Neil Cadigan – Seagulls Media

A miracle Norths Devils’ try with four minutes to go and a controversial no-try decision against the Tweed have seen a brave and desperate Campbell Construction Co. Seagulls beaten by minor premiers 22-16 at Bishop Park in the preliminary semi-final on Sunday.

With the scores locked at 16-all six minutes from the end of an absorbing battle, NRL and Super League veteran Tyrone Roberts put through an infield kick from the left for fullback Matthew Milson on the last tackle, instead of a bomb.

The ball bounced awkwardly for Seagulls winger Ryland Jacobs who had come infield and deflected from Milson’s leg. Norths centre Bernard Gregorius just beat Tweed’s Brent Woolf to the rolling ball and he in turn toed it to despairingly to the right and bouncing ball popped up for winger Jonathan Reuben who just beat Seagulls fullback Lindon McGrady’s desperate tackle to score in the corner.

It was a heart-wrenching defeat for the Gulls who lost three players with injury, used their last interchange with 17 minutes remaining yet defending with astounding will in the spring Brisbane heat.

They had many outstanding players including the tough little Woolf, who had to move from hooker to five-eighth for almost all the second half, after Will Brimson exited with a HIA injury, and soldiered on despite a painful foot injury he has been carrying for a month. He looked like being a match-winner when he was awarded a crucial try only for it to be undone by the bunker.

Forwards JJ Collins, Braden Robson, Lamar Liolevave, Harrison Muller and Joshua Patston – one of the three who had to retire because of injury – were inspirational, as was the entire Tweed side defensively. But a big challenge for coach Ben Woolf might be fielding 17 fit players in the sudden-death semi-final against Redcliffe next Saturday at Tugun.

The first Seagulls’ casualty was second-rower Joe Vuna who was escorted from the field off in the 18^th minute with a serious knee injury. After sprinting out of the line in defence, Vuna collapsed without any contact with another player with what looked like an ACL injury.

Earlier Norths had also lost a key forward when prop Piki Rogers suffered a rib injury and left the field in the eighth minute.

“That was hard to take; a lot didn’t go our way but we just hung in there against the best team all season,” said Woolf.

“We ran out of players in the end and it’s going to be interesting what side we can come up with next week.

“But we just have to lick our wounds and get on with it – as we have all season despite the setbacks we’ve faced.

“The character, in defence particularly, was outstanding. Our blokes couldn’t have given any more.”

Vuna’s replacement Patston was on the field for less than two minutes when he scored the first try of the game from a set play from a scrum 10 metres from the Devils’ line. The ball shifted right and Patston broke a tackle when fed a superb pass from Lindon McGrady at the line before Patston beat fullback Matthew Milson with a right foot step.

It took the Seagulls only four more minutes to post another try when lock Braden Robson crossed after a good look to the left, move to the right and excellent pass from dummy half Brent Woolf. Lindon McGrady landed the conversion to give Tweed a 10-0 lead after 23 minutes.

Tweed should have kept Norths scoreless in the first half, however interchange middle forward Darius Farmer, on the field for just two minutes, came up with a costly error after the Seagulls had kept the Devils out with two brilliant defensive scrambles.

Farmer tried an unnecessary offload but the ball went into the hands of Norths hooker Danny Levi just inside Tweed’s half. Four tackles later Reuben crossed in the corner off a Jack Ahearn cut-out pass three minutes before the break.

Connor Broadhurst converted from the touchline to make the half-time score 10-6 to Tweed.

Tweed had a further hurdle to overcome when five-eighth Will Brimson went off for a HIA spell just a minute into the second session and was unable to return.

A rare error by skipper Lamar Liolevave, a tireless performer over the 80 minutes, who had the ball knocked from his grasp in heavy contact, hurt the Seagulls a few minutes later. From the ensuing possession, Ahearn slipped an inside ball for Milson 10 metres out in the middle of the ruck. Broadhurst’s goal gave Norths the lead for the first time in the 51^st minute at 12-10.

Then came the controversial decision that cost Tweed a try – and perhaps an incredible backs-to-the-wall victory in the 57^th minute. Woolf crossed from a scrum play on the left and the referee awarded a try. But, while awaiting the conversion attempt, it went to video review referee who overturned the on-field decision after multiple replays, claiming Woolf had lost control of the ball before he forced it – despite it appearing he had downward pressure as the ball hit the line.

Yet the Gulls were far from done and in the next set, a sensational desperate tackle by Jacobs hurled Reuben into touch-in-goal in the right corner.

Soon after the 20-year-old Sexton, who was impressive and fresh from four NRL appearances for the Gold Coast Titans, provided his own moment of inspiration when he put in a diagonal grubber to the in-goal and followed through and regathered. He converted his own goal to make it 16-12 to Tweed.

Before the kick-off, Tweed was down to their third man when Patston limped off and Robson returned to the field in their last interchange, leaving the 13 players on the field to complete the final 17 minutes.

With 14 minutes to go Norths Gregorius levelled the scores at 16-all with a try on the right but Broadhurst was unable to land the conversion.

Then came Rueben’s heartbreaking second touchdown – and devastation for a Tweed side who put in what may have been their best performances of 2021.

NORTHS DEVILS 22 (J Rueben 2, M Milson, B Gregorius tries; C Broadhurst 2, T Roberts goals) def.

TWEED SEAGULLS 16 (J Patston, B Robson, T Sexton tries, L McGrady, T Sexton goals) at Bishop Park.