On Wednesday 15th May 2024, the Tweed Seagulls RLFC hosted a highly successful Leaders in League Breakfast at Seagulls, celebrating the significant contributions of women to both rugby league and business. The event also highlighted the club’s community programs. There were over 150 business leaders and community members from the Northern Rivers NSW and Gold Coast who attended.

The breakfast featured an esteemed business panel including Rebecca Frizelle OAM (Part-Owner & Director Gold Coast Titans), Shannon McFadden (Chief Strategy, Sustainability and People Officer Queensland Airports), Oliver Horn (CEO Nutra Organics), and Samantha Bliss (Independent Director QRL), who shared their insights and experiences.

A football panel comprising Jo Barrett (Gold Coast Titans NRLW Program Manager), David Penna (Tweed Seagulls Head of Football), Georgia Elliston (BMD Premiership Tweed Seagulls), and Bridget Hoy (BMD Premiership Tweed Seagulls) provided valuable perspectives on the female game and where they see it heading.

A highlight of the event was the unveiling of the 2024 Eximm Sport Indigenous Jersey, titled “Birds of a Feather,” designed by local artist Christine Slabb and presented by Matty Francis.

The club also announced the 2024 Gold Coast Airport Female Tom Searle Scholarship recipients: Kali Ainsworth and Kaylee Booth. Kali, hailing from Casino and a member of the U19 Harvey Norman side, aspires to play in the NRLW and work with children as a SLSO. Kaylee, captain of the U17 Harvey Norman side and player for the Tweed Heads Seagulls JRL, aims to pursue a career in the Fisheries and also dreams of playing in the NRLW. These two girls are a great example of the Tweed Seagulls commitment to the female game and the pathway opportunities Tweed Seagulls are providing Northern Rivers players to the elite level.

The event’s success was attributed to the attendees and our wonderful partners. CEO Brendon Lindsay extended special thanks to EML Group, Gold Coast Airport, and Greenmount Timber & Building Supplies for their steadfast support of our female program. Additionally, we acknowledge Eximm and Hiway Group (Hiway Stabilizers), The Recycling Solutions Specialists, for their pivotal role in the club’s community programs.

A special mention goes to our MC, Mickey Coleman, for his outstanding contribution to the event.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC has been actively engaging with the Northern Rivers community over the past few months as part of our ongoing Eximm Community Programs

In January, the Tweed Seagulls travelled to Lismore to join RedINC and PCYC in hosting a school holiday clinic, supported by the Gold Coast Titans and the NRL Development team. Following on from this, the Seagulls, in collaboration with the Titans, provided tickets for these children to attend the Titans vs Sea Eagles game at Cbus Super Stadium, where the Tweed Seagulls faced off against the Ipswich Jets as a curtain-raiser.

 Our dedication to supporting the community led us to Jubullum Village in Tabulam, at the invitation of the community, facilitated by former Seagulls player Ryan Walker where we took part in a healing circle. Recently, our community, wellbeing, and development team returned to Tabulam to assist with future planning and youth development. These efforts were spearheaded by Richmond Police District Superintendent Scott Tanner and his dedicated team. Additionally, our valued partner, Hiway Stabilizers, generously provided the expertise of a consultant to assist with a community-led plan for the village. We were also fortunate to have Kristian Heffernan from NSWRL, Seagulls and Titans player Jaime Chapman—who is among the world’s leading rugby league players—and the esteemed Preston Campbell join us in this initiative.

 During our visit to Tabulam, we had the pleasure of meeting with Shaun Piccolli, the Principal of Tabulam Public School. It was inspiring to learn about the positive developments taking place at the school. With an impressive 92% attendance rate, it’s evident that the staff, parents, and community are deeply committed to creating better opportunities for their children.

 In addition, we’ve been active in supporting the Tweed and Southern Gold Coast business communities by attending their outstanding chamber events. At a recent Tweed Chamber After Dark event at the Pink Hotel in Coolangatta, we donated 2 tickets to a VIP Corporate area experience for our home game against the Brisbane Tigers.

Our community and development team also had the opportunity to engage with the public at the Ballina Thrillfest, running a “pass the ball” competition and distributing prizes in collaboration with the NRL Development team. We were invited by Lauren Jane, who was part of the Ballina Youth Committee who organised this great initiative.

 We have also been fortunate to partner with PCYC Tweed Heads to bring a Youth Hub to our home games. Corey Oliver and his team do an incredible job working with the regions youth, supported by Tweed Byron Police District Superintendent Dave Roptell and his team.

 Continuing our commitment to local clubs in the Northern Rivers region, we’ve continued to support coach education and player development with recent initiatives led by our Development and Pathway Coordinator, Shaun Davison and our Head of Football and Hostplus Cup coach Dave Penna. These opportunities included:

• A Coach Immersion Workshop facilitated by our Head of Football and Hostplus Cup Coach, Dave Penna.
• A Game Day Behind-the-Scenes experience offering coaches an inside look at game day preparations when the Seagulls played as a curtain-raiser to the Gold Coast Titans.
• Female Rugby League clinics conducted in both Casino & South Grafton, led by Shaun Davison with NRL Development team support.
• A full development day for the Northern Rivers U17 Lisa Fiaola squad, featuring BMD S&C Coach Carly McGrath and a Q&A session with NRLW players Jess Elliston, Dannii Perese, and Ivana Lolesio.

The Tweed Seagulls are committed to backing the communities that stand behind them, as well as supporting the Gold Coast Titans in the significant Northern Rivers catchment area of NSW. At Tweed Seagulls we strongly believe that rugby league can serve as a catalyst for positive outcomes and play a pivotal role in driving meaningful change in communities facing challenges.

On Thursday, February 22nd, the Tweed Seagulls held their highly anticipated season launch at Seagulls Club, bolstered by the support of one of our crucial partners, Essential Coffee.

Approximately 180 enthusiastic supporters attended the breakfast to hear what lies ahead for the Tweed Seagulls in 2024, including many of the club’s important partners. Addressing the guests, CEO Brendan Lindsay underscored the club’s vital function in offering pathways for young talents aspiring to reach NRL and NRLW levels, while also highlighting the club’s dedication to community initiatives and its recognition of the significance of that work in ensuring long-term sustainability. QRL Director Brian Canavan reiterated Tweed’s crucial position in the Queensland state-wide competition, and the significant role the club plays in the development of young players in the region.

The event featured all-star panels, with the male ensemble boasting NRL Premiership-winning coach and newly appointed Gold Coast Titans head coach, Des Hasler, alongside Titans star David Fifita, Tweed Seagulls’ Head of Football David Penna, and star Tweed players Will Brimson and Lamar Liolevave.

An equally impressive female panel followed, headlined by Titans Head Coach and reigning NRWL Dally M Coach of the Year, Karyn Murphy, flanked by two of the world’s best players Jaime Chapman and Jess Elliston, who proudly represent the Tweed Seagulls.

The panels captivated the audience, offering invaluable insights into the upcoming seasons for both Tweed Seagulls and Gold Coast Titans, while also shedding light on the developmental pathways available for aspiring talents from Northern Rivers NSW and the Gold Coast.

Additionally, the club extends its heartfelt appreciation to partners who generously contributed gifts to the launch, including See Civil, Maccas, Cool-a-bah Cooling & Electrical Services, CMBT, Gold Coast Titans, Seagulls Club, Fitstop, Rainbow Bay Realty, BOQ Coolangatta, and TopSport, who donated the major raffle prize of a 12-seat outdoor box to a Titans game, along with a $250 Top Sport voucher and a $250 Charity Bet.

The collaboration between the Tweed Seagulls Women’s team and Gold Coast Airport has been a cornerstone of the team’s identity since its inception in 2019. Gold Coast Airport has proudly held the front-of-jersey naming rights sponsorship for the team since they joined the QRL statewide competition, and this partnership has evolved into a mutually beneficial alliance.

In anticipation of the 2024 BMD Premiership season, Gold Coast Airport and the Tweed Seagulls Women’s Team have announced the extension of their valuable partnership. Gold Coast Airport (GCA) played a pivotal role as the founding sponsor, igniting the Tweed Seagulls’ mission to promote female rugby league in our region. Six years on, their commitment to this cause remains steadfast, contributing to the sport’s rapid growth in female participation.

Built upon shared values and a vision to empower local female athletes, the partnership provides a platform for them to excel both on and off the field.

Brendon Lindsay, CEO of Tweed Seagulls, eagerly welcomed the return of Gold Coast Airport as the team’s major sponsor for the 2024 BMD season, expressing gratitude for their unwavering support over the past six years. Lindsay looks forward to nurturing this enduring partnership in the years to come.

Brian McGuckin, Chief Property and Planning Officer of Queensland Airports Limited, echoed this sentiment, expressing GCA’s delight in renewing this significant partnership with Tweed Seagulls. He emphasised GCA’s longstanding commitment to supporting women in sports, a cause they have championed for years.

The participation of Australian Jillaroo legend Tarryn Aiken and Australian PM XIII star Jasmin Morrissey, both part of the Tweed Seagulls lineup for the 2024 BMD Cup, created excitement at the season’s kickoff.

Beyond business ties, the partnership between Tweed Seagulls and GCA extends into the community, advocating for inclusion and diversity. Both organisations are dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for individuals from all backgrounds and promoting equal opportunities.

A portion of Gold Coast Airport’s sponsorship is allocated to the Tom Searle Scholarship, supporting young athletes in their academic or professional endeavors. By endorsing this scholarship, GCA reaffirms its commitment to nurturing local talent and enhancing the community’s well-being. The recipients of the Tom Searle Scholarship will be announced at the 2024 Ladies Leaders in League Breakfast, scheduled for Wednesday, May 15th.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed this weekend by Eximm, in our inaugural Indigenous Recognition Round, host the Ipswich Jets at Piggabeen Sports Complex in Round 21 as they look to cement their place in the Top 8.

The fight for finals took a hit last week as the Seagulls fell to the Northern Pride 34-24 at home. Still, they remain firmly in the frame at 7th on the ladder with two rounds to play. It’s a defeat that mirrors many of the others this season as Tweed looked dangerous at times, played with a lead for periods, but ultimately paid the price for turning the ball over too often.

“When we want to play footy we look good. We got in front a couple of times but couldn’t go on with it,” Coach Dave Penna said after the match.

The Seagulls broke more tackles (27 v 23), made more line breaks (6 v 3) and averaged more metres per set (47.8m v 43.4m) but their seven errors, seven penalties and four infringements proved too much in the end. The 46% possession and 75% completion rate will no doubt be something that is mentioned throughout the week.

Lindon McGrady offered some bright sparks throughout the match from fullback, the outside backs piled up points and Kaleb Ngamanu cracked 200 running metres for the second time this season. Tweed weren’t short of positives in the 80 minutes and much of the same squad will have an opportunity to right the wrongs against the Jets this week.

Kruise Leeming has improved with every match he has played for the Seagulls but an injury to Titans hooker, Sam Verrills, sees Leeming return to the NRL with Brent Woolf named to slot in at hooker. Woolf’s move returns Jaron Purcell to lock where he has started nine times this season with Joe Vuna elevated from the bench to the back row. Ryland Jacobs is a big in for Tweed. He missed the last match but has been named to start on the wing with the versatile Ioane Seiuli to come off the bench on Sunday.

The Jets held the somewhat unlucky honour of playing the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Ryan Papenhuyzen’s return to footy and with Justin Olam fired up in the centres last week. While the Jets started slowly to fall 24-0 behind in the 43rd minute, they held the Falcons scoreless for the remainder of the match and finished strong themselves in going down 24-10. From a numbers perspective, Dominic Macumboy’s six tackle breaks in limited opportunities with the ball make him one to watch this week.

While the Seagulls handled them convincingly to the tune of 54-14 back in Round 10, the Jets are an improved side. Their attack is on the up to have scored 20+ points in five of their last eight games.

The return of Manaia Cherrington has helped with the Kiwi hooker a dangerous prospect out of dummy half. Jayden Corrigan needs no introduction at Piggabeen. The 27-year-old Jets fullback is lining up for his third game against his former club this season having started the year with the Western Clydesdales before making the switch in Round 7. He’s a tackle-breaker and try-scorer and one the Seagulls will need to contain.

While the Jets are without a win this season, the Seagulls won’t be taking them lightly. They’re a high-offload team that despite the results throughout the year, is still improving each week. With this their last game of the 2023 Hostplus Cup season, expect the Jets to make things difficult for the Seagulls on Sunday afternoon.

Players To Watch

Ryland Jacobs is back on the wing this week to give the Seagulls what appears to be their first-choice backline at the pointy end of the season. With 11 tries in 17 games to go along with four try assists, 60 tackle breaks and ten line breaks, the 27-year-old is a key contributor to the Seagulls’ edge and one of the best-attacking players in the competition.

Tweed took a different approach to getting Treymain Spry more involved in the game by sending him back to field yardage kicks last week. The Hostplus Cup leader in linebreaks added one more to his tally from the back and it will be interesting to see if that approach continues upon Jacobs’ return and how else they can find ways to involve the roaming centre.

Ryan Walker made his Seagulls debut in the last 12 minutes of the game against the Pride. Harkening back to his 2009 Queensland Cup Premiership with the Sunshine Coast team, formerly dubbed the “Sea Eagles,” Walker’s return to action stirred memories of his championship days.

Opposing teams may not know what to expect from Walker, named as 18th man, with two games remaining in the regular season, he is working hard to prove himself again a premiership-winning player, hopeful to give the Seagulls an advantage in the upcoming finals.

Coaches Comments

The Seagulls were left disappointed with the performance last week but are eager to correct their mistakes this time around.

“It was a disappointing result; the boys are feeling it, Penna said.

“More in our own efforts and how we played but we’ve got to move on.

“Our focus has been on us this week, making sure that we put a performance on the field that we know we can put together. That’s our main thing. We just need to play well and if we play well, the rest will take care of itself.

“If we walk off the field to know that we played well and played how we’ve trained, do the simple things that we’ve worked really hard to do, then I can’t ask any more than that.”

While the Jets are without a win this year, Penna knows no side in the Hostplus Cup can be taken lightly.

“They’ve got plenty of talent and skill in the halves and their spine,” said Penna.

“Like I said, we just have to be really good defensively. We have to stick to our process and work for each other, and when we get the football, don’t give them too much ball.

“That’s the key to Tweed playing really well.”

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, are on the road again in Round 18. This time they travel to Kilcoy for Country Round to take on the Brisbane Tigers.

The Seagulls will be desperate to right the wrongs of their 26-24 defeat to the Redcliffe Dolphins in Round 17. Dave Penna’s side did enough to fight back from an early deficit and take a late lead but errors in the wrong part of the field kept the door ajar for the home side as Trai Fuller crashed over late in the piece.

“We played some good footy. Some boys had some good games but we killed ourselves in the end. Errors in the wrong places at the wrong times and not defending kicks. It’s an Achilles heel of ours and we’ve got to get rid of it if we’re to go any further in this competition,” Penna said after the match.

Possession is a key element to winning football and Tweed’s 11 errors translated into just 46% possession. While they looked comfortable enough at times in defence, a quality attacking side like the Dolphins will break through eventually. Nonetheless, there were positives to take from an attacking standpoint as, even while 18-6 behind, it looked as though the Seagulls weren’t far off.

Will Brimson ended up as one of those boys playing a good one. He led the Seagulls with 181 running metres for the match, along with a try assist. He regularly took the line on and asked questions of the defence as Tweed’s left edge looked the most threatening throughout.

Jaron Purcell again performed well through the middle of the field. The workhorse lock made a team-high 39 tackles while running for 100 metres and breaking six tackles with the ball.

Little changes for the Seagulls list this week. Ioane Seiuli drops out with Purcell shifting to the edge and Brent Woolf to lock. Connor Zeibell has earned a spot on the bench early in the week. Should he feature on Saturday, it will be just the second game of his career after making his debut against the Norths Devils in Round 3.

This shapes as a pivotal match for the Seagulls as they hang onto a spot inside the Top 8. Six points separate 6th from 12th with Tweed currently occupying 8th on 20 points, five behind the Tigers at 4th on the Hostplus Cup ladder.

Four tries from George Jennings propelled the Tigers past the Western Clydesdales 34-18 last week. Slow to start across the first 30 minutes of the match, Jennings finished the first half with three tries for the Tigers to take a 12-6 lead into the break before pulling away in the second half.

The Tigers won both regular season meetings in 2022 before the Seagulls won the match that mattered most in Week 1 of the Finals. A Brimson double and 173 running metres ended up as the difference on that occasion.

Brimson is again one to watch in Round 18, but for the Tigers, Jonah Pezet is the focus. The 20-year-old has featured six times for the Melbourne Storm this season and five times for the Tigers. His numbers don’t jump off the page: 1 try, 2 try assists, 2 line break assists and 96 metres per game. Still, he’s a quality player that makes good decisions at speed and won’t be afraid to take the Seagulls line on if given the space. Out wide, the Tigers play with noted try scorers George Jennings (4 tries last week) and Corey Thompson (7 tries in 10 games this season).

It has been a month since the Seagulls last played in Tweed, and with a bye next week before their return to Piggabeen against the Devils, they’ll have this match circled as a big one. With three consecutive games at home to finish the regular season after the bye, they’ll put themselves in a promising position for finals football with a win on Saturday afternoon.

Player To Watch

Kruise Leeming has started to find his feet in this Tweed Seagulls side. In a difficult position coming into a new side with little experience playing with those around him to start, he’s looking more comfortable every week.

His running game has caused havoc around the ruck in recent weeks to average 124 running metres per game in his last two matches. He jumps out and darts in behind the markers, scrambling the defence and opening up space wider for the likes of Will Brimson, Brent Woolf and Tom Weaver to work their magic. Adding a kicking game to the equation last week, Leeming is taking a more hands-on approach the leading the team around the field and features in an intriguing head-to-head battle with Tristan Hope who has impressed for eight tries and six try assists in 14 appearances this year.

Coaches Comments

Tweed are looking to shake off a disappointing result in Round 17 and has put a focus on the little things this week.

