how good a comp venue Snapper is, possibly only second to Pipe for spectators.
Awesome to see real emotion in sport too. Nothing was fabricated or contrived about the event (apart from the second legend’s heat).
Have the Woz loosened the reigns a little on the whole shebang? Are they listening to the common surfer? One can only hope so.
Not even sure if the video game fella has clocked on for his first shift……..Did Crosby go: ‘Why the fuck did you get rid of the Goldy?’……’Get Ronnie front and centre he can say whatever he wants’……..’a dick board never hurt anyone’……….’Kaipo? Just let him go mad, he’s a hoot’.
I’m tipping good year for the Aussie men.
Thanks for the overview Steve, bloody love it.
Was just about to type a similar comment - the whole production felt looser and more fun. There must be a cruiser direction from on high. D- to C+… keep it going.
Erin and Steph were highlights - second comp this year (pipe) where the ladies have sent it
Would surprised if Mickey doesn’t qualify for 2025 WCT
Look at last yr results
Pretty well everyone with a 10000 got through,maybe not Sheldon
Feel for Dakota ,he should have wrapped up that qtr with MM after his 9.0
Went a bit too hard on one wave just had to ease back and complete a wave
Could prove costly in points ,one wave could be difference between qualifying and not
Would have loved to see morgs still in comp on finals day
Too patient waiting for a set that never came
Locals had an advantage picking the growers that went all down the line
Sheldon never won an event. He finaled and was beaten by Callum Robson.
Since the current iteration of the Challenger series (2022 onwards) everyone who has won an event has qualified for the CT.
Closest to not was Zeke Lau who won an event in 2022 and finished 10th with 15,000 odd points.
For the women it is significantly more difficult with only 5 spots up for grabs
Which by the way is ridiculous on the women's.
How good was it watching all MM's crew go beserk! Congrats MM, beautifully played using the big picture view to take down an opponent who looked untouchable. Whoever told him to go everything that moves at the beginning of the heat deserves free beers at the Lennox hotel for life.
He may be able to sweet talk Erin out of her second esky that she well deserved for her speech on the podium.... let the boys mind it for her on the road to Narrabeen.
Yeah the second legends heat was a bit of a fizzer. I went to the Occumentary showing last Thursday night in Byron and Occy mentioned that they’d be running a second heat the following afternoon. He also said Kelly was the one who was pushing for it the hardest, and it’s because he was ‘too greedy’ haha.
Pretty funny that Kelly ended up having a shocker that heat, 11 world titles and still has a chip on his shoulder.
Pretty silly he wants it all - demo/fun heats and Challanger (he is last) and be in the CT as well (finished pretty much last) still going to Fiji and Tahiti.
That first heat would've been a bloody big shot of dopamine for the oldies. Kelly must have crazed another, bigger shot than the rest of 'em.
There's a touch of right left, left right action on the card going on here.
Bonsoy Gold Coast pro presented by GWM,
GWM Sydney surf pro presented by Bonsoy.
Isn't it interesting how business works.