Romano Group Seagulls coach Aaron Zimmerle described it as one of the toughest losses he had endured in his five seasons at Intrust Super Cup coach and skipper Sam Meskell was left equally devastated after a flash of brilliance by the fastest man in the ISC and a stroke of luck gave Northern Pride last gasp 18-16 victory at Piggabeen Sports Complex yesterday.
The Seagulls led 16-6 with 10 minutes remaining after dominating the second half with determined effort and a good share of possession.
With 15 minutes left, left winger Brayden McGrady looked to have sealed the match when he was put into the clear by centre James Wood after Pride fullback Matthew Musumeci lost the ball after returning a Meskell kick. However, the decision was sent to the video and it was ruled Gulls halfback Phoenix Hunapo had knocked on as the ball was lodged loose from Musumeci in a 50-50 decision.
From having their heads down behind the posts and thinking the games was gone, the Pride lifted from the reprieve.
Yet five minutes later, the Seagulls looked to finally set to secure the much-needed points and achieve their goal of getting off the bottom of the ladder when five-eighth Lindon McGrady chip-kicked on the last tackle and it was gathered by right centre Regan Muir-Ogle. He had a three-on-one when he came to Gideon Gela-Mosby 20 metres out, who only three minutes earlier had been shifted to fullback by Pride coach Ty Williams in a desperate bid to lift his team.
Gela-Mosby intercepted Muir-Ogles’ pass, juggled it, then took off downfield, finding winger Shawn Bowen in support who scored under the posts for 16-12 with the conversion.
With five minutes remaining, the ball bounced Pride’s way again.
Halfback Jack Campagnolo grubber kicked from 30 metres and the ball ricocheted off the boot off Lindon McGrady. Campagnolo kicked again with his left foot and back-rower Col Wilkie won the race for the ball to stun the Gulls. Jordan Bioni-Odo converted to give the Pride an 18-16 lead.
The Seagulls, without one Gold Coast Titans player for the first time this season and with perhaps the least inexperienced ISC side they had fielded with 13 of the 18 having played local A-grade this season, would not roll over.
After gaining possession with 90 seconds remaining, a half break by Hunapo and a pass to Lindon McGrady put them on the attack and they received a penalty for holding down. After deliberation on whether to take the easy kick at goal which would have given them a draw, the instruction from Zimmerle on the bench was to go for the try to lift the Seagulls from the bottom of the ladder.
The Pride defence, with a second wind, held them out for the final three tackles, shutting down Nick Harrold from a good Tristan Lumley in-ball a metre from the try-line.
“That hurt more than probably any other loss I can remember,” said an emotional Zimmerle, who has just next week’s home clash against ladder leaders PNG Hunters before standing down as coach.
“They didn’t deserve that; their effort was fantastic.
“The football gods just didn’t smile at us today.”
Meskell was equally glum.
“I was inside Lindon [when Gideon-Mosby intercepted Muir-Ogle’s pass]; we had a three on one with two blokes ready to go under the posts and seal the match.
“You could see the momentum shift after that. They got a sniff and to their credit they took it.”
Pride led 6-4 at half-time after a try apiece; the Pride’s by centre Bradley Stephen in the 29th minute after Wood had spilled a kick near the Seagulls’ line and to Brayden McGrady who latched onto a Hunapo kick, minutes after having a try disallowed.
Two minutes into the second half McGrady was over for his second after a shift to the left, and a brilliant kick and regather, then fullback Jayden Baker, who was outstanding for the Seagulls, scored on the right for 16-6 after 53 minutes. The Seagulls dominated play from then until Gideon-Mosby’s stroke of brilliance swung the match.
Tweed’s experienced forwards Harrold, Lamar Liolevave and Lumley were outstanding and Meskell was tireless and physical in defence while youngsters like Shem Vaoa, Drew Morfett and Sam Carson ripped into their work in a team that had only five players with more than 30 games experience at state cup level. Hunapo schemed all day, Lindon McGrady showed some classy touches while Brayden McGrady again showed his enormous talent but needs to involve himself more.
For the Pride, Gideon-Mosby’s was a constant threat and proved the match-winner while prop Sheldon Powe-Hobbs was outstanding as forward leader and young half Campagnolo directed the side extremely well.
The victory lifted 2014 champions, the Pride, out of the wooden spoon zone while Zimmerle’s hope of “singing the victory song one more time” rests on his team’s performance against minor premiers PNG, who they upset earlier this season, at Piggabeen this Sunday.
Full stats card with player and match stats
Northern Pride 18 (Stephen, Bowen, Wilkie tries; Biondi-Odo 3 goals) beat Tweed Heads Seagulls 16 (B McGrady 2, Baker tries; L McGrady 2 goals).
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