“We had a good hard look at ourselves and our effort areas,” said coach Dave Penna.

“That was probably the key to what happened last week. It’s an issue we addressed as a team and is something we’ve been really focused on this week at training.

“Everybody was disappointed but we’ve got to regather and go again.”

While the visit to Cbus Super Stadium is marked as a Seagulls home game, they’ve been away from Piggabeen for a month. Still, Penna isn’t making any excuses.

“We’ve been going ten weeks straight,” Penna said.

“We knew we were going to get into a situation but we can’t make excuses. We put ourselves in the game, we scored enough points to win the game and led with 16 minutes to go and we came up with some poor effort areas within our game, right through our game, and it cost points.

“As a club, there are no excuses for those things.”

It doesn’t get any easier this week as the Seagulls come up against one of the Hostplus Cup’s top sides in the Tigers.

“That’s where we’ve been for six or seven weeks. We know we’d go through this tough period. We’ve played all top six sides in the last five weeks and we’ve got one more to go.

“For us, we know they’re a quality football side. They’ve got talent right across the park. We’ve just got to make sure we focus on working hard, like we’ve done against all of the other teams, and work on those little one-per-cent areas that we need to do well in against the top teams.

”If we do that, we put ourselves in with a chance.”

The Liam Hampson Cup, a momentous occasion that will unfold on Sunday, the 9th of July 2023, is a powerful testament to the enduring impact of a remarkable individual. This highly anticipated match, serving as the curtain raiser to the NRL game where the Titans face the Dolphins, holds immense significance as it not only commemorates the late Liam Hampson but also serves as a platform to recognise and support Hampo’s Youth Foundation—an inspiring initiative established to carry forward his legacy.

Honouring the former Queensland Cup hooker who tragically passed away last October, our round 17 Hostplus Cup fixture will kick-start a Super Sunday of rugby league at 1:15pm at Cbus Super Stadium.

Liam’s mum Lorna Morton is proud to have both clubs pay tribute to the crafty No. 9 in this way, with the inaugural match to become a perpetual clash between Hampson’s two former sides.

“It’s such a great honour for our family and to honour Liam’s legacy,” she said.

“Liam played for both Tweed and Redcliffe and a lot of his mates still play in the Q Cup, so we want everyone to get down here at 1.15pm for the curtain-raiser to support Tweed and the Dolphins before the main game.

“There will be a Liam Hampson Cup awarded to the winning team and also a Liam Hampson Medal awarded to the best player and our family will be choosing that medallist.”

The Liam Hampson Cup is a poignant reminder that the impact of an individual’s life extends far beyond their time on this Earth. It stands as a rallying cry for unity and solidarity, inspiring all who witness it to contribute towards a brighter future. By recognising and supporting Hampo’s Youth Foundation, the Cup emphasises the significance of investing in the dreams and aspirations of young individuals, enabling them to realise their full potential and make a positive difference in the world.

Close friend and Titans star AJ Brimson is also humbled to play a big role on the day, watching his big brother Will and his best mates in action from the sidelines before running out for the Gold Coast in his NRL clash against the Dolphins.

“It’s very close to home… especially for Liam and his family,” Brimson said.

“To have my brother there [playing for Tweed] and all the boys that he’s played with at both clubs, it’s definitely going to be special for the two teams.

“I know they’ll both genuinely want to get the win for Hampo on that day.”

Hampo’s Youth Foundation – a charity setup in Liam’s honour to help young people reach their potential – will also be the 50-50 raffle beneficiary in the Round 19 fixture, with donations available to be made on the day across the venue.

Should you wish to purchase general admission tickets to the game, Titans are pleased to offer Tweed Seagulls supporters a discounted 15% ticket price. You can grab these tickets using the following link:

https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/Show.aspx?sh=TITANS0623

The password to access these discounted tickets is: 

THSeagulls

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, bounced back from their Round 15 defeat to beat the Norths Devils 30-16 at Bishop Park, Brisbane.

Tweed threatened in their first visit into the Devils 20. Compressing the middle through a strong Lamar Manuel-Liolevave carry, Tom Weaver floated a pass over to Ryland Jacobs, but the Seagulls winger couldn’t stay in the field of play.

The Devils responded with a close call of their own as Bryce Donovan went near enough to be called for a double movement as he promoted the football over the line. Tweed used the penalty to surge up the field and turn the ball over one metre short of the Norths line. Coach Dave Penna has repeatedly spoken about where on the field the Seagulls turn the ball over and that seemed to be the focus early on in this one. Taking control of the territory battle and earning more tackles inside the Devils’ 20, Kruise Leeming produced an exceptional individual try to open the scoring.

Manuel-Liolevave again acted as the trigger before Leeming jumped out from dummy half and rolled one in behind the defensive line to regather himself.

Leeming became the distributor on the next set.

Spotting the defender slow to marker, Leeming jumped out and followed him back into the line, beating him back on the inside and handing a pass off to Luke Burton pushing up in support.

Norths didn’t do themselves any favours by giving away a penalty in their kickoff set in defence. With the extra field position Tweed once again looked to turn the ball over in strong areas, forcing a knock-on out of the Devils centre and another set in attack. Treymain Spry only needed one tackle to turn it into points as he stood up his opposite and flicked a pass out the back to Jacobs on the touchline for an 18-0 lead only 20 minutes into the match.

Tweed managed to force errors out of the Devils but one of their own soon turned into points for the home side. Collecting a knock-on from inside their own half and flying up the field, the Devils used the rare opportunity to attack the Seagulls line to cut the deficit to 14 through Jonathon Reuben.

Conceding points refocused the Seagulls attack as they once again returned to what worked: Turning the ball over close to the opposition line and building pressure. An unlucky bounce of the ball away from a sprawling Jacobs is all that stopped Tweed from adding to their lead before the break.

Tweed regained control of the territory battle early on in the second half. A Will Brimson kick forced the Devils to work deep out of their own end before only being able to kick it to the Seagulls 30 metre line in response. However, a heavy Lindon McGrady grubber provided the Devils with seven tackles and Reuben scored his second to make it 18-10 in the 50th minute.

One try became two for the Devils as they cut the deficit to two points on the following set through Kahli Junior Kali.

The reintroduction of Manuel-Liolevave added some starch to the Seagulls middle. Leeming’s speed around the ruck helped to move the side up the field as fatigue started to play its part in the defence. But unlike the first half where Tweed completed their sets and finished them in strong positions, errors, strips and yardage penalties plagued them in the second.

Desperate to stop the rut and regain their sizeable lead, Tweed looked to their dangerous right edge in yardage. Again Leeming’s speed proved pivotal in the action as he spotted a big middle defending on the short side before sending Spry down the sideline. Returning the ball back to the left edge, Jacob McCudden found a blade of white grass with the ball as he crashed over the line in the 62nd minute.

Rinse and repeat for the match winner.

A Leeming scoot at speed ended with Spry breaking through the line and dotting down under the posts for a 30-16 lead heading into the final six minutes.

Maintaining the margin through to the final whistle, the Seagulls picked up a valuable two competition points to jump back into the Top 8 ahead of an emotional fixture against the Redcliffe Dolphins for the Liam Hampson Cup on Sunday afternoon.

Key Takeaways

Featuring for the third time in Tweed colours, Kruise Leeming produced his best performance so far for the club in this one.

Credit first needs to go to the pack. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave, Luke Burton and Jaron Purcell laid the platform early on to get Tweed up the field. Leeming did his best work around players slow to marker, and it’s the destructive carries of his middles that slow them down.

Using his speed to jump out from dummy half and engage middle defenders, Leeming created more space for his edges and played a major part in Tweed piling up 30 points.

“He’s a quality player,” Penna said after the match.

“He doesn’t get much footy up at the top but his attitude when he comes to us is second to none.”

Coaches Comments

Coach Dave Penna was pleased with his team’s response to their loss a week earlier.

“It was a tough week last week but the bounceback today was very pleasing,” Penna said.

The response revolved around a strong start as Tweed turned pressure into points.

“It’s just how we need to play footy,” Penna said.

“Give ourselves an opportunity in good ball and hang onto it.

“Our completions aren’t where they need to be but it’s something that we’re aware of and the boys are working really hard at it. It’s just hard when you’re trying to play footy and preserve the ball as well. At times it’s a fine line but the more when can hold onto it the better side we are.“

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, fought back after a slow start but fell to the Burleigh Bears 36-22 at UAA Park, Gold Coast.

The Bears managed to force Treymain Spry over the touchline following an early yardage kick which soon led to points for the home side. Shifting the ball to the left edge, Jacob Alick found himself one-on-one with Toby Sexton and crashed his way over the line to open the scoring.

Burleigh found more success in yardage on the following set as Keano Kini broke into the backfield. However, after managing to reel in the young fullback and finish the defensive set strong, the Seagulls started to play themselves into the match. A Kruise Leeming crash ball on the last didn’t end in points, but it forced the Bears to travel 99 metres if they were to score again.

Travel 99 metres, they did.

A relieving penalty helped the Bears up the field. With it, Kini again broke into the backfield before beating the fullback this time to score and give the home team a 10-0 lead after ten minutes.

The Seagulls did well to reel in a short dropout but an error in yardage provided the Bears with another opportunity to attack in good ball. Shifting left again, Sami Sauiluma crashed his way over for a 14-0 lead inside 15 minutes.

Desperate for a period with the ball, an Emry Pere high shot provided the Seagulls with a chance of their own to attack in good ball. Leeming looked dangerous around the ruck and Sexton stepped inside to put some stress into the defensive line. However, the Bears defence held firm to turn the Seagulls away.

The Tweed back five worked hard in yardage to continue to present chances in good ball but the building pressure didn’t turn into points until the 33rd minute. Spotting the diminutive Kini defending at A on the line, Leeming put his head down and wormed his way over to cut the deficit to ten.

One try turned into two as the Seagulls again spotted Kini on the line as Sexton turned the ball back into Spry and over the Bears fullback to score.

Having conceded early and put themselves on the back foot, Tweed did well to recover and get into the sheds just 14-10 behind.

Tweed made their intentions clear on the very first set of the second half. They wouldn’t be conceding a slow start again as a long shift out of yardage moved them up the field and gave them the ascendency in the field position battle.

Having worked their way into a position to put up an attacking kick, Tom Weaver hung one up for his outside backs leading to a Bears error and a try of his own to give Tweed the lead.

The first 50 minutes ended up evenly split as both sides had their moments with ball with just an extra Tweed conversion the difference between the two. While a Seagulls try extended their lead, the Bears won the majority of the remaining minutes.

A Lee Turner try in the 54th minute extended Tweed’s lead momentarily. Sexton created the second phase following a scheming run through the middle with the momentum of Turner’s carry bouncing him over the line to score.

However, Turner’s opposite soon answered back for the Bears following back-to-back penalties to cut Tweed’s lead to 22-18 heading into the final quarter. Like the Seagulls earlier, one try became two as another Kini linebreak in yardage ended in points for the Bears to retake the lead. They pushed it out further in the 70th minute with former Seagull, Josh Patston, collecting a Guy Hamilton chip kick to score under the posts and make it 30-22 with ten minutes to play.

Pere added his second to keep the scoreboard ticking over to 36-22 where it remained through to the final whistle.

While Tweed fought their way back into the match following a slow start, the extra work required in defence early in the match caught up by the end.

The Seagulls are back on the road again in Round 16 when they travel to Bishop Park to take on the Norths Devils on Sunday afternoon.

Key Takeaways

Tweed put pressure on themselves by conceding early points but the back five played a big part in pulling them back into the game. Trymain Spry, Kaleb Ngamanu and Ryland Jacobs all made significant carries early into the set, generating the yardage needed for the Seagulls to fight their way back into the match. Toby Sexton and Tom Weaver managed to turn enough of those opportunities into points and even a lead.

The Seagulls let themselves down defensively, though. Having found a way back into the match and pulling ahead early into the second half, they couldn’t turn the Bears away often enough. The defensive workload to start the match bit them by the end as the home side ran riot to finish.

“Early in the game we just didn’t turn up defensively. We didn’t turn up. We were a bit nervous, a bit grabby. We paid for it in the end,” coach Dave Penna said after the match.

Coaches Comments

Despite the start and the final result, coach Dave Penna was pleased with how his team responded.

“We had quite a young side that started really nervous and the damage was down in that first 15 minutes or so,” Penna said.

“But I was really pleased with how they fought back and got themselves back into the game just before halftime. And our first 20 minutes, we played the footy we know we can play and got ourselves in front, but in the end, a bit of class and experience from them, the momentum swang and they ran away with the game in the end.

“Hopefully the boys learn a lesson from it and make sure that we rally again.”

With the Devils coming up, Penna will take a few positives out of this one and into the next.

“You have to take the positives out of what came out of that today, and there were some positives. We put 30 minutes together and showed what we’re capable of doing. We just need to learn how to do that for 50, 60, 70 minutes.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, are on the road again this week as they take on the Burleigh Bears at UAA Park, Gold Coast.

The Seagulls maintained their place inside the Top 8 with a hard-fought 32-28 win over the Mackay Cutters last week. Despite their place on the ladder, Mackay produced exactly the performance Tweed coach Dave Penna predicted pregame as they pushed his side to the end.

“Like I said to you during the week, they’re a good footy side,” said Penna.

“They complete their sets, they do everything they need to do and they make it hard for you.”

Mackay did just that to keep Tweed to 48% possession, 68% completions and 1,491 running metres. However, with one of the most reliable and threatening attacks in the Hostplus Cup, the Seagulls are always a chance in a shootout and found enough points in the end.

Treymain Spry added three line break assists and two try assists to his season tally at fullback. Meanwhile, the rest of the back five all crossed the line with Jojo Fifita’s 165 running metres, two line breaks and six tackle breaks a particularly notable haul.

While Spry did a job at the back in Round 14, Lindon McGrady has been named to make his return this week moving Spry back to the centres with Fifita not named for this one. Despite not being able to finish the game last week, Brent Woolf and Lamar Manuel-Liolevave are both in the 17 for Saturday.

Far from their best but gutsy in the face of the travel and early injuries against the Cutters, Penna spoke about the side licking their wounds and getting back up for Round 15 against a Bears side currently 2nd on the Hostplus Cup ladder and coming in fresh off a bye.

Winners of seven of their eight games before the bye, the Bears are in impressive form. Their only defeat came against the table-topping Magpies sandwiched between a massive 52-0 win over the Jets and a 28-22 victory over the Devils. Notably, the Bears haven’t lost at home this season. Often playing in front of a big crowd that sits loud and close to the sideline, the Bears have used that support to win all six games at UAA Park in 2023.

The Seagulls will take confidence from the fact that the Bears needed a 79th-minute penalty goal to beat them in a tight contest back in Round 3. The two sides played out a grinding 14-12 battle with only one try and two penalty goals kicked after halftime.

Keano Kini is one to watch at the back for the Bears this week. Having spent time at NRL level with the Gold Coast Titans, the 19-year-old plays above his age and size at just 177cm and 83kg. He is good for almost 200 running metres per game and is particularly dangerous out the back of shape on the edges. Kini has picked up eight try assists along with scoring two himself throughout his eight appearances this season. Ken Maumalo is another name plenty will recognise. He made the move from Wests Tigers to the Titans earlier in the year but has spent all of his time with the Bears for eight tries and 164 running metres per game in ten matches.

The Seagulls picked up the two competition points in Round 14 but face a different beast on their own turf this week. Having played out a thriller earlier this year, expect more of the same when the two teams meet again on Saturday afternoon.

Player to watch

Reece Summer plays a key role in this Seagulls side. Coming off the bench and charged with adding a spark to the middle either side of halftime, his carries are often the trigger to some of Tweed’s most dangerous actions.

He crossed for the first try of his career in Round 13 and was particularly pleased about it based on his celebrations and comments from Coach Penna post-match. However, he’s more likely to have an impact to start a set with a hard and energetic carry, just as he did when beating the first defender to poke his head through the line and draw a penalty from the kickoff last week.

In a game that is likely to feature a feeling-out period to start, look for the impact Summer makes off the bench this week.

Coaches Comments

They were left battered and bruised but Dave Penna took plenty away from the Seagulls’ victory over the Cutters last week.

“For us, it was a gutsy win,” Penna said.

“At times we looked really, really good and then other times we needed to be better.

“Again, they’re little things we need to focus on as individuals and as a team.”

It will take a team effort to get past a strong Bears team playing at home for Old Boys Day on Saturday.

“There is plenty that they’re playing for and they obviously don’t need any encouragement for a local derby as well,” said Penna of the occasion at Burleigh.

On his own players, Penna is confident they’ll be able to match the home side’s motivation.

“At the end of the day, the boys know the importance of it.”

“It’s always a game that we really don’t need to get them up for. Both teams know the history of the two clubs. They’re a great club and a great footy team so for us, and myself, it’s a really good challenge to see where we’re at at this time of the year.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, head to BB Print Stadium to take on the Mackay Cutters in Round 14.

The Seagulls come into this one on the back of a well-earned 42-18 win over the Central Queensland Capras last week. Treymain Spry scored a double and set up another while Kaleb Ngamanu scored three for the match. Tweed dominated yardage to finish up with 1,730 running metres, five line breaks and 24 tackle breaks with Spry leading the way (190 metres, 1 line breaks, 3 tackle breaks).

The 42 points puts Tweed up to 360 for the season through 12 games. Only the table-topping Magpies have scored more (366). However, while the 42 points look good on the scoreboard, coach Dave Penna was most pleased with the defensive effort after making it a focus following back-to-back defeats.

“Our attitude towards it was great,” Penna said after the match.

“We still have a few areas we need to work on. They’re a classy footy side and threw plenty at us but we defended them well.”

The back five that found so much success in Round 13 remains largely intact with Jojo Fifita the only change. Ryland Jacobs retakes his spot on the wing after adding middle and edge forward to his list of positions played this season last week. Mr. Fix It has been everywhere for Penna this year and filled another role to play 72 minutes off the bench last week for 50 running metres and 17 tackles.

