Neil Cadigan
“If we played like that in the first five weeks we probably wouldn’t have won but that shows the belief in the team now.”
That’s how Ben Campbell Building Group Tweed Heads Seagulls coach Ben Woolf summed up not only the last-gasp 20-18 victory against Ipswich Jets at Piggabeen on Saturday, but the progression the Gulls have made during the first 10 rounds of the Intrust Super Cup season.
It was the Seagulls’ fourth straight victory after starting the season with five losses.
After being 18-4 behind after 52 minutes, the Gulls scored two tries in the final five minutes to level at 18-all before an incredible finish to the match.
The Jets tried a short grubber-style kick-off but it hit the knee of Ipswich centre Sam Caslick before it had travelled 10 metres, leaving a kick from half-way in the final seconds for Gulls five-eighth Lindon McGrady to win the match.
The Seagulls had scored four tries to three, all but one near the sideline, and McGrady had converted just one. Yet, with two points at stake, he nailed the penalty goal attempt to snatch an incredible victory.
“I was actually pretty confident he’d land the goal; I’d seen him kick the that far, it just had to be straight,” said Woolf.
“I would have been happy with a win from where we were at half-time but it was a crucial win. Our completions were down and we were far from perfect, and in the first five rounds we wouldn’t have won.
“We needed belief that can compete with teams high on the ladder. Now we have won a few, and not always playing our best, it has proved that if we stick to our processes we can win.
“They ran us around and put a lot of pressure on us in the first half but we finished over the top of them and found a way to win.
“Northern Pride are going to be another tough task next weekend; they’re one win above on the ladder. But if want to win and go into top six, there are games we have to win.”
The victory proved a couple of things about this year’s Gulls.
Firstly, that there is better depth than the previous few seasons – as shown by Rory Lillis (Tweed A-grade) and Jaleel Seve-Derbas (Southport Tigers) being called up in the 24 hours before kick-off and holding their own.
Jordan Aiono trained on Friday as replacement for Titans prop Leilani Latu but pulled out with a knee injury, and already Tristan Lumley was out injured and Moeaki Fotuaika had been called up to the Titans’ NRL side.
Yet Woolf has several other players who have proven they are ISC standard waiting in the wing, across the park.
There were six changes since the previous win against Mackay Cutters, with both edges affected, so it was understandable the attack at times was clunky.
Secondly, the players coming back from the Titans are displaying tremendous attitude with winger Kiah Cooper, who scored the two late tries, outstanding, Ryan Simpkins showing his best form of the season and Konrad Hurrell (pictured) and Kane Elgey well involved.
After going 4-0 in the ninth minute through Brayden McGrady’s 11th try of the season which sees him atop the ISC try-scoring list, the Gulls were starved of possession for a long period and the Jets scored two converted tries to lead 12-4 at half-time.
A converted try to Marmin Barba gave the Jets an 18-4 lead with 28 minutes remaining, however the Seagulls gathered momentum after Elgey scored on the left from a Lindon McGrady grubber with 19 minutes remaining to make it 18-10. From then, the Gulls were on top.
Cooper scored the first of his double with just five minutes left when he gave Hurrell, at dummy half, a sign and the Tongan Torpedo threw a slick pass down the short side from five metres and Cooper was over untouched.
With five minutes remaining, Cooper spectacularly leapt high to claim a Lindon McGrady bomb as Barba stayed on the ground. Cooper still had some work to do but beat two scrambling defenders to level the scores.
McGrady was wide with the conversion and the game looked settled for a draw before the Jets’ error and McLindon’s match-winning goal.
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS 20 (Kiah Cooper 2, Brayden McGrady, Kane Elgey tries; Lindon McGrady 2 goals) def IPSWICH JETS 18 (Nat Neale, Julian Christian, Marmin Barba tries; Wes Conlon 3 goals) at Piggabeen Sports Complex.
INTRUST SUPER CUP POINTS TABLE AFTER ROUND 10
| Team | Games | Won | Draw | Lost | Bye | For | Agnst | Total |
| Burleigh Bears | 10 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 231 | 161 | 16 |
| Townsville Blackhawks | 10 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 233 | 142 | 14 |
| Souths Logan Magpies | 10 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 236 | 173 | 14 |
| Norths Devils | 10 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 202 | 181 | 14 |
| Redcliffe Dolphins | 10 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 219 | 155 | 12 |
| Northern Pride | 10 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 164 | 153 | 12 |
| Ipswich Jets | 10 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 173 | 186 | 12 |
| Sunshine Coast Falcons | 10 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 205 | 173 | 10 |
| Tweed Heads Seagulls | 10 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 178 | 230 | 10 |
| Easts Tigers | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 184 | 187 | 8 |
| Wynnum Manly Seagulls | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 181 | 215 | 8 |
| PNG Hunters | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 154 | 204 | 8 |
| CQ Capras | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 128 | 220 | 8 |
| Mackay Cutters | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 162 | 270 | 8 |
NEXT WEEK’S GAMES
Saturday
Burleigh Bears v Easts Tigers at Cbus Super Stadium 12:45pm
Ipswich Jets v Norths Devils at North Ipswich Reserve 1:10pm (Channel 9)
PNG Hunters v CQ Capras at Oil Search National Football Stadium, Port Moresby 3:00pm
Sunshine Coast Falcons v Redcliffe Dolphins at Sunshine Coast Stadium 5:00pm
Sunday 20
Tweed Heads Seagulls v Northern Pride at Piggabeen Sports Complex 2:00pm
Souths Logan Magpies v Mackay Cutters at Davies Park 3:00pm
Townsville Blackhawks v Wynnum Manly Seagulls at Jack Manski Oval 4:00pm
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