This Sunday’s Intrust Super Cup clash between the Romano Group Seagulls and Redcliffe Dolphins takes on special significance at Piggabeen Sports Complex – a decade since the clubs played out a thrilling Queensland Cup grand final.
The Seagulls were victorious 28-18, taking their only Cup premiership in their fifth season after ‘crossing the border’ to take on Queensland’s best after dominating Group 18.
And the premiers of ’07 will use this weekend’s rematch to get together for their first reunion, gathering at the Coolangatta Hotel on Saturday night before being special guests at Sunday’s match which will be telecast by Channel 9 (1.40pm kick-off).
The Gulls have one surviving player from the ’07 champions, centre James Wood who scored 19 tries as a slick 22-year-old, while hooker Matt King is on the coaching staff as Aaron Zimmerle’s assistant.
The achievement of the 2007 side can’t be underestimated. After eight rounds, they languished in eight position of 11 clubs after two wins and a draw but won the next seven straight, losing one match (to Redcliffe), before winning the last four competition matches to finish third.
By this time, they had lost captain Andrew Moroney for the season with injury while playing for Queensland Country against City in June , meaning classy five-eighth Brad Davis over the team leadership.
The Gulls went down to Redcliffe in the second v third semi-final by 22-18 in extra-time but then beat fourth-placed Ipswich 40-14 and minor premiers, the North Queensland Young Guns, 34-10 to qualify for a rematch against the Dolphins in the grand final, with real momentum.
It was Redcliffe’s ninth Queensland Cup grand final in the competition’s first 12 seasons (they had won five) and their squad had 35 grand final appearances between them at this level, while the Seagulls had just one – retiring centre David Myles for the Warriors in the NRL.
However, the Troy McCarthy-coached Seagulls had youth, real pace and class and a wild card in 18-year-old rookie fullback from Kyogle, Shannon Walker, who also scored 19 tries in the season and won the Courier Mail’s player of the year award as well as the rookie of the year award, becoming the first player to win the double.
Walker was to star in the grand final, scoring two breathtaking tries, while Myles also picked up a double, with Davis scoring a try and four goals, taking his season tally to a club record 194 points.
Over the next few days we will show highlights of sensational season 2007 and talk to some of the key players as we count down to Sunday’s ISC clash at Piggabeen – Brad Davis, Tim Maccan, James Wood and Matt King.
The Cup game kicks-off at 1.40pm. The fourth-placed Gulls A grade take on Southport afterwards at 3.30pm while the Colts play the dolphins at 11.30am.
Season 2007:
Regular season: Played 20 games, won 13 drew 1 lost 6. Finished 3rd
Finals:
Qualifying: Redcliffe 22 def Tweed Heads 18 (J. Wood, J. Vaughan, T. Maccan tries; B. Davis 3 goals) in extra-time at Dolphin Oval.
Knockout: Tweed Heads 40 (N. Barnes 3, J. Wood 2, D. Myles tries; B. Davis 8 goals) def Ipswich 14 at Piggabeen.
Preliminary final: Tweed Heads 34 (M. King 2, S. Walker, J. Wood, M. Pow, C. Enahoro tries; B. Davis 5 goals) def Nth Qld 10 at Langlands Park.
Grand final: Tweed Heads 28 (D. Myles 2, S. Walker 2, B. Davis tries; B. Davis 4 goals) def Redcliffe 18 at Suncorp Stadium.
The squad:
|
ALLEN, Dean |
App
1 |
Tries
0 |
Goals
0 |
F/G
0 |
Pts
0 |
| AMATO, Andre | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AUSTIN, Matthew | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BARNES, Nathanael | 24 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
| BERDIE, Selasi | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| CONN, Daniel | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| CROSS, Andrew | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DAVIS, Brad | 24 | 5 | 87 | 0 | 194 |
| DELANEY, Brett | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| ENAHORO, Chris | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| EVANS, Daniel | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| FARRELL, Chris | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FRIEND, Roy | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| HODGSON, Michael | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| HUNTER, Brock | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| KING, Matt | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| KINGSTON, Tom | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MACCAN, Tim | 23 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| MATTHEWS, Will | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| MILLIGAN, Ryan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MOLENAAR, Daniel | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MORONEY, Andrew | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| MYLES, David | 21 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 32 |
| O’DWYER, Luke | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| PELETELESE, Pele | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PETERSEN, Matt | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| POW, Matthew | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| SANDOW, Chris | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| SMALL, Nathan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| VAUGHAN, Josh | 24 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| WALKER, Shannon | 20 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 76 |
| WOOD, James | 23 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 76 |
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