Ioane Seiuli is back in the side to feature in his first match since scoring four tries against the Ipswich Jets in Round 10. His return pushes Jaron Purcell to lock with Will Brimson out after leaving the field early last week.

The Seagulls will be eager to take their new-found form in defence and build on it in Round 14.

The Cutters currently sit at 14th on the Hostplus Cup ladder and come into this one on the back of a 62-0 thrashing at the hands of the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls. However, they can’t be underestimated. While they disappointed last week, the Cutters beat the Sunshine Coast Falcons on the road and fell to the Brisbane Tigers by only two points in the two games prior. The Cutters did finish on top of Tweed in their last meeting back in Round 12 last year, too. A Laitia Moceidreke try in the 71st minute gave the Cutters a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Joshua Smith is one to keep an eye on in the Cutters side on Saturday evening. A strong runner of the ball, he’s averaging 150 metres per game and ranks third in the Hostplus Cup in total post-contact metres. Given Tweed’s strengths at the centre position, Smith is one that can have a big impact on the Cutters performance this week

Five-eighth Adam Cook is another. Mackay averages only 13 points per game, but when they’re scoring, the tries typically come from a Cook pass. He’s a hands-on half that is among the top players in line engagements, try assists and kicking metres.

The Seagulls bounced back from a disappointing two weeks to produce a superb performance in Round 13. With the Hostplus Cup ladder congested from 1st to 9th and every competition point becoming more important as the season goes on, they’ll be eager to bag another two and put themselves firmly inside the Top 8.

Player To Watch

Having moved up from the Newcastle Knights to link up with the Gold Coast Titans and Tweed Seagulls, Jaron Purcell has slot right in at Piggabeen. He has featured in every game so far this season and performed a variety of different roles.

“Jaron puts his hand up every week. He trains hard and he puts in for the team so I’m really happy with how he’s going,” Penna said.

He’s a strong runner of the ball to average just short of 98 running metres per game. Whether it be at lock, on the edge or off the bench, Purcell is a key feature to Tweed’s yardage game that currently ranks 4th in the competition. At lock, he has often filled the ball-playing void left by Sam McIntyre following his departure to the North Queensland Cowboys.

The Tweed outside backs generate big metres and put dents into the defence on the edges, but Purcell’s work in the middle often acts as the trigger. Back in the #13 jersey after spotting up in #11 last week, Purcell is our Seagulls player to watch this week.

Coaches Comments

Tweed will be bouncing into this one following a big win over the Capras.

“[Winning] obviously makes your week a little bit easier but we’ve just been focusing on all of the things we worked hard on last week, that we work hard on them again this week while trying to get better in other areas,” Penna said.

They’ll need to work hard to get past a Cutters side that, while towards the bottom of the table, isn’t one Penna is taking lightly.

“I’ve watched a fair few of their games and they’re a good footy team,” said Penna.

“They’ve just been a little bit unlucky in games. They’re a team that have got high completions and they keep you honest for 80 minutes, so for us, it’s about making sure we do all of those things that we’ve been working hard on and be effective with all of them.

“They work hard for each other and they’ve got a lot of speed in their side, and they’ve got blokes who, in a team that aren’t winning many games of footy, are leading the simple things. Try assists, tackles, all of the things that are the hard-working things which doesn’t surprise me after watching them.”

For Tweed themselves, Penna is happy to have his spine remain intact for consecutive games.

“Each week I’m learning what our best 17 looks like. This is our second or third week in a row that we’ve been able to maintain our six, seven and nine which helps the side.

“We’ve just got to keep working on what looks like our best side.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, hosted the Central Queensland Capras in Round 13. Having lost back-to-back games in the lead-up to this one, the Seagulls made a statement with a resounding 42-18 win at the Piggabeen Sports Complex.

The Capras wasted no time in turning their first opportunity to attack in good ball into points. Following a threatening shift to the left edge, Blake Moore returned the ball back to the middle with a grubber that deflected off the posts and into the hands of Brandon Roberts to score the opener.

Forcing a repeat set shortly after points applied more pressure on the Tweed defensive line. A penalty forced the home side into making more tackles, too. However, the work Tweed put into their defence throughout the week paid dividends to withstand the attacking raid before a strong yardage set put them in a position to enter the arm wrestle. Using that set to force a poor kick out of the Capras in yardage, Treymain Spry returned it to the house to level the scores in the 14th minute.

Tweed took the confidence from their defence and the points that followed into a dominant period 15 minutes in. Getting up the field in yardage and staying there through a Toby Sexton forced dropout, Lindon McGrady went close to scoring in the left corner. Laying to the numbers through Lamar Manuel-Liolevave and returning to the left corner, Lee Turner crashed his way over the line.

Brent Woolf’s work here can’t be understated. By jumping out to engage the A defender and using the lead line to commit the defender at B, Woolf created the three-v-two matchup out wide for McGrady and Turner to combine for points.

Tweed controlled possession and field position in the quarter before halftime. An accidental offside as the Capras tried to kick their way out of trouble soon turned into a penalty and two points off the boot courtesy of McGrady.

The Capras struggled to work out of their own end towards the back end of the first half. Pushing a pass and looking for a second phase, they provided the home side with another chance to score before the break. Returning to the left edge where they’ve found so much success this season and did so again early into this one, Oskar Bryant spotted two defenders on the short side. One-on-one with his opposite, Turner bounced out to bring the winger into the tackle before sending Kaleb Ngamanu over in the corner.

Despite conceding early, the Seagulls responded well to take control of the game and carry a 20-6 lead into the break.

The home side was presented with an opportunity to build their lead straight out of the sheds as the Capras failed to complete their kickoff set. While Turner couldn’t flick the ball out to Ngamanu on the left wing, Tweed turned it over in the corner and picked up where they left off in terms of their dominance in field position.

Back-to-back Seagulls penalties did provide the Capras with an opportunity to attack in good ball but, once again, the much-improved defence of the home side held firm to turn them away and work up the field themselves. It took ten tackles on their next visit for the Capras to finally crack the line through Brandon Clarke’s barge over from dummy half.

Carrying a 20-12 lead into the final quarter of the match, Tweed quickly returned their lead to 12 and then 18 as Spry ran 90 metres to return another Capras 5th-tackle kick to score the first and Ngamanu collected a Weaver cross-field kick for the second.

Tweeds’ work in the first half put them in a position to win it in the second. While the Capras threatened to mount a comeback following Clarke’s try in the 57th minute, the Seagulls came home with a wet sail to score three tries in ten minutes to put the game out of reach with ten to play. Reece Summer’s first try of his Hostplus Cup career and Ngamanu’s third of the afternoon for his first career hattrick put the cherry on top of a 42-18 victory.

The win acts as a much-needed boost up the ladder for Tweed following back-to-back defeats. The Mackay Cutters now wait for David Penna’s side with the two teams booked to meet at BB Print Stadium on Saturday evening.

Key Takeaways

Add lock and edge backrow to Ryland Jacobs’ list of positions he can fill. He spent time at hooker, in the centres, at fullback and on the wing to start the season. This week, he replaced Will Brimson off the bench to spot up as a middle forward before pushing out to the edge when Oskar Bryant moved into hooker and Brent Woolf to lock.

“He’s Mr. Fix It, for sure,” Penna said after the game.

“Ryland’s effort and commitment to his teammates is second to none in our side.”

Tweed’s left edge returned to its best this week. Having left a few points out there against the Hunters in Round 12, they made sure to pile them up in Round 13. Spry bagged a double on the right edge by returning two Capras kicks to the house but Tweed’s best-constructed tries came down the left channel. Spry managed to feature in the last one himself.

Flipping over from the right to the left in Tweed’s last play of the game, Spry beat the man opposite him for speed and brought the winger into the tackle before handing the ball off for Ngamanu to score his third of the afternoon.

Coaches Comments

Tweed coach Dave Penna was relieved to get the win after a tough couple of weeks for his side.

“I know the boys have been hurting and we haven’t been playing all that well but it was nice to see them all rally around each other,” Penna said.

“It’s been a long week after a tough loss last week, so I’m very pleased as a coach to be where we are.”

Having spent the week with a focus on defence, Penna was pleased with the improvements.

“Our attitude towards it was great.”

“We still have a few areas we need to work on. They’re a classy footy side and threw plenty at us but we defended them well.

“The tries we let in those lapses in concentration.”

While there were a handful of lapses, Tweed know what it takes to win games and stuck to the plan after conceding early.

“If we can defend well and put our kicks into the corners and hold onto the footy, we’ve got a team that can score points,” said Penna.

“We’ve just got to make sure we do the simple things well and today was very pleasing. Even after conceding that first try we got back into rhythm and kept working hard.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, kept up with the Papua New Guinea Hunters before falling away late in their 34-18 loss at PNG Football Stadium, Port Moresby.

Toby Sexton put the Seagulls on the board early. On the back of two big defensive sets pinning the Hunters in their own end of the field, Tweed earned six again in good ball. With it, Sexton showed inside, straightened on his run, sold a dummy wide and crashed his way over the line.

The Hunters were allowed to answer right back, though.

Turning the ball over on the kick return, Tweed found themselves on defence after points. Morea Morea looked to break through off the scrum. Shortly after, Tommy Moide found some space around the ruck to barge his way over a level the scores.

Both teams found success in yardage throughout the first half. Neither was left wanting for opportunities to attack in good ball. The Tweed right edge looked dangerous through Sexton but the Hunters left edge defence jammed well to shut down the play. As Sexton looked left, the Hunters right edge responded in the same way.

Awarded a penalty to soon return to the Hunters’ 20-metre line, the Seagulls made it count. Holding the pass this time as the Hunters edge looked to get out at the Tweed outside backs, a show and go saw McGrady skip through the line for a 12-6 lead after 17 minutes.

While the Seagulls searched down the edges in good ball, the Hunters looked to bash the door down through the middle. Judah Rimbu played short around the ruck to his big forwards charging at the line. When that didn’t work, Joshua Mire rolled one into the in-goal for Junior Igila to bring the scores level in the 31st minute.

One try became two as the Hunters built a lead heading into the break. Again, Tweed wasn’t short of opportunities to score with two scrums and a penalty on the Hunters line after conceding points. However, the Hunters defence scrambled well before Morea scored as the halftime siren sounded.

The middle started to open up for the Hunters in yardage to end the first half but Tweed looked the stronger of the two teams through the middle to start the second. However, Jacob McCuddon and Lee Turner errors broke down the play while attacking the line to leave points out on the field while Oskar Bryant was pulled back centimetres from scoring throughout the first 15 minutes of the second half.

Having weathered the storm, an inspired Junior Rop carry and offload ended with Roderick Tai crossing over in the corner.

Rop’s error on the kickoff provided Tweed with an opportunity to answer back. A Rop penalty for a shoulder charge extended their time attacking the line. But as had been the case earlier, an error close to the line ended the attacking raid. This time, Lindon McGrady was said to have lost possession as he forced his way over the line down the left edge.

It looked as though one try would see the Seagulls fly home with a wet sail. The left edge had proven dangerous enough throughout the game to suggest one try might become two or three in quick succession. An attacking scrum ten metres from the Hunters line put the Seagulls in position to score the first one. Again, the left edge looked likely as Mavoko’s hand stopped McCudden’s slip line from producing points. A Mavoko tackle soon did the same again as Tweed continued to ask plenty of questions down that side of the field.

The theme of the day continued as the Hunters put the game to bed in the 72nd minute. Looking to shift the ball down the left edge in yardage, Weaver’s pass went to ground and into the hands of Tai who sent Solo Wane over to make it 28-12 with seven minutes to play.

McGrady’s short kickoff in response to Wane’s try didn’t travel ten metres with Rop wrapping up a strong individual performance for the Hunters with a try of his own in the 77th minute.

Tweed’s final play of the match ended in points as Kaleb Ngamanu went over in the corner.

The try does well to sum up how dangerous the Tweed attack looked throughout the 80 minutes only to be thwarted by errors with the line in sight.

Regardless of the points left out there in attack, the Seagulls will be disappointed to concede 30+ in back-to-back weeks. They will now return to home and begin preparing to face the Capras at the Piggabeen Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon.

Key Takeaways

The Seagulls weren’t short of try-scoring opportunities and left a lot of points out there in the end.

The Tweed left edge, as it has done all season, looked likely with the ball in hand. Tom Weaver and Toby Sexton created opportunities for those outside them at regular intervals. However, uncharacteristic errors plagued Jacob McCudden, Lee Turner and Lindon McGrady. All three lost the ball with the line in sight throughout the second half. A Hunters hand stopped Ryland Jacobs from going over in the corner in the first half, too.

Through the middle, Joe Vuna made his presence felt. In what can seem like an impossible task when you see how hard the Hunters forwards charge at the line, Vuna matched them in physicality with and without the ball. He ran hard himself and played a big part in how the Seagulls moved up the field. Without the ball, Vuna’s massive shot as a barnstorming Junior Rop returned the kickoff with Tweed down ten points inspired a dangerous period of play as the visitors chased the lead.

Coaches Comments

It’s a difficult trip and one that brings with it unique challenges but coach Dave Penna wasn’t making any excuses for his side.

“We started well,” Penna said.

“The boys struggled with the heat but no excuses. We completed at 50% and you can’t win games when you give the opposition that much football.”

“We need to regroup and have a good look at how we want to attack the back end of the season as a team.”

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, host the second edition of the Flockbuster against the Wynum-Manly Seagulls at Piggabeen Sports Complex this week.

Having fallen short in Round 9, the Seagulls responded with a resounding 54-14 win over the Ipswich Jets in Round 10.

“We came up here to do a job and the boys did that well,” Dave Penna said after the match.

“At times we played well and at others, we were a bit silly, but we asked them to do a job and they did that so it’s great.”

Ioane Seiuli bagged four tries as Tweed ran in nine throughout the match behind a strong pack that won the yardage battle by over 800 metres. Luke Burton ran for 106 metres beside Daniel Ross and his 154 metres at an impressive 12.8 metres per carry. Jaron Purcell continued his strong season with 139 metres and a try in 80 minutes at lock.

While Tweed piled up the points last week, it wasn’t perfect.

“We’re giving teams the ball in the wrong areas and we need to really fix that,” said Penna.

Tweed leads the Hostplus Cup in scoring to average 31.3 points per game but where they turn the ball over in Round 11 will be crucial with a Wynum-Manly side averaging 28.2 points per game in town.

Wynnum-Manly are coming in off a win over their own. Although, they allowed the Papua New Guinea Hunters to play themselves back into the match after trailing 28-0 shortly after halftime to scrape home with a 28-24 win.

Deine Mariner and Delouise Hoeter have been called into the Broncos squad for this week but Wynnum-Manly isn’t short of attacking talent. Five-eighth, Josh Rogers, is one of the most productive playmakers in the Hostplus Cup at the moment. Rogers is 2nd in the competition in points scored and his ten try assists so far this season ranks 4th. Meanwhile, only Blake Moore and Guy Hamilton have more linebreak assists than Rogers’ ten.

Defending for the full 80 minutes has been a focus for Tweed since the Round 7 bye and they’ve conceded only 15.3 points per game in the three games since then. However, they can expect to be regularly tested in this one.

These two have met once already this season with Tweed leaving Brisbane with a 44-26 win back in Round 5. A Jojo Fifita double and Ryland Jacobs hattrick kept the scoreboard ticking over as Tweed took a 28-8 lead into the second half before collecting the competition points.

Only two competition points separate the two teams on the ladder as both look to put some distance between themselves and those teams starting to slip away from the Top 8. Regardless of form and ladder position though, the Battle of the Chip is always one to circle on the calendar.

Players to Watch

It seemed to be the case by eye and the numbers eventually confirmed Oskar Bryant ran for a season-high 82 metres last week. He made the most of playing behind a dominant middle and played to the attacking cues Burton, Ross, Purcell and company created.

“We’re playing a lot of eyes up footy where we’re trying to recognise what defences are doing, where there is space, and encourage the boys to play there,” Dave Penna said after the match.

“They’re both [Bryant and Brent Woolf] good at playing what’s in front and they made the most of it today.”

Toby Sexton is another young player improving as the season goes on.

Making his return from injury last week, Sexton laid on a try assist and scored one himself as he picked up where he left off. His ability to engage the line through the middle and provide space for Lindon McGrady and Will Brimson on the edges is a major feature of a Seagulls attack that has scored the most points in the Hosplus Cup through 10 rounds.

Coach’s comments

Tweed has just kicked off a lengthy period of matches without a break so getting the balance right during the week is an important juggling act.

“We just keep moving forward and try to do as much as we can and as little as we can to keep everybody fresh,” Penna said.

They’ll be doing as much as they can to prepare for a Wynum-Manly side that offers plenty with the ball in hand.

“They’re a quality footy side and well-coached,” said Penna.

“We came up against them earlier in the year and it was a good game so I’m expecting nothing different to be honest.”

The Tweed middle has performed well in recent weeks despite a turnover of players filling the positions.

“The boys have got opportunities in the last couple of weeks with Lamar being out, some of the guys that are only at the start of their cup careers. They’re learning plenty and playing well, so it’s very pleasing.”

Lamar Manuel-Liolevave does return this week to give the pack another boost.

“Lamar is one of our leaders. He’s played over 100 games team and wears his heart on his sleeve. Every week he puts in for us – he loves it. He’s going to be very valuable for us, for sure.”

 

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, bounced back from a loss last week to pile up the points and record a resounding 54-14 win over the Ipswich Jets at North Ipswich Reserve.

Tweed stamped their authority on the match early by completing a strong kickoff set with the ball, pinning the Jets on their own line on the last, and forcing a goal-line dropout on the second tackle to put themselves hot on the attack.

The set ended with Ryland Jacobs clipping the touchline as he dived for the corner but set the standard for the following 79 minutes.

Treymain Spry had no such trouble on Tweed’s next visit into the Ipswich half. Following a lengthy Lindon McGrady kick return and strong Jacobs carry, Tweed sent the ball wide for Spry to wind up. Selling a dummy, running over one defender and carrying another across the line, Spry opened the scoring four minutes in.

