Neil Cadigan
The Ben Campbell Building Group Tweed Heads Seagulls have broken their seven-match long hoodoo against Townsville Blackhawks by toughing out a 24-16 victory in the slush and rain at Piggabeen Sports Complex.
With both sides scoring three tries, it was left to four second-half penalty goals by five-eighth Lindon McGrady (who kicked six from seven) to separate the two teams as Seagulls turned around a 7-1 first-half penalty count against them and it was the Blackhawks who fell away in discipline under the physical pressure of the Seagulls in the final 20 minutes.
McGrady was influential with his kicking game in the wet conditions and it was his beautiful pass in the second session that put 19-year-old Treymain Spry in for his second try that provided a massive impact on the result.
Left-edge second-rower Kalani Going was a deserved Channel 9 man of the match, after scoring the first try and causing headaches for the Blackhawks’ right defence with his determined running. But there were several excellent performances in Ben Woolfe’s line-up, including Titans hooker Mitch Rein who played the full 80 minutes, prop Leilani Latu, winger Ryland Jacobs, lock Kirk Murphy and interchange forward Bayley Faull.
Murphy couldn’t believe his luck when he crossed after great offload by Leilani Latu in just the fourth minute but ball bounced as he tried to slam the ball down with his right hand and he was denied a try.
Less than a minute later it looked like the Blackhawks would score first, on back of a midfield penalty, but Latu pulled off a great effort to push Blackhawks winger Michael Carroll into touch with Rowland Jacobs underneath.
Six and a half minutes in Going crossed in the set after Blackhawks fullback Zac Santo fumbled a McGrady grubber kick that hit the goalpost pad. Going ran onto a small gap off halfback Ryley Jacks from a set-play shift to the left. McGrady converted for a 6-0 lead.
Just six minutes later Santo dropped a Talor Walters kick along the ground under pressure of a charging Keegan Hipgrave and Hipgrave’s fellow Titans-contracted player Treymain Spry picked the ball up on the run and scored under the posts. McGrady’s easy conversion made it 12-0.
In the 19th minute, in their third successive set of possession in the Seagulls quarter, Blackhawks centre Shaun Hudson was first to the ball after a neat chip-kick into the left corner of the in-gaol from halfback Parker-Hunt into the in-goal. The third set, however, came from a highly disputable offside penalty by referee on McGrady.
Seven minutes later the Cowboys almost scored from the same play. Parker-Walshe chipped to left corner again and winger Kalifa Faifai-Loa leapt for it with Ione Seuili before and Hudson picked up the rebound. It was sent to the video ref as a try but replays showed Faifai-Low got a hand to the ball and knocked it forward.
In the 36th minute the Seagulls were on the end of another controversial decision. Jarrod Morfett took a hit up and his progress looked to have been halted but Parker-Walshe stripped the ball from a stunned Morfett and the ball swung to the right and centre Levi Dodd showed good footwork to beat two tackles and score, to make the score 12-10 which remained until the break.
The Seagulls were penalised 7-1 in the first half and Woolf implored them to pick up their discipline, which they did.
Three minutes into the second half a brilliant cut-out ball by McGrady put Spry into a hole 10 metres from the Blackhawks’ line (using Hipgrave as the lead runner) and he crossed for his second try. McGrady failed to convert, leaving the score 16-10.
McGrady landed penalty goals in the 60th (late tackle on Mitch Rein) and 64th minutes (high tackle on Rein) to give the Seagulls a handy 10-point cushion at 20-10 as rain started to fall.
Townsville were quickly back in the game after a neat cross-goal grubber kick by Shaun Nona into the in-goal was scooped up by Parker-Walshe. Nona’s conversion made it 16-10 and soon after they were centimetres from going ahead when hooker Krys Freeman just failed to force the ball in a Walters’ tackle after he scooted over the line from dummy-half.
In the next minute the Seagulls had another let-off when Faifai Loa was put into the clear in a set move in the middle of the ruck but the referee ruled an obstruction on Seagulls defender Jack Cook.
A third penalty goal by McGrady with four and a half minutes remaining took the Seagulls’ lead out to 22-16. However, the Blackhawks regained possession from a shallow kick-off and were on the charge again when Spry intercepted a dummy-half pass from Freeman and looked set to settle the match but was brilliantly run down by Fai-Fai Loa.
Tweed received a penalty for Michael Carroll holding down Spry, then Parker-Walshe joined him in the sin bin for dissent, meaning the Blackhawks finished with 11 players.
The scoring ended with another McGrady penalty goal to give the Gullies an impressive first-win against the Blackhawks and leave Ben Woolf’s side unbeaten after two rounds, heading into the local derby against Burleigh Bears at Pizzey Park next Sunday.
Jacobs deserve special mention. He was outstanding with some of the cleaning up work he did and strong running in his own half, and that why he is so respected by his teammates with an ability to do the tough, but important things, when his team is under pressure.
Tweed Heads 24 (T Spry 2, K Going tries; L McGrady 6 goals) def. Townsville Blackhawks 16 (Hudson, L Dodd, M Parker-Walshe tries; Dodd, S Nona goals) at Piggabeen Sports Ground.
HASTINGS DEERING COLTS – BLACKHAWKS 24 (Tom McCagh, Samuel Murphy, Wiremu Greig, Zinzaan Martin tries; Adam Cook 4 goals) def SEAGULLS 12 (Caleb Nicholls, Blake Campbell tries; Jaman Rio 2 goals) at Piggabeen Sports Complex.
AUSWIDE BANK MAL MENINGA CUP – SEAGULLS 20 (Brendan Piakura, Xavier Coates, Caleb Hodges, Noah Gafa tries; Toby Sexton 2 goals) def BLACKHAWKS 16 (Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2, Aaron Moore tries; Dylan White 2 goals) at Piggabeen Sports Complex.
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