There are derbies in rugby league that bring out deep-seeded rivalry between teams. St Helens and Wigan in England, the Roosters and Rabbitohs in Sydney and certainly Tweed Heads Seagulls and Burleigh Bears in the Intrust Super Cup.
This is especially so when you have eight contracted Titans players, and eight former Titans, in the match.
And despite paying for first-half errors and the loss of chief playmaker Michael Burgess with a pectoral injury in the 18th minute, it was still the case yesterday when the Romano Group Seagulls showed real grit to fight back from 30-4 down to be beaten 30-22 – five tries each – in the bottom-end-of-the-ladder derby at Piggabeen.
There was plenty of hard contact, aggression, ‘verballing’ and three sin-binnings.
With coach Aaron Zimmerle away with the Australian Universities side, his assistant and club stalwart Matt King did a great job at the helm and made the pre-match switch of starting with hooker Will Johnstone at five-eighth and moving Lindon McGrady to fullback.
Johnstone set up the Gulls’ first try with a neat grubber kick for John Olive in the 14th minute, after Matt White had opened the scoring for the Bears. But with Burgess going off with the score 6-4 to the Bears after the 18th minute, the Seagulls lost their way for a while and paid heavily.
The Bears twice scored after successive penalties and exploited the Seagulls’ right edge defence to score three more first half tries and lead 24-4 at the break, then made it 30-4 four minutes later.
Burgess’ injury caused a backline reshuffle and the loss of their back-up goalkicker to McGrady who had an off-day. Burgess’ injury saw young Titans middle-man Keegan Hipgrave have to go to the centres for the second time in three games to cover, with McGrady reverting to five-eighth, James Wood moving out to the wing and Pheonix Hunapo, who started on the wing, going back to fullback.
After being behind 24-4 at half-time and 30-4 three minutes later, but the Gulls refused to surrender.
The Bears had crossed through White who ploughed over from close range, winger Daniel Vidot – again after successive Bears penalties – down the left, before Jamal Fogarty took advantage of a quick play-the-ball and cruised under the posts. Jamie Dowling made it four Burleigh first half tries in the 30th minute then winger Jake Carl crossed from a Fogarty kick in the 43rd minute.
To their credit The Gulls made a charge that would have kept them alive but we only able to convert one try.
McGrady started the run with a 60-metre intercept try in the 51st minute. Wood scored in the 60th minute after a shift to the left to make it 30-14 and, with 10 minutes remaining, Olive was in for his second after a good offload from Morgan Boyle and the Gulls were within 12 points.
Woods crossed for his second in the 79th minute to make it five tries a piece.
“We can’t put it down to missed goal kicks though, there were lapses throughout the first half that really hurt us so that’s where it comes back to,” said coach King.
Hipgrave and Hayden Schwass were sin-binned in the 39th tackle after a ‘disagreement’ after Hipgrave was tackled and Fogarty was binned in the 70th minute for a professional foul.
Boyle, who was only pushed back to the ISC by the Titans because of second-tier salary cap issues after proving to be a strong NRL player, contributed well off the bench for the Seagulls while Johnstone acquitted himself well in the halves and the pack, to a man, took it to the Bears big men but could not slow their play the ball effectively enough in the first half, and were penalised too often when they tried.
The game also saw the ISC debut of former Titans under-20s hooker Jenan Parrish.
BURLEIGH BEARS 30 (Matt White, Daniel Vidot, Jamal Fogarty, Jamie Dowling, Jake Carl tries; Jamal Fogarty 5 goals) def TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS 22 (John Olive 2, James Wood 2, Lindon McGrady tries; Lindon McGrady goal) at Piggabeen Sports Complex.
TEAMS:
SEAGULLS: McGrady, Hunapo, Wood, Olive, Lee, Johnstone, Burgess, Doyle-Manga, Meskell (capt), Nakabuwai, Liolevave, Lumley, Hipgrave. Interchange: Harrold, Pettybourne, Boyle, Parrish.
BEARS: Rowe, Carl, Sauiluma, Broadhurst, Vidot, Wells, Fogarty, Page, Law, White, Schwass, Dowling, Coster. Interchange: Vaivai, Parata, Griffiths, Kelly.
LADDER AFTER ROUND 19
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Bye | For | A | Total |
| PNG Hunters | 17 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 426 | 260 | 32 |
| Sunshine Coast Falcons | 18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 499 | 294 | 29 |
| Easts Tigers | 18 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 434 | 362 | 27 |
| Redcliffe Dolphins | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 420 | 270 | 26 |
| Townsville Blackhawks | 18 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 473 | 343 | 26 |
| Souths Logan Magpies | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 426 | 368 | 24 |
| Ipswich Jets | 18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 414 | 443 | 20 |
| Mackay Cutters | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 415 | 438 | 19 |
| Wynnum Manly Seagulls | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 335 | 323 | 18 |
| Norths Devils | 19 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 418 | 468 | 14 |
| Burleigh Bears | 18 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 308 | 392 | 14 |
| CQ Capras | 18 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 356 | 521 | 11 |
| Northern Pride | 18 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 280 | 423 | 10 |
| Tweed Heads Seagulls | 18 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 269 | 568 | 10 |
Related Posts