The lead didn’t last long, though.

While Ipswich came into this one without a win, they’ve offered fine periods with the ball and used their first chance in attack to get on the board through Mosese Qionomacawa.

Tweed went back to the well in response. A long shift ended with Spry in possession with room to move before the Ipswich defence managed to hold him up over the line.

A scrambling Jets defence held Toby Sexton over the line shortly after as the home side desperately tried to keep themselves in the arm wrestle. Outside of giving away a handful of relieving penalties, Tweed dominated in yardage and simply needed a period of discipline to get the scoreboard ticking over again.

Presented with a penalty of their own, Ioane Seiuli turned it into points as Brent Woolf followed the third man out of the tackle and down the short side for the big back rower to crash over.

The try added a spark to the Seagulls attack. Looking wide early and often in yardage, the visitors had no trouble working their way back up the field after points. Coach Dave Penna spoke during the week about wanting to turn the ball over in the right areas of the field and not make it easy for the opposition by giving away possession in favourable positions.

For the remainder of the half Tweed either turned the ball over inside the Ipswich ten-metre line or not at all. With three tries in as many sets at one point, the Seagulls racked up a 30-4 halftime lead as Seuili grabbed his second, Sexton crossed for one himself, and Oskar Bryant laid one on for Jaron Purcell.

Like the first try of the afternoon, Bryant followed the slow peel down the short side and created the space alongside Sexton to send Seiuli over for his second.

Regathering a charge down and earning another shot at the line on the following set, Sexton shaped to pass to the destructive right edge before selling a dummy to send the defence flying and cutting back inside to score.

Tweed followed the same pattern in the following set. Again they targeted the space around the short side A defender as Bryant skipped through the line and drew the fullback for Purcell to score under the posts.

It all happened within ten minutes, but the Seagulls ran up a score that the Jets wouldn’t be able to chase down in the second half.

Ipswich gave life to the idea of a comeback with an early second half try. Ricco Falaniko crashed his way over following two six-again calls on the Tweed line. The period of ill-discipline that plagued the Seagulls in the first half resurfaced to start the second but like the first half, a try corrected things as Jacobs got the scoring going for the left edge in the 48th minute.

Having contributed to Tweed’s lethal right edge in the first half for a double, Seiuli completed his hattrick with one on the left edge in the 55th minute. He went close to grabbing a fourth ten minutes later before being clipped just short of the line. Seiuli did get there in the end, though.

Ending up with another full set attacking the line after the Jets defence trapped a Sexton grubber but failed to collect it, Tweed inched closer to 50 with Seiuli’s fourth the easiest of the lot.

A McGrady one-on-one tackle saved Tweed from conceding a late consolation try before he scored one of his own to bring up the half-century. The 54-14 win marks the second time Tweed has cracked 50 this season with this their biggest win of the year.

The Seagulls now prepare for the next edition of the Flockbuster with Wynum-Manly Seagulls coming to Piggabeen Sports Complex Round 11.

Key Takeaways

Toby Sexton made his return from injury in this one and picked up where he left off in Round 4. The 22-year-old scored a try and handed out four try assists across the opening four rounds and added more to his try involvement tally in this one. He commanded the right edge as Tweed went a long way to winning the game in the first half.

Sexton was able to work his magic thanks to a strong Seagulls yardage game.

Whether it be through tough carries one off the ruck through the middle or on the end of a shift crossing halfway, Tweed had few problems getting up the field. Spry has been a regular contributor in yardage this season and was heavily involved again in this one. It’s still to be confirmed at the time of writing, but Oskar Bryant likely set a new season-high in running metres with his work around the ruck causing having all the way up the field, too.

Ranked 5th in yardage heading into this one, Tweed will be climbing the list after this performance.

Coaches Comments

While their spots on the ladder suggested that this was one Tweed should win, Coach Dave Penna sent the team out with a job to do.

“We came up here to do a job and the boys did that well,” Penna said.

“At times we played well and at others, we were a bit silly, but we asked them to do a job and they did that so it’s great.”

The halftime score finished in heavy favour of the Seagulls but it wasn’t without putting in the hard work first.

“Credit to them [Ipswish]. They hung right in there for most of that first half and it was only the back end that we got a few points,” said Penna.

That first-half flurry came on the back of some nice work around the ruck from Brent Woolf and Oskar Bryant who looked especially dangerous jumping out from dummy half.

“We’re playing a lot of eyes up footy where we’re trying to recognise what defences are doing, where there is space, and encourage the boys to pay there.”

Tweed scored 54 points but it was Ioane Seiuli who piled up the most as he was rewarded for what has been an excellent start to the season.

“Ioane is working really hard on his game,” Penna said.

“He’s played a lot of positions for us. He’s played on the left, he’s played on the right. It was really pleasing for him to do well today and get the four tries.

“He’s got a great attitude. People don’t realise but he’s working really hard on his game and each week he’s getting better for us. It was really pleasing for him to do well for us today.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, are back on the road to face the Ipswich Jets in Round 10.

Round 9 ended up as one that got away for Tweed as they fell to the Souths Logan Magpies. The Seagulls took the lead three times and led 14-10 at halftime, but the Magpies scored twice in the second half to take the chocolates with a 20-14 win. Coach Dave Penna highlighted the fact Tweed managed to put themselves in a position to win the game but gave it away in a handful of poor moments throughout.

“We put ourselves in front in the game on three or four occasions but kept handing them the football when they shouldn’t have had it,” Penna said.

“You can’t win those quality games of footy by giving the opposition as much football as you do. Especially a quality opposition like theirs so we’ll go back to the drawing board.”

Nonetheless, Kaleb Ngamanu impressed for 242 running metres. The young winger is looking more comfortable every week in the grade and is providing consistent yardage as Tweed work away from their own end.

Lee Turner added another two tries to his season tally last week, too. Rarely a week goes by when Turner doesn’t have a hand in points. He’s scored in each of the last three games and handed out four try assists in the week leading up to the try-scoring streak.

In the middle, Jaron Purcell led from the front starting at lock while Luke Burton again impressed starting at prop. Starting his third-consecutive game after opening the season on the bench, Burton ran for a season-high 175 running metres in Round 9.

Turner and the Seagulls outside backs will be eager to continue their fine run of form against a Jets team that has conceded more points than any other in the competition. Giving up 44.75 points per game so far this season, Ipswich hasn’t given themselves much of a chance to be winless through eight games. Still, a new week brings with it another chance and they’re not a side the Seagulls can take lightly. While they’ve struggled to hold out the opposition, Ipswich have managed to score a few themselves to have cracked 20 points three times in eight games including a season-high 28 points in their last match against the Papua New Guinea Hunters in Round 8.

Jayden Corrigan is Jets a name plenty will recognise. The 26-year-old featured for the Seagulls in 2017 but has played for five different clubs in the last three seasons. He started this one with the Clydesdales before making his club debut for the Jets last week. Rhys Jacks is another player to keep an eye on this week. The 91-game Queensland Cup veteran is a key figure in the Jets attack to lead the team in try assists alongside Mania Cherrington and Zacchues Chong-Nee with three this season.

The last fixture between the two clubs brought with it 76 points as Tweed piled them up early to lead 22-6 at the break on their way to a 38-26 win in Round 16 last season. Given Tweed’s form with the ball, the struggles Ipswich have faced this season but their ability to cross the line improving, we can expect another high-scoring affair on Saturday.

Players To Watch

Jaron Purcell is coming off a monster performance in Round 9 where he led the side through the middle of the field with and without the ball.

Stepping in for Sam McIntyre who has since headed north to the Cowboys, Purcell ran for 179 metres on 21 carries while also making a team-high 48 tackles. In his first campaign with the club, Purcell has become a key consistent figure in the 17 to have featured in all eight games so far this season.

Ryland Jacobs has played all over the field throughout the season but has found his home back out on the wing in recent weeks. With six tries this season, he’s already eclipsed his total from 2022 and is just one short of equaling his career-high seven-try season in 2019. Outside Treymain Spry who is consistently threatening with the ball, Jacobs is a good chance of setting a new personal try-scoring record from this week onward.

Coach’s Comments

Coach Dave Penna is eager to get back out there and start to right the wrongs of last week.

“We’re a bit battered and bruised – mainly the pride,” said Penna.

“For us, it’s about our game and what we need to do to play well on the back of not playing so well last week.

“We’ve just got to make sure of defence is right and we complete our sets. That’s the big focus for this week.”

Jayden Corrigan landed at the Jets in Round 8 ahead of the team scoring the most points they have done all season. It’s not the first time Penna has looked into the fullback after facing him as part of the Western Clydesdale’s in Round 2.

“He’s a good player – quick,” Penna said.

“He gets involved a lot and is going to be an asset for them for sure.”

Sam McIntyre had been an asset to this Tweed side the side over the last 18 months but Penna is confident the rest of the squad can make up for his unavailability. Jaron Purcell, in particular.

“One person leaves and it gives another opportunity for some other players.

“There are a few boys that have been sitting there waiting for an opportunity and now that opens the door for a few players to play well. That’s the best part.

“We’ve just got to keep that going and find someone that is going to do the hard work Sammy did. Jaron is certainly filling that space at the moment.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, flew out of the blocks and piled up the points on a visiting Western Clydesdales to win 50-12 at the Piggabeen Sports Complex.

The Seagulls didn’t waste any time in using the perfect conditions for running rugby league to their advantage. Sending the ball wide in the very first shift of the game, Brent Woolf, Tom Weaver and Kaleb Ngamanu backed up down the short side for Lindon McGrady to score not a minute into the match.

The following set tracked similarly with Woolf taking a short side and the Seagulls shifting the ball through the middle out of yardage. It ended similarly, too. As Lamar Manuel-Liolevave won the ruck and took the markers out of play, Woolf took the space, engaged the A defender and forced a legs tackle out of B. With his arms free, Sam McIntyre released an offload for McGrady to have his second four minutes into the match.

It wasn’t until the 8th minute that the Clydesdales saw the football for the first time but they’d only use it once before conceding again. A penalty out of yardage kicked Tweed back into good ball, and with it, McIntyre made the most of a scheming Aaron Schoupp run to catch the defence napping and make it 18-0 in the 11th minute.

It looked as though Tweed had gone over again before the referee blew it up for an obstruction. The Clydesdales used the opportunity to get up the field but Tweed came straight back. Again, Woolf’s deception and speed around the ruck caused havoc as the Seagulls pack rolled forward.

Back into good ball, Tweed added another six points to their lead through Treymain Spry.

Beating the clock 21 minutes into the match, Tweed started to chance their arm. However, an offload to ground turned over possession and translated into Clydesdales points. Melino Fineanganofo used his size to crash over from dummy half and put the visitors on the board.

The Clydesdales took confidence from the points. They found success through offloads and spent an encouraging period attacking the Seagulls line. Fineanganofo went close to scoring his second but a scrambling McGrady produced a try-saving effort and a 12-point swing. Minutes after saving a try at one end, Tweed scored at the other. This time Schoupp found space around the ruck following a Spry carry to crash through two defenders with relative ease.

Fineanganofo’s second made it 30-12 at halftime to provide the visitors with hope of a comeback but Ryland Jacobs put an end to that shortly after the break. It wasn’t the perfect play; Ioane Seiuli wrapped around Lee Turner looking to collect an offload that went to ground. Pushing up in support, Will Brimson cleaned up the scraps to put Jacobs over and extend Tweed’s lead.

Spry’s second shortly after put the result beyond doubt as the game slowed down. Errors and penalties for both sides took the sting out of the match before Turner crashed over to cap off a classic Tweed shift.

Woolf, Weaver, McGrady, Brimson – try time.

Hnaloan Budden managed a consolation try for the visitors but with 50 in sight, Tweed made one last push for points to score as time expired.

Brimson’s half-break scrambled the defence and with Schoupp filling up down the short side, Woolf found the centre-turned-backrower to put the icing on a dominant Tweed win.

Strong through the middle up the field and clinical in good ball, it all came together for the Seagulls to crack 50 points for the first time since Round 8 in 2021.

Key Takeaways

Aaron Schoupp is a new name plenty will recognise on the team sheet this week. The Gold Coast Titans centre lined up in the #12 jersey in his first game for the Seagulls.

Finishing up with a double to go with 122 running metres, two line breaks, a line break assist, a try assists and a whopping 12 tackle breaks, he certainly had a big impact on the side and will be one to watch in the coming weeks if he remains at Cup level.

Brent Woolf continues to improve in his comeback from an injury-disrupted 2022 season. He played arguably his best game of the year so far as he orchestrated a hot start for the hosts. Shaping one way before jumping out the other, skipping out to engage the markers, passing the forwards onto the ball, he toyed with the defence at times.

Woolf working on the back of a bouncing Jacobs carry is becoming a hallmark of Tweed’s yardage sequences and often puts the team on the front foot ahead of a wide-ranging shift over halfway.

His numbers don’t begin to sum up the impact he had on the attack this week.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Greenmount Timber & Building Supplies is proud to announce the renewal of its sponsorship with Tweed Seagulls Rugby League Football Club for an extension of two years (2023-2024). The company’s renewed sponsorship includes the major naming rights of our U19s Women’s team.

Founded in 2003 by Dean Monley and his son Troy, Greenmount Timber provides high-quality building materials to builders and home renovators throughout Northern NSW and stretching into far North Queensland.

The Monley family know that when it comes to building a winning team or a quality home, using high-quality materials is key. That’s why Greenmount Timber is not only a trusted supplier of building materials but also a proud supporter of local sporting teams and community events in the Northern Rivers region.

Since the partnership’s inception just a year ago, the collaboration between Tweed Seagulls RLFC and Greenmount Timber has grown significantly. Dean’s decision to expand the company’s sponsorship to include the major naming rights of the U19s Women’s team is a testament to the partnership’s success. This renewed commitment to the club and its values is expected to bring significant benefits to both parties, including increased exposure to the game, the Greenmount Timber brand, and most importantly, getting local girls more involved in Rugby League.

Greenmount Timber is committed to providing sustainable building materials responsibly sourced from state-managed forests and plantations. They offer an extensive range, including timber and composite decking and flooring structural timber, Weathertex, and landscaping supplies such as fencing and logs.

For more information about the building materials and services offered by Greenmount Timber & Building Supplies, call them today on 07 5513 1555 or visit their website.

https://www.greenmounttimber.com.au/

The Gold Coast Airport Tweed Seagulls played host to the Souths Logan Magpies in Round 6. Despite a promising first half that saw the home side go into the sheds 8-6 behind, the visitors piled up the points after halftime to run out 36-6 victors at Piggabeen Sports Complex, Piggabeen.

Paige Parker demanded the ball early as Tweed looked to apply pressure on the Souths Logan line. She rolled one in behind to force the visitors to travel 99 metres in return. On the following set, she was some Daisy Gordon hands away from sending the winger down the sideline but the ball trickled into touch to put an end to the attacking raid. Defending their own line for a set, a relieving penalty again put the Seagulls into attacking position. Again Parker played her part to put up a towering bomb that ended with Evania Pelite dropping the ball over the line for a repeat set.

However, Tweed couldn’t make the most of the territory and possession – a theme that plagued them throughout the match. A penalty to get out of their own end sent Souths Logan on a path up the field that ended with the first points of the afternoon in the 13th minute. Finding space down the left edge through a second phase, Jodeci Nicholson went back to the same edge against a scrambled line a tackle later with Kalisi Longopoa going over in the corner.

Souths Logan returned to good ball six minutes later with a Tweed error presenting them with an attacking scrum. Shifting the ball back to the left edge again, Longopoa bagged a second to push the visitors’ lead out to 8-0 in the 21st minute.

The Magpies threatened again not long after but the Seagulls managed to turn them away and play themselves back into the game. Jamie Chapman, as she has done all season, put her hand up for a tough carry out of yardage to start the set well. Parker finished it with a handy kick into the corner.

Daisy Gordon broke into the backfield with a show-and-go on the following set but couldn’t find the support to ice the opportunity. She iced the next one, though.

Cleaning up a Parker grubber on the last, Gordon circled back to the middle of the field, chipped in behind the line and collected the ball to score under the posts.

Just like that, the Seagulls received reward from a strong first half to go into the sheds only 8-6 behind.

Tweed opened the second half by setting up deep for a wide-ranging right shift as they crossed halfway. A nice Jetaya Faifua short ball sent Zara Canfield through half a gap only for the officials to call it forward. In response, Souths Logan kept it tight and repeatedly hit Tweeds left edge defence. Following Kiia Parata and Tyesha Mikaio carries, Brittany Breayley-Nati spotted the home side short on the edge to get Baylee Davies over for a 14-6 lead shortly after the break.

Like the first half, the Magpies piled up points in quick succession. Jasmine Fogavini broke through the middle to force a late tackle out of Chapman out the back. With the defence unable to track back, Souths Logan went back to what worked down the right side for Mikaio to make it 18-6 in the 42nd minute.

Tweed defended well to stop the flow of points to hold the Magpies out across back-to-back-to-back sets on their line. Running and kicking into the wind made it difficult to play themselves into attacking position, though.

In the end, the Magpies played with superior possession and field position in the second half. Two of their stars, Steph Hancock and Evania Pelite, linked up for the left edge to score.

First, a Hancock offload created the second phase before Pelite made the most of a sliding defensive line to send Shellie Long over in the 47th minute. Ten minutes later, Hancock and Pelite combined again for Longopoa to score her third of the afternoon. Just the threat of a Hancock offload compressed the defence which opened the space for Pelite to fire the long pass wide for Longopoa to dot down.

What looked like a sure consolation try for the Seagulls ended with the Magpies scoring one more before full time for the visitors to make the most of a strong second half. While there were positive signs throughout the first half as the defence held firm, Tweed couldn’t hold the ball for long enough in the second half to threaten the line. Souths Logan takes the chocolates with the 36-6 win.

