Local surfer and championship tour (CT) rookie, Morgan Cibilic, has made his mark on the WSL after knocking out world champs and seasoned professionals at the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup from April 1 to 11.
The 21-year-old rode some impressive waves all the way to the semi-finales until a remarkable aerial move by World Title holder Gabriel Medina knocked him out of the competition.
Despite his loss, Cibilic was ecstatic with his performance and feeling confident ahead of the next world tour stop at Narrabeen.
“(I’m) over the moon,” Cibilic said.
“I never would have imagined going this far in a CT (comp), let alone my second one.”
Cibilic’s killer run all started in his Round of 32 against back-to-back world champ John John Florence with an impressive 17.13 win to Florence’s 13.16.
After sustaining a broken toe before his heat Cibilic knew he had to give his absolute best from the outset against Florence.
Florence is one of only five surfers in men’s CT history to win his first two World Titles back-to-back, making him a formidable contender for Cibilic.
Cibilic displayed his aggressive and explosive rail turns within the waves’ pocket using his local knowledge and experience of the Merewether break.
WSL commentator Ronnie Blakey said there had never been a surfer that played the dark horse role on the qualifying series better than Cibilic.
“What a star, just incredible stuff, he’s putting out excellent scores on the board, unquestionable scores in the judge’s minds; they don’t like to throw big numbers out too often when the world champs are in the line-up,” Blakey said.
WSL Commentator Richie Lovett said Cibilic had picked the heat’s best waves and produced a fantastic performance.
After chasing the huge score Cibilic had set, Florence accepted defeat after falling short and scoring final waves of 0.50 to 2.77.
Next up was Avoca Beach surfer Wade Carmichael in the Round of 16, who was no match for Cibilic’s 8.5 and 7.5 combo.
Scoring the combo halfway through the 30-minute heat saw Cibilic claim victory with a 16.00 to Carmichaels 10.33; Cibilic was onto the quarter-finals against friend and fellow Merewether local Ryan Callinan.
The all-local quarter-final saw Callinan and Cibilic battle it out on their home wave, both scoring 10.37.
Both surfers caught a total of six waves, but Cibilic maintained his winning streak and progressed to the semi-finals after scoring the highest wave of the heat (5.70).
WSL commentator Joe Turpel said the tie break would have been a brutal defeat to accept for Callinan.
“Morgan Cibilic is getting past Ryan Callinan in a tie break decision, a wild one for him to walk away from and a tough one for Ryan to lose,” Turpel said.
“But Callinan is happy that Morgan is still representing Merewether and hopes that he goes all the way.”
World champion surfer and WSL Commentator Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew said the heat was a great local talent display.
“He’s (Cibilic) still a rookie; his roots are at the Merewether Surf Club… and you couldn’t ask for a better heat, two locals—the seasoned pro and the rookie coming to a dead tie,” Rabbit said.
Cibilic, the only Aussie left in the competition, was set to verse Brazilian legend and World Title holder Gabriel Medina.
Medina started the heat off with clean carves and powerful backhand snaps showing his variety and collecting a 5.00 and a few smaller ones to Cibilic’s first 7.00 wave.
Holding priority for the best waves, the two surfers took quick rides and maintained their positions at the back of the break.
Midway through the heat, Medina took off on a left and performed an outstanding air reverse manoeuvre.
Turpel said the move displayed the sheer x-factor talent that Medina held, where he could create big moments and completely shock the crowd.
“Sky-high above the lip, covering more ground than I think we have seen in this entire contest, ticking off all those boxes, the section was big, the air was even bigger, and the landing, seamless,” Turpel said.
“This crowd at Merewether is just incredible, a highly educated surf crowd, and they loved every bit of what Medina just threw down—a 9.7 on a single manoeuvre.
“Morgan being in a semi-final and only just starting his debut…for someone with the least amount of experience now in a semi-final, it’s pretty rare for a rookie to be able to break the mould so quickly.”
Chasing an 8.78, Morgan took on his third wave entering a barrel and finishing it off clean, showing Medina that he was in for the fight.
“It was a different kind of wave, a well-surfed wave, but it was a proper barrel,” Rabbit said.
“He was beautifully slotted in that backdoor section; he completely disappeared; you couldn’t even see the nose of his board.
“It was a very deep and impressive barrel.”
Cibilic’s barrel, however, could not compare to Medina’s air manoeuvre and wave variety.
Unfortunately, failing to catch any more waves for the remainder of the heat, Cibilic accepted defeat against the Brazilian champion.
“Morgan Cibilic has come onto the radar in the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup,” Turpel said.
“Turning on a brilliant performance and representing Merewether so well, what a fantastic result for the rookie.”
Hayley McMahon
Comments are closed.