Neil Cadigan
The inability to convert possession and pressure into points in a typically physical local derby cost the Ben Campbell Building Group Seagulls dearly in the 32-4 loss to Burleigh Bears in the XXXX Rivalry Round clash at Pizzey Park on Sunday.
The score certainly did not reflect the typical spirited contest between the two Gold Coast Titans feeder teams, with the aggressive defence and desperate scrambling a feature of the first 70 minutes.
The score was 10-4 Burleigh’s way until the final 19 minutes of the game. A burrowing try by hooker Pat Politoni gave the Bears a 16-4 lead, and after the Seagulls failed to convert chances at one end of the field, the Bears ran in three tries in the final eight minutes at the other to run away with their seventh straight victory between the local rivals.
To a large degree, the match was determined by two lengthy stretches where the Seagulls had possession near the Bears’ tryline but couldn’t cross.
The first came towards the end of the first half when the only score had been a Burleigh try in the eighth minute to right centre Jesse Arthars after good lead-up work by Tyronne Roberts-Davis.
Tweed had a couple of repeat sets and threw everything at Burleigh’s line for no result, with Jack Cook coming the closest to scoring, losing the ball as he tried to make the line. Other times a pass was either intercepted or a ball was lost.
After the pressure was relieved, Burleigh marched up the other end of the field and fullback Kurtis Rowe crossed just seconds before half-time from a neat cross-field kick back towards the posts by five-eighth Dylan Pythian.
The Bears went to the sheds 10-0 ahead despite Tweed having the better of much of the half.
It was five minutes into the second session before the Bears touch the ball. Tweed – who lost centre Treymain Spry in the first half after he did not return from a head knock – enjoyed five repeat sets from four penalties and a Burleigh in possession yet couldn’t cross the stripe. It was a key period of the match; if the Gulls has picked up six points, the momentum could have swung dramatically.
Spry’s exit from the match, through what Seagulls coach Ben Woolf described as a “cheap shot”, saw Kirk Murphy have to move out to right centre.
But credit must go to the Bears’ defence although the Seagulls struggled a little for fluency with hooker Kurtis Dark thrown into the halfback role held by Ryley Jacks the previous two weeks, five-eighth Lindon McGrady switching to the left side and key halfback signing Christian Hazard still injured.
It was a brilliant offload by Dark that gave the Seagulls their only try, scored by Murphy in the right corner in the 51st minute to bring the score back to 10-4.
The arm-wrestle continued until Politoni scored 10 minutes later to make it 16-4. It was disappointing then that three tries were conceded in the final eight minutes.
The first try was scored by former Seagull Matt Robinson from close range on the Bears’ left edge. The next was scored by Sami Sauiluma from a shift wide to the left, and the final try came in the last 40 seconds when Pythian latched onto a wayward pass to Walters from Brayden McGrady and ran 70 metres to score.
The loss comes after a positive two-victory start by the Seagulls who are still in the top five on the ladder and may welcome back skipper Cheyne Whitelaw and Hazzard back next week.
BURLEIGH BEARS 32 (Jesse Arthars, Kurtis Rowe, Pat Politoni, Matthew Robinson, Sami Sauiluma, Dylan Phythian tries; Tyrone Roberts-Davis 4 goals) def TWEED SEAGULLS 4 (Kirk Murphy try) at Pizzey Park.
OTHER GAMES:
HASTINGS DEERING COLTS – BURLEIGH BEARS 32 (Kai O’Donnell, Taine Tuaupiki, Shallin Fuller, Jaxson Paulo, Jayden Campbell, Allan Lockwood tries; Jayden Campbell 4 goals) def TWEED SEAGULLS 12 (Cooper Hennessey, Vincent Takataka tries; Jaman Rio 2 goals) at Pizzey Park.
AUSWIDE BANK MAL MENINGA CUP – TWEED SEAGULLS 14 (Noah Gafa, Ben Liyou, Caleb Hodges tries; Toby Sexton goal) def BURLEIGH BEARS 12 (Brodyn Gudgeon 2, Trey Peni tries) at Pizzey Park.
Related Posts