Key Takeaways

Paige Parker’s kicking game stood out as a massive advantage early on for the home side. Where the Magpies struggled to find touch on a kick for touch more than once, Parker kicked the Seagulls into attacking areas. Forcing repeat sets close to the line and kicking in behind the back three in yardage, she capped off attacking raids and kicked Tweed out of trouble with the breeze at her back in the first half. Earlier into sets her running game threatened and created half-opportunities out wide.

Ellie Williamson provided a promising spark off the bench again this week. Alternating between spells at dummy half, as a ball carrier through the middle and finishing in the halves, her quick feet moved Tweed up the field. No carry was easy for the home side against the breeze in the second half but her late footwork put them on the front fleetingly. Her carries and overall versatility are valuable assets off the bench as she continues to improve with every appearance.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, are back from the Easter break and preparing for the “Flockbuster” against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls at BMD Kougari Oval, Brisbane in Round 5 of the QRL Hostplus Cup. Kick-off is this Sunday, 16th April at 2:10pm.

The Seagulls will no doubt be desperate to get back out on the field following a heartbreaking defeat to the Burleigh Bears in Round 4. After levelling the scores in the 75th minute to bring at least a draw within touching distance, a 79th-minute penalty goal kicked the Bears to victory.

“The boys worked really hard on staying in the grind,” Penna said after the match.

“It was a tough way to lose. Hard to take.”

Ioane Seiuli continued his impressive start to the season with a team-high 190 running metres against the Bears in Round 4. He still leads the competition in post-contact yardage with 268 metres across his four games. Having shuffled around a few spots to start the year, he has been named to start on the edge this week. It’s arguably where Seiuli played his best football in 2022 and his addition to the pack rounds out a strong forward rotation for Tweed this weekend. Seiuli can hold up defenders with his line running and gravity as a ball carrier, and he’s skilful enough to move the ball to the edge when the occasion calls for it.

Similarly, Tom Weaver is going from strength to strength as he cements his place in the top side. With five try assists in his last two matches, he’s becoming a key feature of the Seagulls’ attack. Toby Sexton’s absence due to injury will keep him from the field for the next six weeks, but coach Penna is lucky enough to have an abundance of ball players to step in. Lindon McGrady’s return from injury, having played last week at fullback, comes at an opportune moment as he prepares to move back into the halves since starting in Round 1. While it may require some time for the duo to establish a solid partnership, the injury to Sexton offers the opportunity for the pair to become more acquainted with each other over the next few rounds.

Meanwhile, Wynnum-Manly are licking Round 4 wounds of their own. Largely cruising through the opening three rounds for three wins at 40 points per game, the Dolphins piled up 36 points to hand the Seagulls their first loss of the season two weeks ago.

Wynnum-Manly has a lot of attacking threats to keep an eye on. Josh Rogers leads the Hostplus Cup in scoring with 46 points while also handing out a competition-high seven try assists. Deine Mariner and his six line breaks this season will be another consideration for Coach Penna and the Tweed defence throughout the week.

We’re roughly one year removed from the last time these two met in a thrilling 72-point game. Again it was Tweed fighting back to draw level late in the piece before a Mathew Lyons try at the death broke the deadlock for Wynnum-Manly to take the chocolates.

Given the attacking output on display from both teams throughout the season so far, we can expect another back-and-forth tussle between the two on Sunday afternoon.

Player To Watch

After making his long-awaited return to the Tweed Seagulls in Round 4, veteran NRL forward Ryan James is named to start at prop this weekend. It was a full-circle moment for James and Tweed when he took the field against the Bears two weeks ago, with the Indigenous All-Star representative having started his QRL playing career with the Tweed Seagulls way back in 2014.

A proud family man off the field and a fierce competitor on it, James’ inclusion in 2023 is an exciting one for the Tweed faithful. With 168 NRL games under the belt, James knows what’s required in the big moments. A reliable yardage merchant and capable of tipping a pass along before the line, James provides Tweed with another big body alongside Lamar Manuel-Liolevave to lock down the pack.

How he combines with Brent Woolf around the ruck this week will go some ways to helping Tweed win the yardage battle through the middle.

Coaches Comments

Head Coach Dave Penna was full of praise for Ryan James this week and says the club is delighted to have him back in the fold.

“He’s so valuable to us,” Penna said.

“Ryan’s commitment and experience has been great to have around training. He talks well and helps out with our younger players.”

“He’s a hard worker, he’s got great principles and we’re blessed to have him back at Tweed this season. He’s been great for us.”

Penna also paid tribute to his players after an improved showing in Round 4 against a skillful Burleigh Bears outfit.

“We’ve been working hard on playing out the full 80 minutes and although we didn’t get the result against the Bears, I thought we made some good progress in that area,” said Penna.

“The boys really knuckled down in defence to limit the strike Burleigh have across the park. To lose it by a penalty in the last minute hurt, but that’s rugby league sometimes.”

“There were moments we can still improve, mainly around our errors and discipline. You can’t be tackling any more than you need to in this comp so that’s something we’re still working on.”

 

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Tweed Seagulls Rugby League Football Club is thrilled to announce the continuation of its sponsorship with ABC Building Products for the 2023 season. This partnership, which began in 2007, has played a crucial role in the club’s growth and success.

ABC Building Products, a South East Queensland based business specialising in a range of building products, including bricks, blocks, paving, trade tools, equipment, lightweight cladding landscaping and steel reinforcement etc, has been a steadfast supporter of the Seagulls for over a decade. 

Andrew Mills and the team at ABC dedication to providing great service, reliable on-time delivery, expert knowledge in building products have made them one of the most notable homegrown companies on the coast. 

“We are absolutely thrilled to continue our unwavering support of the Seagulls this year. The club is an integral part of the community, and we are proud to be associated with them. The values of the Seagulls are closely aligned with our values at ABC Building Products, and we are honored to be a part of this partnership. We look forward to another incredible season and continuing our long-standing relationship,” said Andrew Mills.

The sponsorship from ABC Building Products has been invaluable to the club, especially during tough times such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating Northern New South Wales floods. The company’s commitment to the Tweed has not wavered as they continue to support the Seagulls in a partnership dedicated to paving the way for an even brighter future.

The Tweed Seagulls RLFC would like to express their deepest gratitude to ABC Building Products for their ongoing support. The company has left a lasting impact on the club, truly set in stone, having provided the structural material for the new dressing sheds at the Piggabeen Sports Complex.

Together, we believe we can achieve great things and make a positive impact on the community.

Follow ABC Building Products on social media. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abcbuildingproducts/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abcbuildingproduct

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abc-building-products/

A story that spans over 100 years: Seagulls Club claims naming rights sponsorship of the Tweed Seagulls RLFC once again.

The Tweed Seagulls RLFC announced its partnership with the Seagulls Club as the official naming rights sponsor from 2023 – 2025.

As an iconic part of the Tweed community, the Seagulls Club has been a cornerstone of the area for over 100 years. The Seagulls Club’s dedication to providing a welcoming and inclusive space for members and visitors alike is unparalleled. We share their commitment to giving back to the community and are delighted to be a part of their efforts to improve the wider community’s well-being.

The Seagulls Club is one of seven venues forming the Norths Collective, a progressive hospitality group passionate about their commitment to the communities they serve, bringing people together, and celebrating shared connections. Norths Collective CEO Luke Simmons attended the recent announcement of the State Government’s investment into the development of the Piggabeen facility, demonstrating the partnership’s strength and commitment to the Tweed Heads community.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Tweed Seagulls RLFC and support them as they continue to grow and develop as a team. This partnership aligns with Norths Collective’s mission to actively participate in the communities we serve and support initiatives that bring people together. We recognise the important role the club plays in the local community, and for us to help enable the rugby league club to be the best they can be and support those coming through the system is truly exciting.”

said Luke Simmons, CEO of the Seagulls Club governing body, the Norths Collective.

As a Rugby League club, we share a deep passion for the sport with the Seagulls Club, and we are excited to have their support as we continue to grow and develop as a team. With the Seagulls Club by our side, we are confident that we will continue to excel on the field and positively impact the community.

“We are honoured to be associated with a club that has been an integral part of the Tweed Coast community for over 100 years. By working together, we can positively impact the lives of those in the community. We see this partnership as an opportunity to support a great Rugby League team and give back to the community that has supported us for so long,”

said Stuart Burrows, Seagulls Club’s General Manager.

As a club, we are deeply grateful for the Seagulls Club’s support, and we look forward to working together to achieve our shared goals. With their assistance, we are confident that we will continue impacting the community and positively growing as a team.

Thank you, Seagulls Club, for your support and dedication to our team. We are thrilled to begin this partnership and look forward to achieving great things together. Up the Seagulls!

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, has held off a fast-finishing Norths Devils to win 32-26 in a heart-stopper at the Piggabeen Sports Complex.

Toby Sexton’s kicking game allowed the Seagulls to get off to a flier. His 5th-tackle bomb to end a strong yardage set landed just short of the line. As Jack Ahearn defused the bomb, Treymain Spry and Jaron Purcell cleaned him up and forced him back in goal. With the extra set of six, the Seagulls played to the right post and sent the ball left where Jaylan De Groot skipped through a huge hole to score. Sexton deserves another mention for his involvement in straightening the line through the middle.

Tweed continued to build pressure after the Devils kickoff sailed out on the full. While they couldn’t turn another attacking set into points, they again looked dangerous down the left edge with Sexton, in particular, organising the play and putting a dangerous Seagulls backline in positions to ask questions of the defence.

Ryland Jacobs started in the relatively unfamiliar position of dummy half but looked more than comfortable behind the ruck. Jumping out and getting up the field, his quick play-the-ball turned into more of the same from De Groot and the Seagulls used the momentum to score their second of the afternoon.

With the defensive line on the back foot, Sexton only ever looked like running it on the last. He moved the ball quickly to the left edge before taking it back from Tom Weaver and crashing over for a 12-0 lead in the 12th minute.

Sexton and the Tweed left edge continued to find success with a third try coming only minutes later. Some deception through the middle with Lamar Manuel-Liolevave hanging off his hip compressed the defence as Daniel Ross ran a hard decoy. With the defence disconnected, Weaver simply had to shovel a short ball onto Jacob McCudden to score Tweed’s third try inside 16 minutes.

Like the first, it came on the back of a Seagulls repeat set. And, again like the first, the Devils kickoff sailed out on the full to send the home side straight back into good ball.

Sexton worked the Seagulls middle to the same point and looked to run the same shape that translated into points two minutes earlier. He played short this time but his work with the ball constantly stressed the Devils defensive line.

Norths finally spent some time with the ball as the clock went ahead of Tweed’s point total in the 19th minute. However, their dangerous tackle to end a powerful yardage set released all pressure. A late shot on Purcell summed up their frustrations as Sexton knocked over a penalty goal to push the lead out to 20.

Close to perfect in the first quarter of the match, a forward pass and high tackle penalty forced the Seagulls to defend their own line. While the Devils threatened down the left edge with Ahearn heavily involved, the visitors couldn’t find a way through.

In response, Tweed marched up the field and added four more points to their lead. Looking right this time, Sexton again played a leading role. The tempo changes in his run caused havoc on the Devils defensive line as the sweeping Seagulls edge took the space he created to score.

Norths learnt the hard way that you can’t give Spry too much space near the line. Taking the ball one pass off a midfield scrum, he stepped off his left foot as Weaver made the pass, got to the outside of his man, and with the ball in two hands shaping to pass, barged his way over for the Seagulls to take a 30-0 lead five minutes before halftime. Another penalty goal as the siren sounded made it 32-0 by the time the siren sounded.

The Devils desperately needed a fast start to the second half if they wanted to threaten a comeback and Brendan Piakura produced the goods. A well-worked move isolated the big back rower onto the Seagulls halfback for Norths to register their first points of the afternoon.

Another only five minutes later gave life to the idea of the unthinkable. The Devils were throwing caution to the wind, pushing passes, and making the most of what stuck. Five minutes later again and the Devils crossed the line. The changes of angles and short passes proved tough to handle as Ahearn poked his nose through and reached out to pull the Devils to within 16 points.

Tweed simply needed time with the ball to start icing the game. Going back to what worked in the first half and crashing the middle before trusting in Sexton’s boot, the Seagulls started to put an end to the Devils’ push for a comeback.

However, the Devils kept coming. Viko Puliuvea scored under the posts in the 73rd minute. Needing to score again to give themselves one last set to pinch a winner, the Devils worked down the right edge in yardage and kicked in behind the line for Bernard Gregorius to score in the 77th minute. From 32-0 in front, the Seagulls found themselves needing to defend a 32-26 lead with a minute to play.

It ended up closer than they would have liked, but one last defensive effort was enough to secure the win and two competition points.

Key Takeaways
Brent Woolf made a successful return from injury. Playing in his first game since Tweed’s quarter final win over the Brisbane Tigers last year, Woolf came off the bench to spell Ryland Jacobs at dummy half.

It’s difficult to go past Toby Sexton as the Man of the Match. He made it look easy out there at times in the first half. His development in the subtleties of halfback play were clear to see as he used changes in the tempo of his runs to tie up the middle and put them on their heels before sending the ball wide for his backline to find points.

He won’t be credited with the try assist numbers, but he played a leading role in three tries in the first half while scoring another himself.

If not Sexton then Tom Weaver. He kicked well and provided the finishing touches on the edge in another impressive performance. The youngster is getting better every week and the Seagulls attack is getting better with him.

Coach’s Comments
It was all looking good at halftime but coach Dave Penna wasn’t sitting quite so comfortably towards the end.

“I was a little bit nervous towards the backend but the boys did enough,” said Penna.
“We’ve got a bit of work to do on our second half.”

Toby Sexton and Tom Weaver played a big part in that strong first half, and it all started with the kicking game.

“I thought Toby and Tom both had great games,” Penna said.
“Their kicking game was great and they led the team around really well.”

Brent Woolf made his return and will be another leading voice so long as he can stay on the field.

“Brent was great. We played him a bit longer than we needed to but it was great to have him back.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Gold Coast Airport Tweed Seagulls played host to the Brisbane Tigers at the Piggabeen Sports Complex, Piggabeen in Round 3. With both sides looking for their first win of the 2023 BMD Premiership season, the Brisbane Tigers claimed the competition points with a 24-12 comeback win.

The Seagulls withstood an early attacking raid from the Tigers before getting up the field and opening the scoring themselves. Shortly after Jamie Chapman held up Tigers centre Keisha-Leigh Coolwell up over the line, Tweed centre Kolora Lomani went over to open the scoring at the other end.

The Tigers failed to play to the whistle as the ball went to ground and Zara Canfield spied the opportunity out wide.

Having saved one early, Chapman put herself on the scoreboard seven minutes later. It started with Nikiah Campbell forcing a repeat set and ended with the Seagulls fullback under the posts. Setting up on the left post and fanned out to the right, it looked as though the home side wanted to string a shift together for Faith Tutauha in the corner. However, as the Tweed backline looked right, Chapman snuck in underneath, found the gap and pushed their lead out to 12-0.

The scoreboard didn’t paint an accurate picture of the first 20 minutes. Despite finding themselves 12-0 behind, the Tigers hadn’t played poorly. They worked up the field well and generated opportunities to attack in good ball. The Tweed defence finally cracked following Ellen Nussey’s forced dropout with Nikayla Sines crashing over in the left corner.

As the game worked into more of the grind, Tweed searched for easier metres down the edges. Jetaya Faifua’s long passing game proved difficult for the Tigers to handle as she floated one over to Daisy Gordon in yardage. With the defensive line scrambled and points on offer, Jessika Elliston couldn’t reel in a pass around her ankles as an 18-6 lead went begging shortly before halftime.

Some Tweed ill-discipline released pressure too often in the first half. Piggyback penalties, one as the Tigers worked out from their own corner, put a lid on Tweed’s scoring as they entered the sheds having left points out on the field. An error to open the second half provided the Tigers with an opportunity to close the gap. Similar to the first half, early ball to Sines on the left edge translated into points as she broke through the line and ducked a Chapman tackle to score.

Nikiah Campbell took it upon herself to drag the Seagulls up the field in response to Brisbane points but another Tweed error put the home side under more pressure. That pressure turned into Tigers points and a 14-12 lead in the 42nd minute.

Errors continued to dominate the game as both sides gave up possession. Tweed didn’t have any trouble getting up the field when they held onto the ball and a strong set threatened to turn the tide. Erana Reti passed her forwards onto the ball by jumping out and engaging the markers in yardage. Chapman inserted herself into the set with a classic crabbing run to pull the defensive line out of shape.

But the defensive workload proved too much for Tweed as the error count kept building. An attempted intercept to ground set a scrum for the Tigers. A sweeping Tayla Eldridge created the extra number and allowed Tegan Spicer to push Brisbane’s lead out to 20-12 with 15 minutes to play.

Just as Tweed looked to be building some momentum through their forward pack, they lost a key contributor in Canfield. The referee spotted a high shot – which he called Canfield’s fourth of the afternoon – and the Seagulls backrower was given her marching orders in the 61st minute.

Chapman did her best to inspire one last push from her side with a destructive carry but was forced to leave the field reducing Tweed to 11 for a moment. The Tigers used that moment to score their fifth unanswered try and secure the 24-12 away win.

It’s a result the Seagulls will feel as though they let slip following a fast start. They played well in patches but too many errors limited them to 12 points. They’ll now prepare for their Round 4 match against the Burleigh Bears who convincingly beat the Mackay Cutters 34-4 this week.

Key Takeaways

The Seagulls looked the better side when they were able to maintain possession. Even in moments both teams embraced the grind, they looked the more likely to score. However, regular errors and relieving penalties provided the visitors with too many opportunities to score. By turning over possession in their own half, Tweed spent too long defending and the extra tackles eventually caught up with them.

Georgia and Jessika Elliston both ran the ball well through the middle. Jamie Chapman looked impossible to stop at times as she brushed off Tigers defenders in yardage. Nikiah Campbell, the five-eighth, put her head down and ran the ball like a middle forward at times. But those strong carries and the fast play-the-ball they generated were followed by errors too often

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, are headed to Clive Berghofer Stadium in Toowoomba for Round 2 of the 2023 Hostplus Cup season.

