Neil Cadigan
The Ben Campbell Building Group have continued their incredible run with their eighth win from their past nine games to move into the top six for the first time this season, thanks to a 28-24 win against Norths Devils in a thriller at Piggabeen Sports Complex.
The Seagulls were behind 12-0 after three minutes, having conceded two converted tries, but scored the next 22 points.
However, Norths did not relent until the last 30 seconds of the match when they conceded a penalty for offside from a kick which stopped their final desperate effort for victory.
A feature of the Tweed’s win was the return to form of Titans back-rower Bryce Cartwright who ran with purpose and set up a try for Titans in the first half, using his familiar fend and offload. And Kane Elgey scored a try and managed the Seagulls’ play well.
The performance was the first without their tireless skipper Cheyne Whitelaw who joined strike centre Brayden McGrady with season ending knee injuries. And it was led by Tristan Lumley who moved into the front row to fill Whitelaw’s boots and did a magnificent job with his determined running.
Norths crossed the line twice only to lose the ball, both times involving hooker Jack Miers.
Their first try came in the eighth minute when a pass by Seagulls fullback Talor Walters was by Devils winger Michael Lucas who ran 95 metres untouched. Luke Pollock converted.
On just the third tackle after kick-off, Devils halfback Troy Dargan made a break and gave a great offload off the ground to hooker Dalton Phillips who sent centre Gehamat Shibasaki away to score. Pollock’s goal made it 12-0 after 13 minutes.
But Tweed’s next set created their first try. Cartwright loomed do the short side on the right just inside Tweed’s half and put Konrad Hurrell away with Lindon McGrady, backing up on the inside, taking the final pass for a neat try. It was the Cartwright of old, left hand fend and right half pass.
After 18 minutes Elgey stepped to his left and broke the line off a pass from Lindon McGrady. It went upstairs for video analysis to look at the effect of decoy runner Ryan Simpkins, one of the Seagulls’ best. But he’d kept running through the line and it was determined there was no instruction. McGrady’s goal made it 12-all.
After 30 minutes Tweed led for the first time when Hurrell beat his opposite Gehamat Shibasaki on the right edge to give the Seagulls a 16-12 break.
Interchange hooker Jack Miers broke from dummy half from 30 metres and looked set to score right on half-time but a desperate lung by McGrady, assisted by Cartwright, saw the ball co me loose over the line.
Two and a half minutes into the second half the same thing happened to Miers when he got to the line after a pass from Shibasaki but lost the ball as Mia Sands scrambled and knocked Miers’ arms.
Brendan Elliott put the Seagulls further ahead just under six minutes into the second session with a remarkable individual effort from his own half. After Eli Levido doubled back to clean up a chip kick, from the play the ball Elliot hunted up the middle and a mix of speed and a good step saw him catch the Devils unaware and scored under the posts. McGrady’s conversion made it 22-12.
It was a case of third time lucky for Mears when he darted over from dummy half in the 50th minute to put the Devils back in the game at 22-18 when he converted his try.
Soon after left winger Namila Davui was bundled into touch centimetres short of the tryline but Kiah Cooper.
A terrible pass inside his own half by Norths skipper John Pavali was snapped up by Hurrell who ran untouched for 40 metres to score his second try of the match, under then posts in the 58th minute to give McGrady an easy conversion.
The Devils gave themselves a chance when Ahearn got his way over from dummy half, Mears converting to make it 28-24 with 90 seconds remaining. But Tweed held on after the Devils took the ball from their own tryline to Tweed’s in their last set but the desperate Seagulls defence held them out.
Ahearn was a constant threat for the Devils, Shibasaki was locked in a good battle with Hurrell, and Dargan probed well.
Tweed Heads Seagulls 28 (Hurrell 2, McLinden, Elgey, Elliott tries; McLindon 4 goals) def. Norths Devils 24 (Lucas, Shibasaki, Miers, Ahearn tries; Pollock 2, Miers 2 goals) at Piggabeen Sports Complex.
Full scoring details and team lists
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