Dave Penna’s side are looking to build on a strong second half in Round 1. Going down early and trailing 22-4 shortly after the break, the Seagulls recovered to draw level at 22-22 before Anthony Milford knocked over a field goal to secure a Central Queensland Capras win.

The Seagulls also lost captain Lindon McGrady last week but youngsters, Jaylan De Groot and Oskar Bryant, will be better for the run and experience of a difficult day overall. Delays led to a lengthy trip to Rockhampton and the game being pushed out an hour before they could make their Seagulls first-grade debut.

De Groot looked comfortable at fullback in testing conditions to finish up with 105 running metres for the Seagulls. Bryant, who trained with the Gold Coast Titans over the summer and didn’t look out of place at dummy half, is set to come off the bench behind Ryland Jacobs on Saturday. Bryant took his opportunities to run the ball against the Capras and set up a Lloyd Perrett try.

Jacobs’ versatility is again a factor heading into Round 2. He started on the wing, featured in dummy half, and finished the game at five-eighth following McGrady’s injury in the second half.

“Ryland was great,” Penna said after the game.

“He is a great player that always gives 100% and we’re lucky to have him.”

Meanwhile, the Western Clydesdales playing in their inaugural Hostplus Cup season, kicked things off with a 20-10 defeat at the hands of the Papua New Guinea Hunters. Slow to start themselves, two tries on either side of halftime put them in a position to push the Hunters through to the 80th minute.

“They played for 80 minutes,” said Penna.

“They ran hard. Tackled hard. They’ll get better. For a new team, blokes that haven’t played together, they did a really good job.”

The Clydesdales recruited well for their first season in the competition. Jayden Corrigan is experienced at this level and comes into 2023 having scored eight tries in eight games for the Devils last year. Bessie Toomaga is another name Cup fans will recognise after he averaged 107 running metres per game while scoring 12 tries and kicking 45 goals across 18 games for the Brisbane Tigers. The Clydesdales are led by Darryn Schonig who, between appearances for the Melbourne Storm, spent the last three seasons with the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

Players To Watch

Luke Burton has again been named to come off the bench this week. You certainly took notice when he ran out onto the field in Round 1. Running for 67 metres on only five carries, Burton provided great physicality off the bench and played a key role in triggering Tweed’s comeback. With the experience of Lamar Manuel-Liolevave and Daniel Ross to start before Burton bursts into the game before the break, Tweed are a threat through the middle of the field across the full 80 minutes.

The likes of Manuel-Liolevave, Ross and Burton will lay the platform for Tom Weaver to make his third appearance for the Seagulls. Into five-eighth for the injured McGrady, Weaver has been named to link up with Toby Sexton in the halves. The 20-year-old wasn’t given too many opportunities with the ball in his two games last year but impressed in defence. If given room to move, it won’t be long before we see Weaver beat would-be tacklers with a dangerous right foot step.

Coach’s Comments

Those strapping into the game for kickoff last week will have been left confused by the hour delay. However, despite the disrupted game day preparation, Coach Penna wasn’t offering any excuses for a slow start and is confident in a correction this week

“We had a good chat around what we’re doing. We want to work hard early and front-load our energy.” Penna said.

“We did a 12-hour trip that should have only taken us two so it was a long day, but no excuses. We let ourselves down in a couple of departments.”

There were some positives to come out of it, though.

“We had a few young blokes (De Groot and Bryant) out there who learnt plenty from it,” Penna said.

Round 2 is an opportunity to build on what was still an encouraging opener despite the final result.

“Every week we’re trying to be consistent and get better at the things we need to get better at. We’re hoping to get that one step better all the time.”

“We played really well for 40 minutes last week but you need to be consistent for 80 minutes.”

1. Jaylan De Groot
2. Malachi Morgan
3. Ioane Seiuli
4. Lee Turner
5. Kaleb Ngamanu
6. Thomas Weaver
7. Toby Sexton
8. Lamar Liolevave
9. Ryland Jacobs
10. Daniel Ross
11. Klese Haas
12. Jacob McCudden
13. Jaron Purcell
14. Oskar Bryant
15. Luke Burton
16. Lloyd Perrett
17. Jaleel Seve

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Gold Coast Airport Tweed Seagulls bounced back from an error-ridden start to their match at Browne Park, Rockhampton. However, the Central Queensland Capras built enough of a lead to secure the 22-4 win in a scrappy Round 1 contest.

Tweed put themselves under pressure early by conceding penalties in yardage, but the Capras couldn’t turn their gifted opportunities into points to start. Instead, when Tweed kept hold of the ball and completed their defensive sets without issue, they looked the more likely of the two teams to score in the first ten minutes. Both Rona Peters and Jamie Chapman went close to scoring the opener.

Round 1 rust defined the exchanges throughout the opening period of the match. Too often one team backed an opposition error up with one of their own. Eventually, the Capras managed to get to the end of a set in good ball which saw Reeghyn Beardmore roll a perfect grubber in behind the line for Tarni Smith to claim the first four-pointer of the afternoon and a 6-0 lead after 15 minutes.

The penalties continued to pile up for the Seagulls. Offside out of yardage and a high tackle in good ball provided the Capras with an ideal opportunity to build on their lead. However, the Tweed line speed never slowed. They continued to get up in the face of the Capras as they looked to shift the ball through the left edge, forcing errors themselves and threatening to get into the grind.

Despite the dropped ball and lack of flow to the game, Jamie Chapman’s quality shone throughout. Eager to get her hands on the ball whenever possible, the Seagulls and Brisbane Broncos fullback’s running game looked the most likely avenue to ascendency.

As is often the case in early-season games, completing sets is pivotal. Riding out the rust and earning shots inside the opposition’s 20-metre line is the name of the game. Beardmore’s boot ended up being the major difference between the two teams across the first half. Getting to the last tackle shortly before the break, she rolled another one in behind the Tweed defensive line. Mariah Stoch fell on it the second time around before adding the extras to build a 12-0 lead at halftime.

Unfortunately for the Seagulls, the second half started in a similar fashion to the first: with errors.

Like the first half, the Carpras halfback made good use of their time attacking the Seagulls line. Having rolled two in behind the line already, she took it on herself to crash over for an 18-0 lead in the 47th minute.

We caught a glimpse of how things could look for the Seagulls if the passes started to stick. A short side raid into an offload back in field put the visitors in a position to attack in good ball. With it, Gloria-Hannah Murray-Fiu – who had produced a few promising moments from dummy half already – capitalised on some tired Capras defence to score her first of the 2023 BMD Premiership season.

A Jessika Elliston linebreak provided Tweed with a chance to earn a grandstand finish. The Tweed prop put on some footwork to beat the defence but Kolora Lomani was dragged down in the backfield in a tackle that went a long way to sealing the result for Central Queensland. A Krystal Sulter try in the dying stages made sure of it.

While the Seagulls looked a lot better the longer the game went on, the early errors and penalties made the job too difficult to finish inside 70 minutes as they went down 22-4 in Rockhampton.

Key Takeaways

Rona Peters was in everything for the Tweed Seagulls in this one. She ran the ball well to carry her side up the field. When she wasn’t carting it up herself, Rona’s middle service created favourable opportunities for the other forwards around her. On a dry day, she will be a good source of clean ball for the outside backs too.

A pass, run and kick threat in good ball, she will be crucial to the Seagulls attack when it all clicks in yardage. However, and a lot of it is down to how much time Tweed was forced to spend in defence, she made a significant impact without it. A big shot put an end to a good Capras set more than once.

Nikiah Campbell is another that will benefit from more opportunities to attack the opposition line. Light on her feet as she changes her tempo across the field, it won’t be long before she steps into a gap and opens her account for the year.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

You often hear people say your team is like a group of sisters, but many can’t relate to actually having theirs by their side on the pitch.

As the Seagulls gear up for their season opener against the CQ Capras, all eyes are on Elliston sisters Jessika and Georgia, who are set to make their mark in the 2023 BMD Premiership season on either side of the front row.

Jessika Elliston, a seasoned Queensland Origin player, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Seagulls squad. Her leadership and skill on the field are second to none, and having her as a teammate is undoubtedly a huge advantage for her little sister, Georgia.

The sisters are each other’s biggest fans but can also be each other’s biggest critics. For Jessika, being able to share her passion and knowledge of rugby league with her younger sister has been a thrill. “It’s been really cool, and to be able to talk footy with her has been great,” she said. “But I think it actually kills her to listen to me and take my advice… like I know what I’m doing, ok!” Jessika added jokingly.

As a Queensland Origin player, Jessika has faced some of the toughest competition in the game, and although she has had some setbacks through injury, Jess has emerged as a better player time and time again. Her experience and expertise are sure to rub off on her little sister, and it will be exciting to see how Georgia progresses through the season.

It all started with a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) for Georgia, the younger sister, as she watched her friends thrive in rugby league while she clung to playing rugby union. But when coaches Lawrance and Lam approached her with a comment, the decision to switch codes was made.

Jess, Georgia’s sister, recalls the moment. “She was nervous about the switch from union to league, but the coaches showed genuine interest in her, watched her train, and saw how strong she is. But what tipped her was when they said they couldn’t guarantee her any playing time. That set her off, and she was instantly set on proving them wrong and making the squad.”

Georgia’s drive to succeed is undeniable, and her decision to join the Seagulls squad is a testament to that. However, Georgia is still very humble, and she didn’t expect to make the starting team so soon.

“I honestly had the plan to drive up myself just as a spectator – it’s on my bucket list to see the Turtles hatch, and I was going to do all that, but this is a better plan,” said Georgia, reflecting on when she found out she’d made the starting team.

Head coaches Lawrance and Lam knew what they were getting into when they welcomed both sisters into the squad. Growing up with siblings often means combining fun and adventure with the constant need to one-up each other, and in sports, these traits are only enhanced. But for the Seagulls, having both sisters on the field is a surefire way to trouble their opponents.

“Jess is super protective over me.” Said Georgia “I’m not worried about how we will play together; I’m more worried about what she will do to the opposition if anything happens to me.”

With their sibling connection and drive to succeed, there’s no doubt that they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming season.

Jessika’s last remarks were, “If she’s not an egg, she’ll be fine.”

Finishing 2022 at 6th on the ladder and as one of the best defensive teams in the competition, the Seagulls’ season ended in Week 2 of the finals in a late 26-24 defeat at the hands of the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Meanwhile, the Capras will be looking to continue on their upward trajectory following a 5th placed finish last year. Left with two wooden spoons either side of the cancelled 2020 season and a combined two wins across 2019 and 2021, the Capras impressed in winning 11 games before also seeing their season end in Week 2.

The last time these two teams met came in Round 13 last season. The Seagulls managed to build an early 16-0 lead thanks to tries from Will Brimson, Sosefo Fifita and Scott Galaeano before holding on in the second half to secure the 18-12 away win.

Saturday’s match is a chance for both teams to build on 2022’s finals appearance and put all of the hard work over the offseason into practice.

For Tweed, Lindon McGrady – who notched up his 100th game for the club last year – returns to lead the club, this week from fullback. The Prince of Piggabeen has been a mainstay in the side in recent years. In a new-look Seagulls outfit playing in their first competitive game of the year, his familiarity and control will be a big factor this week.

The Seagulls set a high bar last year. Exciting and free-flowing in attack and conceding just over 20 points per game, there is plenty of confidence that this group can build on a promising 2022 and improve further in 2023.

Players To Watch

Named to make his Seagulls debut this week, Jaron Purcell arrives from Newcastle and will fill the #13 jersey for this one. Coach Dave Penna’s approach in attack is something that appealed to Purcell when weighing up the decision to move north. A good ball player and more than capable of providing the middle service Tweed often used to shift the ball last season, his involvement will be important to how the Seagulls get up and around the field on Saturday.

While there has been a turnover in faces through the middle of the field, a cohesive back-five should ensure the Seagulls ice plenty of opportunities out wide with the ball. McGrady, The Prince of Piggabeen, finds the ball regardless of which position he fills and will be a key link between Tom Weaver and Toby Sexton in the halves, and his outside backs. Ioane Seiuli, who jumped between the backrow and centre last season, is a big body out wide that will cause the defence all sorts of problems in yardage and close to the line. Ryland Jacobs is back for his sixth season at the club after scoring five tries in 11 games last year. Lee Turner, entering his fifth season with the Seagulls, is another dangerous prospect in the centres following his seven tries in 18 games throughout 2022.

Coach’s Comments

Dave Penna took over from Ben Woolf over the summer but isn’t starting 2023 off on the back foot like other new coaches. Acting as the Head of Football for the last three years, Penna is familiar with the club and playing group and not looking to change too much to start the year.

“We’ve been a strong club in recent years so we’re in a good position to keep that going. We don’t need to change much,” said Penna.

As far as Round 1 footy goes, nobody expects perfection. Instead, Penna wants to see everything they’ve worked on in recent weeks start to show on game day.

“We want to compete on every play,” Penna said.

“Employ what we’ve worked on over the offseason – keep it simple.”

1. Lindon McGrady
2. Ryland Jacobs
3. Ioane Seiuli
4. Lee Turner
5. Kaleb Ngamanu
6. Thomas Weaver
7. Toby Sexton
8. Joseph Vuna
9. Daniel Ross
10. Lamar Liolevave
11. Klese Haas
12. Jacob McCudden
13. Jaron Purcell
14. Jaylen DeGroot
15. Lloyd Perrett
16. Luke Burton
17. Oskar Bryant

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Burleigh have clinched pre-season bragging rights on the Gold Coast after downing Tweed in both Hostplus Cup trial matches at the weekend.

For the Seagulls, despite falling short in both contests with the final scores ending up 20-16 and 18-10, they had plenty of positives to come from the hit-out – including a chance for young gun Tom Weaver to get some more time in the halves after a stellar NRL trials with the Titans over the last fortnight.

Joe Vuna also got more minutes in the legs, as did Treymain Spry who are both coming off big summers after injury ruled them out for a majority of 2022.

The local Hostplus Cup rivals will square off again – this time for points – on Saturday, April 1 at Piggabeen Sports Complex, before another showdown in Round 15 at the end of June.

Both sides will enjoy this coming weekend off in readiness for their seasons to begin on March 11 with the duo on the road – with the Seagulls flying up to Rockhampton and face the Capras.

The Gold Coast Titans have confirmed their Hostplus Cup allocations for the upcoming season in readiness for Round 1.

Most players will remain with the Tweed Seagulls in 2023, with the exception of Tanah Boyd, Keano Kini and Paul Turner who have all made the move across the Coast to Burleigh.

The Tweed Seagulls played finals footy in the Hostplus Cup, Tweed will be hungry to avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss to Sunshine Coast in week two of the playoffs.

In the Seagulls’ season opener, they’ll hope to get off to a winning start up against the Capras up in Rockhampton; although, the clash will be no easy feat after Central Queensland were the surprise packet of 2022 with a heroic finals appearance.

2023 allocations

• AJ Brimson
• Moeaki Fotuaika
• Kieran Foran
• Jayden Campbell
• Brian Kelly
• Toby Sexton
• Chris Randall
• Aaron Schoupp
• Jojo Fifita
• Tom Weaver
• Joe Vuna
• Klese Haas
• Treymain Spry
• Sam McIntyre
• Joe Stimson

Written by titans.com.au

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, an esteemed provincial club with a rich history, is delighted to herald the beginning of the 2023 season. As one of the oldest clubs in the game, the Gulls are eager to showcase our talent and compete at the highest level. The unwavering support of sponsors, fans, and stakeholders has been instrumental in helping the team maintain our resilience and determination through past seasons, enabling us to remain a formidable presence in the QRL state-wide competitions.

The Tweed Seagulls are thrilled to welcome our newly-appointed Head Coach, David Penna, for the upcoming 2023 season. Coach Penna has been instrumental in bringing the entire club together and fostering a collaborative environment by working alongside coaches from all six grades and upwards. As a testament to his impressive performance, the club has extended his coaching contract into 2024. This holistic approach to coaching is expected to support the development and growth of players at all levels of the club, while also enhancing the team’s overall performance.

In an interview with MC and exiting Tweed Seagulls RLFC CEO Matthew Francis, Brent Woolf discusses the men’s team progress from a player’s perspective under newly-appointed Head Coach David Penna.

“With a new coach, it’s always hard to change plays and change structure, but we’re coming pretty good at the moment. The last few weeks have been a lot better than the weeks previous.” Brent Woolf noted.

When asked about his legacy as a coach, Penna said, “I get great pleasure out of seeing the guys I have had involvement with over the years do well, you know, see them up there playing each week.” He values establishing enduring connections with his players and aspires to maintain their friendships beyond their tenure in the team.

Jessika Elliston, a player on the women’s team, praises the new facilities at Tweed and the support the club has provided for the Women’s team. She also notes that the offseason has been good under the guidance of joint head coaches Lawrence Faifua, Lambros To’omaga and Strength and Conditioning Coach Carly McGrath. When asked why she has stuck with Tweed, Elliston emphasizes the club’s unwavering support for its players, saying, “You guys have never given up on us, you’re always pushing to support us and giving us the things to play”.

As the Tweed Seagulls Rugby League Club, we wish to acknowledge and pay our respects to the generations of the local Aboriginal people of the Tweed Bundjalung Nation. They have lived in and derived their physical and spiritual needs from the forests, rivers, lakes, and streams of this beautiful valley over many thousands of years as the traditional custodians of these lands.

We took the moment and were thrilled to unveil the artwork for our new Indigenous Jersey ahead of the upcoming season. We recognize the significant cultural heritage, deep connection to the land, and ongoing contributions of the Indigenous community. Our new Indigenous Jersey is a tribute to this rich culture and history, and we hope it will be a source of pride and inspiration for all.

At the Tweed Seagulls, we are committed to promoting reconciliation and creating a more inclusive and respectful environment in sport. We believe that our new Indigenous Jersey is just one example of our ongoing efforts towards this goal. We aim to continue to educate ourselves and our community about the importance of respecting and celebrating the diverse cultures and histories of all people.

Once again, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of these lands, the Tweed Bundjalung Nation, and thank them for allowing us to live, work, and play on their beautiful country.

Nine clubs will go into this season’s Hostplus Cup with a new coach at the helm, in one of the biggest turnovers in recent years.

With the addition of the Western Clydesdales – and kick-off to season 2023 right around the corner – the Queensland Rugby League is profiling our 10 new coaches, whether they’re coming from a different club or are completely new to the Cup arena.

Preston Campbell has been hailed as a unifying voice for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, an inspiration for players to make a difference off the field and a trailblazer on it after being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.

Campbell, who was the driving force behind the All Stars concept in 2010, was recognised in the 2023 Australia Day honours with an OAM for service to Indigenous youth and rugby league.

The 2001 Dally M Medallist and 2003 premiership winner overcame concerns about his size from some within the game, while working tirelessly in the community since his playing days with Cronulla, Penrith and Gold Coast.

“I don’t think people realise that his whole life – seven days a week – is dedicated to young people in communities, and how much he actually gives of himself to make even the littlest difference in someone’s day, so it is awesome to see that he has got this recognition,” Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council chair Katrina Fanning said.

Campbell, who was the first player signed by the Titans when they joined the NRL in 2007, convinced officials to back the introduction of an Indigenous All Stars team after witnessing first-hand the reaction to the Aboriginal Dreamtime team which played before the 2008 World Cup opener.

The annual fixture has been a vehicle to promote education and health to Indigenous youth while educating the broader community about issues confronting First Nations people.

Many of those issues are now at the centre of discussions about an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

“Preston has always been a unifying voice,” said Dean Widders, the NRL Indigenous pathways manager, Eels NRLW coach and man responsible for the creation of the Unity Dance performed by the Indigenous All Stars.

“You have other people who will be more confrontational and combative about issues with strong opinions and fiery, aggressive tones but he has always been the voice that brings everyone together and that is how he has been able to do a lot of his work.

“That is what All Stars was about. He set it up to bring people together – not us against them. It was not about our culture to be showcased; it was about our culture to be shared. That is an important message as we keep progressing All Stars.”

The 45-year-old has also been a role model and mentor for other NRL stars, including Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston and his son Jayden Campbell, who has inherited the No.1 Titans jersey that Preston wore in most of his 103 matches for the club.

“The Indigenous All Stars is his baby and since that started there are a lot of boys that are finding out about their family history and their culture – myself included,” said Thurston, whose academy provides employment initiatives and community programs across Australia.

“I know there are other players who have been able to do that too so he has been a huge role model for not only our nation’s youth but also the players at the highest level now because of what he has been able to achieve and give back to the game.”

MEDAL (OAM) OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA IN THE GENERAL DIVISION: Mr Thomas Preston CAMPBELL, QLD

For service to Indigenous youth, and to rugby league.

Preston Campbell Foundation

• Founder and Director (since 2015)
• Board Member (since 2015)
• Founder, Presto’s Training Cafe Gold Coast (2016) and Brisbane (2017).

Indigenous Mental Health

• Volunteer, Indigenous Youth Mobility Pathway Project (current)
• Ambassador, Deadly Choices, Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (current)
• Indigenous Ambassador, various mental health programs (current)

Gold Coast Titans

• Player Mentor (current)
• Partner, Titans Community Team (current)
• Member, Advisory Group, Titans Reconciliation Action Plan (current)
• Life Member (inducted 2019)
• Ambassador, Titan’s Beyond Tomorrow Program (2019)
• Player (2007-2011)

National Rugby League

• Ambassador, All-Stars State of Mind Campaign (current)
• Presenter, National Rugby League Community Program (since 2018)
• Player: Penrith Panthers (2003-2006)
• Player: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (1999-2002)
• Player: Gold Coast Chargers (1998)

Business

• Director, Phyre Apparel (current)

Awards and Recognition include:

• Eastern Stand named in his honour, Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast (2018)
• Ken Stephen Medal, National Rugby League (2008)
• Player of the Year, Gold Coast Titans Football Club (2008)
• Centenary Medal (2003)
• Dally M Medal, National Rugby League (2001)

Alongside Head Coach Sam Meskell, will be Will Johnstone and Zeb Taia as Assistant Coaches. Stephen Gaggin will continue his role as Team Manager and Jason Burkhardt will be the Head Trainer.

One of Tweed Seagulls’ greatest, Selasi Berdie, was a welcome sight at his old stomping ground.

Selasi stepped away from the game after an unfortunate injury that put his 141-capped and premiership-winning career to an abrupt end. However, the former Seagulls powerhouse was coaxed back on stage by former teammate and current U21s Coach Aaron Zimmerle to assist during the pre-season by educating the boys on a few interchangeable BJJ & Wrestling learnings.

Selasi Berdie & Luke Kelly 2006

“I have known Sel since he was 18 years old, and I saw first-hand the relentless work ethic he brought to his career, he worked his way through Tweed U18s into the QLD Cup and the NRL. It is these lessons of persistence and dedication as much as his expertise in the areas of contact and wrestle that I know he will impart on the next generation of Gullz.” Said Coach Zimmerle about his former teammate.

After stepping away from Rugby League, the then-known tough man at the Gullz was determined to bounce back but found himself in a different arena. Selasi took his power and strength across to combat sports due to its similarities with Rugby League. With a passion for health and fitness, Selasi eventually opened CMBT Training Centre, which has become home to high-calibre Combat Sports athletes and frequently visited by NRL teams looking for an edge in the grappling department of Rugby League.

Selasi passing on a few tips to current player Reece Summer

Selasi’s return to Tweed continues a trend of past Seagulls legends returning to their old club in a bid to impart some wisdom on to the current playing groups.

Selasi added, “I couldn’t be happier to be back at Seagulls helping to play a small part in the development of the new breed of Seagulls. The club has a real feel about it right now, which is very similar to the year we won the premiership and the athleticism and skill level is on another level. The culture of the Gullz and camaraderie that Tweed has is something that I’ve always cherished so it means a lot to be back with the boys ripping in during this pre-season. “

It’s fair to say Klese Haas had a whirlwind 2022 season in his debut year, but the 20-year-old wants that to just be the start of a successful first grade career.

Starting the year playing Hastings Deering Colts with Tweed, before an accelerated elevation to Hostplus Cup and then NRL; the young forward’s next goal is to back-up the success he had in his maiden year, particularly with the opportunity to get in a full pre-season at Parkwood.

“That was just the start of my journey. I have bigger fish to fry I guess,” Haas revealed.

“I just want to become a more experienced NRL player and hopefully get some more games under my belt.

“Every time (at training), I want to try to just get better and learn. Also just get better as a person.”

On day one of the 2023 campaign, the younger brother of NRL enforcer Payne had a chance to sit down with Titans coach Justin Holbrook to discuss what his season would look like, which he hopes will see him add more NRL appearances to his currently fledgling tally of two.

“He just wants me to make sure I’m happy and just keep working,” Haas said.

“We’ve got Joe Stimson coming in, so there’s plenty of competition for the spot.

“It should be good, so I just need to get better.”

Along with working hard to get better, his overall aim is play for the people around him that inspired him to keep playing the game he fell out of love with.

“I just want to make my family proud. That’s my number one goal,” he said.

“I didn’t really want to play footy for a couple years, and then with the passing of my brother (Chace) and stuff, it made me want to push to try and get just more in life than just where I was at the time.

“I was less motivated. It was tough, but having my family around, it was a really big motivator for me, so it was really good to have all of them around.”

A candid Toby Sexton has opened up about his recent Hostplus Cup stint, admitting it was the catalyst to finding his love for rugby league again.

Finishing the year with the Tweed Seagulls after a tough first full season as the club’s chief linchpin, the return to Cup for his final four games of the season proved to be a godsend for the 21-year-old, returning to pre-season training with a big smile on his face and notebook and pen at the ready to reclaim the Titans’ No. 7 jersey.

“Looking at it now, I think it was the best thing for me. It was obviously a massive year and I took a lot out of it but at the same time, it was pretty tough, ” the young half revealed.

“Being able to go back to Q Cup where there wasn’t that pressure to perform every week, you could just go back to playing footy and enjoying what you do, which was really nice.

“We got to win a few games there as well, which was good too. I didn’t experience too many wins last year (at NRL level), so it was nice to finish on that winning feeling.”

The biggest and most important element of Sexton’s relegation was finding the love for the game again, which he did when got to step foot back on to Piggabeen.

“I think the biggest thing for me was just trying to enjoy my footy again. I think I didn’t necessarily lose confidence last year, but I just lost that enjoyment of playing footy,” he said.

“I got to go back to Tweed and win a few games and just really enjoy my footy.

“That’s probably the biggest thing I took out of that.”

Also gratefully appreciating that being a full-time footy player is a pretty rewarding career after spending a few days helping his dad Tony with his lawn-mowing business, the youngster has returned from a seven week break, fresh after a fairly taxing year due to the continual pressure of his first full year in the most scrutinised position on the field.

If you haven’t heard of Chantay Kiria-Ratu, chances are you will by the end of the Women’s Rugby League World Cup with the teenage Cook Islands halfback ready to take the competition by storm.

Only turning 18 in October, Kiria-Ratu was too young to make her NRLW debut this year but, after being selected in coach Rusty Matua’s Cook Islands’ World Cup squad, the Tweed Seagulls star has been earmarked as a future ‘superstar’ of the game.

The Cook Islands Moana will kick off their World Cup campaign against the hily–fancied Jillaroos on Thursday and while the Pacific Island side enters the competition a somewhat unknown quantity — besides NRLW players Kimiora Breayley-Nati, April Ngatupuna and Kiana Takairangi — Matua has unveiled the Gold Coast development player as his side’s secret weapon.

“I think she’s just an absolute superstar in the making,” Matua told the media at the Women’s World Cup Launch.

“She was amazing yesterday when we played England [in a warmup game] and I just think she’s just a superstar in the making.

“I’m pretty sure the agents have been queuing up to get her signature for the NRLW.”

Cook Islands got their World Cup campaign off to a flying start with a 24-14 win in last week’s warm-up match and Matua said he took the opportunity give the under-19’s Queensland representative with some game experience on English soil.

“Obviously Kimiora (Breayley-Nati) is our senior half and she’ll take that role but when we played England, I actually rested Kimiora and Kiana Takairangi to give the other girls more minutes including Chantay because she didn’t get any experience in the NRLW,” he said.

“She was in the Titans squad but she didn’t get the exemption to play so I wanted to give her the minutes and she just got better and better as the game went on.

“We’d only had one training session, being a very small nation with no real financial backing. We didn’t have the opportunity to have a kick coming into the World Cup so we met the day before we flew out.

The Year 12 Keebra Park State High student, who is finishing her end-of-year exams while touring with the Cook Islands, was first introduced to rugby league at the powerhouse school that has produced a number of NRL players including Benji Marshall, Jai Arrow and Payne Haas.

“Her composure is amazing, she’s so mature for her age,” Matua said.

“She’s still in school, we’re actually doing her exams right now through the college.

“So she’s just finishing high school so she’s so young but she’s so promising and has so much potential.”

Tweed Seagulls were shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of former player Liam Hampson following an accident while holidaying in Europe.

The Club’s immediate thoughts and prayers are with the Hampson family at this time as well as the players and staff who were involved with Liam during his time at Seagulls.

CEO Matt Francis said that the news was still too raw to immediately comprehend or fully register.

“Liam was far more than a talented athlete pursuing his dream to play in the NRL,” Francis said.

“He was a great clubman and team mate who brought a positive energy to all that he was involved in which is so critical to a team environment.

“Liam took the same approach when he was a teachers’ aide at his old school at Keebra Park where his footballing talents were first identified.

“Combined with his infectious sense of humour he was a young man with the world at his feet making his passing all the more tragic,” Francis concluded.

Seagulls have reached out to Liam’s family and will respect their need for time and privacy before consulting with them and others for an appropriate time and occasion to celebrate Liam’s life including his contribution to Seagulls.

Tweed Seagulls have announced Dave Penna as Head Coach for 2023 as part of a review of Football Operations following Ben Woolf’s signing with the St George-Illawarra Dragons.

Having been Head of Football at Seagulls for the past three years, Penna was an obvious choice given his wealth of experience as an Assistant Coach for over 200 games at the NRL level working alongside Premiership winning coaches in Des Hasler and Michael Maguire.

In this period with Manly, South Sydney and the Bulldogs he coached in four NRL Grand Finals as well as being Assistant Coach for Toa Samoa as they emerged as a competitive force at the international level.

Tweed Seagulls Chair, Ian Paton, welcomed Penna’s acceptance of the role paying tribute to his contribution to the Club over the past three years 

“Dave is a true club person who has supported the development of players in all grades as well as providing advice and practical support to our coaching and support staff as well.

“His vision and values align with the Seagulls’ charter to be a club of opportunity for local male and female players as a pathway to the NRL,” Paton said.

Penna said he was honoured to accept the challenge and to build on the foundations already established.

“The strength of Seagulls is the quality of the people we have at our club and, in particular, the quality of our coaching and support staff.

“Following a challenging period for all off the field, I look forward to the opportunity to bring all grades – male and female – back together to build a stronger club culture based on the great traditions of Seagulls,” Penna concluded.

CEO Matt Francis said Penna’s appointment was an exciting time for all involved.

“Dave has done an outstanding job as Head of Football collaborating with Woolfy and all our coaching staff in providing the best quality programs we can provide with our resources.

“He brings all these relationships to his new role as well as a knowledge of all our players from the Cyril Connell through to our BMD Women’s and Hostplus Men’s squads.

“Additionally, he has built a great rapport with our community clubs and schools in recognising their critical role in grassroots development,” Francis added.

“Dave is a player-centred coach and the best gauge of what he brings to the role is the number of elite NRL players who still seek and value his advice and opinion while playing at the highest level.

“Like all at Seagulls he celebrates the individual success of players in achieving at the highest level,” he concluded.

Gold Coast Titans young gun Tom Weaver has had a big 12 months.

From graduating high school to making the Australian Schoolboys and onto the Tweed Seagulls, Titans and New South Wales Under 19 it has been a big year for the Tugun-born youngster.

And, it is about to go up another level as he graduates from the development list to join the Titans top 30 NRL squad in 2023.

Gold Coast Titans young gun Tom Weaver has had a big 12 months.

From graduating high school to making the Australian Schoolboys and onto the Tweed Seagulls, Titans and New South Wales Under 19 it has been a big year for the Tugun-born youngster.

And, it is about to go up another level as he graduates from the development list to join the Titans top 30 NRL squad in 2023.

Weaver will join a Titans top 30 roster featuring AJ Brimson, Kieran Foran, Toby Sexton and Paul Turner in the halves.

Like the other young playmakers, Weaver will no doubt be looking forward to the arrival of Foran as he continues his development.

As a graduate of the Future Titans program, Weaver has a bright future ahead as he continues his development home on the Gold Coast, and will be one to watch in 2023.

Written by Titans.com.au

Their respective seasons may have drawn to a close in recent weeks, but Tweed Seagulls and Gold Coast Titans young guns Tanah Boyd and Tom Weaver can both look back on the year that was with satisfaction.

Boyd began the 2022 season playing with the Seagulls in the Hostplus Cup, and worked hard to push his way into the starting side for the Titans later in the season, closing out his year his by kicking the winning field goal in extra time in his side’s final round win against the Warriors.

Speaking earlier in the year about his football goals, the Runaway Bay junior more than delivered on what he set out to do.

“Definitely to keep playing first grade, building and learning the new position,” Boyd said of what he wanted to work on this year.

“(I want to) try and get better each week, that’s definitely my goal.

“Obviously now, I just want to focus on staying in first grade, cementing it and that’s my main focus.”

Boyd also had to overcome some frustrating injuries to get there, however, fracturing his cheekbone in that first match and being forced to sit on the sidelines for a number of weeks to recover.

“I had a little hiccup early in the year (but) I’m glad to be in the team now,” Boyd said when speaking at a Titans media day earlier this season.

“I’ve just got to build some consistency and keep playing well. I played one game, broke my cheek bone and came back and it’s good.

“I was at a new club at Tweed… They’re a great bunch of boys. Woolfy (coach Ben Woolf) is such a good coach. It’s always good to go back to a good group of boys and enjoy it.”

Boyd returned to the field with the Seagulls in Round 5, and then quickly earned his spot in the NRL line up where he was able to showcase his versatility through the season, playing hooker off the bench and also stepping in at five-eighth and halfback.

For Weaver, whose talents shone most recently in Week 1 of the Hastings Deering Colts finals series as the Seagulls upset Brisbane Tigers, it too was a season of achieving goals.

One of the high points was playing in the Under 21 representative match earlier this year for New South Wales.

Weaver, who “started playing at Cudgen Hornets in Kingscliff” went to school in New South Wales when he was younger, before being signed to Titans to join their junior system.

The halfback made the move to Palm Beach Currumbin in Year 11 and was captain of the team when they won the Phil Hall Cup, all while playing club football with Tweed, where he also captained his Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup side to a state title.

Speaking before making his Cup debut against Redcliffe Dolphins in Round 15, Weaver said he hoped to gain experience in the premier statewide competition this year.

“My aim… I definitely want to crack Cup. I want to do that and cement a spot towards the back end of the year in Cup and build into next year, play a full year of Cup next year,” Weaver said.

“I am just focusing on getting some games under my belt and getting some consistent footy going. Building towards the back end of the year.

“I obviously want to crack the top squad and play some NRL. That’s the long-term goal. But at the moment I’m just biding my time and learning as much as I can.

“It is my first year in the system and just loving it at the moment, relishing everything that comes my way.”

This past season, Weaver has also been able to ask advice from some more experienced players – who like him and Boyd – have honed their skills with the Seagulls.

“It’s good to learn off Toby (Sexton) and AJ (Brimson),” Weaver said.

“AJ has been playing a long time… he came into the system at a young age as well.

“Same as Toby. He was at PBC and came straight out of high school to top grade.

“(It is good) just watching and asking them for advice about where they went and how they got used to full-time environment.”

Both Boyd and Weaver will enjoy an off-season break before returning to the training field for preseason with the Titans in November this year.

Written by Colleen Edwards & Jorja Brinums from Queensland Rugby League.

The passing of Barry Muir is a loss to the game of rugby league given his long and colourful history in our great game and the Tweed Seagulls pass on our condolences to his family and the friends he made during a career that saw him named in the NRL Hall of Fame.

Born in Murwillumbah and growing up in Tweed Heads he made his senior debut at Seagulls before almost immediately progressing to higher honours playing 25 Tests for Australia – captaining twice – as well as representing Queensland 22 times before coaching the Maroons between 1974-78 where he added to the interstate rivalry by labelling the NSW team ‘cockroaches’.

Barry decided to end his illustrious career where it all began here at Seagulls where he was captain-coach in 1972 and he retired to Tweed Heads where he relived many of his memories.

Seagulls are proud to have been a small part of this great rugby league legend’s journey and salute his legacy that will live in the Maroon’s jersey for generations to come.

May he Rest in Peace.

Rugby League historian Steve Ricketts paid tribute to him in an eloquent post on the QRL website:

https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2022/09/02/vale-barry-muir/

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls played out a brave 24-18 win over the Brisbane Tigers at Piggabeen Sports Complex to open their account in the 2022 Hostplus Cup finals series with style.

Tweed looked comfortable with the ball in hand right from the get-go. A trademark shift out their own end brought Lee Turner into the game early, with 100 Cup game milestone man Lindon McGrady creating the extra numbers to send the ball wide in Tweed’s first possession.

It was a sign of things to come, with the Seagulls searching down that left edge twice in their next two sets. Will Brimson got involved early to again pitch Turner one-on-one with Solomona Faataape before sneaking down a very short short side on the following play and almost orchestrating first points when an offload to Scott Galeano found the winger unmarked but travelled forwards.

After looking left at every opportunity to begin the game, a rare right side movement triggered by Sam Lisone at first receiver proved a fruitful one when none other than the Prince of Piggabeen slid over in the 10th minute to open the scoring.

Taking the ball at speed and with JJ Collins in support off his hip, Lisone attracted three Tigers defenders towards the ball before rifling a pass out the back ****through Toby Sexton ****to link with his skipper. Still left with some work to do, McGrady used his footwork, speed and fend to slice through the line and score from there.

Ill-discipline on both sides of the ball continued to be Brisbane’s undoing as fatigue set in and the Seagulls built momentum. A knock-on from Tigers interchange forward Wesley Lolo just 10 metres out from his line gifted Tweed more attacking territory and when Brisbane doubled up their errors to send a goal-line dropout over the sideline, McGrady took the two points on offer to extend Tweed’s lead to eight.

With a comfortable buffer on the scoreboard the Seagulls seemed to grow another leg, but for all their territorial dominance they couldn’t land the killer blow. Brisbane scrambled well on both edges throughout this period to hold up Josh Patston over the line on the right edge and defend a late offload from Turner on the other side of the field.

After what felt like an age defending their own line, Brisbane would finally get a reward for effort in the 36th minute when they capitalised on a rare attacking set to score through winger Bessie Toomaga.

Departing halfback Darren Nicholls’ fingerprints were all over Brisbane’s opening try, testing the Seagulls once down the right edge early in the set before executing a slick short-side movement late in the count which ended up in the hands of Dan Russell at right centre. With Tweed winger Scott Galeano bearing down on him, Nicholls produced a marvellous back-handed flick pass for an unmarked Toomaga to score in the corner.

A superb sideline conversion from Jonah Pezet would round out a grinding first half of football, with Tweed holding onto a narrow two-point lead at the break.

The Tigers began the second stanza as they finished the first to work themselves into Tweed’s half and fire two shots at them in the opening set. Again it was Russell at right centre causing plenty of problems for the Seagulls defence as he made serious inroads down one side of the field to open things up for a Pezet cross-field kick on the following play. That kick found a flying Zak Taibi who did well to beat Jamayne Isaako in the air and offload on landing to gift Brendan Gregorious a clever four-pointer.

Brisbane looked to be in again shortly afterwards when a Jayden Nikorima grubber kick linked with Toomaga in the right-hand corner, only for the video referee to call things back for an obstruction.

That no-try appeared to kickstart Tweed back to life and they wasted no time in troubling the scoreboard themselves through Will Brimson in the 49th minute.

Brimson’s scoring play began one tackle earlier with McGrady taking possession down the right edge and playing over the ad-line to almost pitch Joshua Patston through a hole. With the momentum created, hooker Brent Woolf jinked across-field with a tempo-changing run to hold up the defence before passing through Sexton to Brimson on the far side of the field. From there, Brimson’s speed proved too much for the sliding defence as he squeezed through the line and dived over to level things up.

Tweed then went back-to-back just six minutes later when Jamayne Issako finished off a slick right-edge movement in the corner.

All of Tweed’s big names were involved in this shift as Woolf, Sexton and McGrady linked up to move the ball smoothly from edge to edge and get Isaako one-on-one with Taibi. Where we’re used to seeing Isaako’s fancy footwork in areas like this, instead the former Bronco and Titan relied on brute strength to brush aside the attempted tackle and plant the ball down just inside the corner post to give Tweed a four-point lead.

As was the case with Brisbane in the first half though, the Seagulls then came up with back-to-back errors to invite their opposition back into the game. An Isaako linebreak ended with a pushed offload that travelled forward and when Turner fumbled a play-the-ball in Tweed’s next possession, Brisbane made them pay. Again it was Pezet’s boot that proved the difference, sneaking out of dummy-half and dropping a neat grubber under the black dot for Nikorima to score in the 62nd minute.

A simple conversion from right in front gave Brisbane back the lead but it would last less than two minutes when the Seagulls forced an error in the kickoff set and then searched down their familiar left edge to score through winger Scott Galeano.

Again it was the work of Lisone through the middle that created the space out wide, with the big prop demanding attention from the defence before shifting smartly to his outside where Brimson, Turner and Galeano were waiting. A difficult conversion attempt followed with McGrady unable to overcome a strong breeze, leaving Tweed just two points ahead with 15 minutes remaining.

With the clock winding down, the Seagulls closed things out just as they started in this one.

Tweed powered through the middle on the back of strong carries from Lisone and Collins before shifting quickly to their left edge for Brimson to challenge the line. Again with too much speed for a sliding and retreating defensive line to handle, Brimson eventually cracked them in the 71st minute to burn his opposite man and make yet another linebreak to take Tweed’s lead out to six.

A desperate defensive set in the shadows of full-time was a compelling way for Tweed to round out a 24-18 win over the Brisbane Tigers at Piggabeen on Saturday afternoon, with winger Scott Galeano capping off a stellar game to force an error with a jamming effort that sealed the result for the Seagulls.

Key Takeaways

Tweed’s starting front row of JJ Collins and Sam Lisone won’t feature much on the highlights reel but both were integral in the Seagulls narrow win on Saturday. Collins was an absolute force on both sides of the ball to help negate a strong head wind in the first half and constantly get Tweed on the front foot in their yardage sets. At the other end of the field, Lisone’s involvement as a ballplayer from first receiver directly led to two tries a few passes later. His ability to engage the defence was the catalyst for Lindon McGrady’s opening try and he completed a similar action down a left-hand short side in the second half for Scott Galeano to score in the corner.

While his skipper celebrated a milestone 100 Cup games for the club and his halves partner brings 23 games of NRL experience to his name, it was Tweed five-eighth Will Brimson who starred with a two try performance against the Tigers. Brimson was a constant threat on the Seagulls’ left edge with his speed causing plenty of problems for Brisbane’s edge defence. Brimson’s combination with the players around him on that left edge has been a focus in the match reports all season and proved so again on Saturday.

Coaches Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf was pleased with his side’s ability to stay in the grind despite the testing, windy conditions.

“Our forwards carried the ball well and got us out of our own end which allowed us to build pressure with our kicking game effectively,” said Woolf.

With a host of field position in both halves, Woolf identified the work of both halves and milestone man Lindon McGrady as key to Tweed’s success.

“They (Brimson & Sexton) were both really good today as was Lindo,” said Woolf.

“Those three played together last year too and it’s good to see they are finding their groove out there again.”

While the Seagulls left edge was on fire with three tries scored down that channel, Woolf also paid tribute to the growing combination of Treymain Spry and Jamayne Isaako on the left-hand side of the field.

“Both edges have been attacking really well,” Woolf said.

“Treymain and Jamayne are class players and Lindo consistently gets them quality ball. They are getting better together every week.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls are looking to exact quick revenge on the Brisbane Tigers when the two go head-to-head in Week 1 of the Hostplus Cup Finals.

Brisbane took the chocolates with a 38-30 win over Tweed in Round 20. A slow start to both halves saw the Seagulls fall behind on the scoreboard before coming back on both occasions. It wasn’t until the 77th minute of the match that the Tigers secured victory.

Haele Finau got the scoring underway for the Tigers in the 5th minute of the match, set up their second and scored the match-winner shortly before full-time.

While the Seagulls showed their reliance in clawing back two Tigers leads, conceding 38 points after keeping the Townsville Blackhawks scoreless only a week earlier disappointed head coach, Ben Woolf.

“Our effort needs to be a lot better, particularly in defence. We can’t afford to defend like that if we are gonna win games in the Finals.”

But that was at Totally Workwear Stadium. This week the Tigers are forced to travel to the hallowed turf of the Piggabeen Sports Complex where royalty will await them for kickoff.

Lindon McGrady – the Prince of Piggabeen – will play his 100th game for the club on Saturday afternoon. Making his debut back in 2017, McGrady has been a mainstay in the top side since then and has featured in all 19 games so far this season.

Regular changes to the spine have seen McGrady spend time in the halves and at fullback throughout the year. Still, the adjustments haven’t stopped him from consistently producing with the ball.

Whether he is initiating shifts from first receiver, popping up out the back of shape on the edges or ending a set with his boot, McGrady is the chassis to Tweed’s chaos engine.

His 17 try assists in 2022 mark a new career high while his organisation and control of the side has played a key role within Tweed’s high-powered attack which ranks 4th in the Hostplus Cup averaging 24.9 points per game. Despite moving to the back in Round 15, Woolf noted that regardless of the position, McGrady calls the shots.

“Lindon’s doing well [since moving to fullback]. He’s still controlling the game for us like he has all year.”

With Toby Sexton named in the halves beside Will Brimson this week, McGrady will again slot into the #1 jersey but we can expect to see the 29-year-old leave his fingerprints all over Tweed’s best actions with the ball.

Woolf has the somewhat rare luxury of being able to name the same 17 again this week. Lee Turner made a successful return to the side last in Round 20 and links in the centres with Treymain Spry who continues to improve every week following a lengthy spell out of the game. That allows Josh Patston to remain on the edge where he proved particularly dangerous throughout the first 16 rounds of the season before admirably slotting in the centres as cover for Lee in recent weeks. Braden Robson’s ability to play hooker or lock is a valuable option for Woolf. Robson will start his fifth consecutive game at dummy half with Craig Garvey again named to pack some punch off the bench as he has done all season.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have named 16 of the same players again for this one with the 17th still to be confirmed before the 3:10 pm kickoff on Saturday.

Players to Watch

JJ Collins has signed on with the Dolphins for 2023 so every game from here could be his last for the Seagulls. He caught the eye of the newest NRL club with his strong carries in the middle and tackle-breaking ability leading to quick play-the-balls. He has proven particularly dangerous as the Seagulls cross halfway and often look to the edges behind a destructive Collins carry. His partnership with Sam Lisone is developing nicely, too.

The pair linked up well through the middle last week. Lisone sent Collins over on the line to score Tweed’s first of the afternoon. With a step off his left foot while getting deep into the line to gain the attention of the four-in defender, Lisone tipped on to Collins who used some nice footwork of his own to skip through the would-be tacklers.

Lisone and Collins looked to link up in similar ways in yardage shortly after but produced an error. Still, it’s an area the Seagulls can dominate given the ball playing Lisone offers alongside Collins’ footwork at the line.

Both props cracked 100 running metres while Tweed out gained Brisbane by almost 100 metres in defeat. Collins, in particular, has been a big part of Tweed’s third-ranked 1,446 running metres per game this season.

If the pair can continue to lay the platform with their carries and short passing game this week, the Seagulls will be a good chance of advancing to Week 2 of the finals.

A double dose of finals football

Saturday marks a significant day for Tweed Seagulls as they play host to two elimination finals games, both against Brisbane Tigers.

“The significance of our two teams playing in the elimination finals at Piggabeen this Saturday should not be lost on our members, sponsors and supporters,” said Seagulls CEO Matt Francis.

“Our Campbell Construction Co Tweed Seagulls and Coolangatta Hotel U21s Colts team will make the finals for a third season in succession which would be a proud achievement at any time.

“The unique challenges that the Club has faced over the past two seasons with border closures and floods make the success of both squads something to truly celebrate.

“It is of continuing credit to our coaching and support staff led by Ben Woolf, Aaron Zimmerlee and Dave Penna that our teams have performed to such a high level under such challenging circumstances.

“It only seems appropriate that we are playing both elimination games at Piggabeen this week – the graveyard of so many visiting sides.

“Our players deserve all the support we can provide and I hope to see you all at Piggabeen.

“Go the Gulls!”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will be chasing their third consecutive win this Sunday, 28th August when they travel to Totally Workwear Stadium, Brisbane to face the Brisbane Tigers in Round 20 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.

The Seagulls come into Sunday’s game following a dominant 42-0 shutout of the Townsville Blackhawks at Piggabeen last week. The locals were treated to a highlight reel of attacking skill from the home side in that game, with centres Joshua Patston and Treymain Spry crossing for doubles and captain Lindon McGrady posting a ridiculous five try assists from fullback.

Most notably for Head Coach Ben Woolf, though, was the zero on the scoreboard.

“Our defence was strong today. We still had a couple of soft errors but our line stayed connected throughout and it was pleasing to keep them to nil,” Woolf said.

Tweed had conceded a try in the first ten minutes in each of the four games prior to Round 19. However, they put themselves on the board early to score two of their own inside ten minutes and kept the line intact through to the final whistle against the Blackhawks.

The Seagulls will be looking to finish the 2022 regular season on a high and they profile well to do so on recent form.

With the squad getting close to full strength, Tweed’s attack has come to life at the right point in the season. Defence has been the focus for Woolf all year with the Seagulls boasting the fourth-best defensive record in the competition, but with finals just one week away Tweed’s attack has gone up a few gears at just the right time.

The Seagulls have scored an average 32.5 points in their last four regular season games. Some of this can be put down to Tweed welcoming back class players from injury or from NRL call-ups – Paul Turner, Toby Sexton, Braden Robson, Lamar Manuel-Liolevave, Treymain Spry and Jamayne Isaako, to name a few, have all returned for the Seagulls in the last few weeks as they prepare for the finals series.

More of Tweed’s recent form however can be put down to the play of five-eighth Will Brimson.

After spending two years away from rugby league before Woolf helped him rediscover his love for the game, Brimson is preparing to make his 50th Cup appearance this weekend and brings a run of stellar form into Tweed’s Round 20 clash with Easts.

The Seagulls will attack from anywhere on the park. With a license to offload and a focus on hitting the edges in yardage, they’re dangerous all the way up the field. Regardless of who fills the key playmaking positions and in which number, the Tweed attack has fallen into place. With Sexton again named in the halves alongside Brimson with McGrady at the back and Robson at hooker, the Seagulls will play with the same spine for a second-consecutive match – somewhat of a luxury this year. That can only help an attack that is already trending in the right direction.

The Brisbane Tigers secured an all-important 38-34 win over the Central Queensland Capras last week to take them to 21 competition points and seventh on the premiership ladder. That result should be enough to secure the Tigers a finals berth this season but a win against Tweed this week would provide Easts with a nice buffer as the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls and the Northern Pride scrap for a spot in the 2022 finals series with one regular season game remaining.

The last time these sides met was in the opening round of this season, with the Tigers coming out on top 20-16. Brisbane winger Bessie Toomaga was in red-hot form in that game, scoring a hat trick including the match winning try in the dying stages. The Seagulls get a chance to avenge that loss this weekend in their final game of the regular season.

Player to Watch

As the Seagulls are forced to shuffle players in and out of the spine almost every week, Will Brimson has been a mainstay. He has played 15 games throughout the year but his best have come in recent weeks.

The 26-year-old has has two tries and four assists in his last four games, as well as contributing three linebreaks, 11 tackle busts and an average 98.25 running metres per game. While only registering one official try assist in Round 19, Brimson featured throughout Tweed’s most dangerous attacking actions as they piled up 42 points on the Blackhawks. At one stage firing a pass out wide with a defender hanging off his jersey, Brimson often found himself throwing the pass before the try assist in Tweed’s attacking movements.

His combination with Joshua Patston and Lee Turner on Tweed’s left edge has been a strength all season. More recently however, he has linked up with Patston and Ioane Seiuli on the left edge. The trio link up in yardage to drag the Seagulls up the field. In good ball, both Seiuli and Patston run excellent lines to further provide Brimson with options. Finding Patston off the boot is becoming a regular avenue for points, too.

It’s unclear whether this has happened by coincidence or design, but with Toby Sexton slotting back into the halfback position and Lindon McGrady shifting to fullback, the familiarity of Brimson’s left edge has seen Tweed search plenty down that side of the field in yardage and good ball. Brimson’s positive involvement on the left side has been a hallmark of the attack this year and will be a key area as the Seagulls look to navigate the remainder of the Hostplus Cup season.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf says he is looking forward to one final hit-out before the finals series kicks off.

“We are looking to continue to build into the finals series,” said Woolf.

“The Tigers are a strong team so we will need to be solid in defence and improve our line speed. Our combinations came together nicely last week so we will be aiming to continue to improve there and sharpen our attack.

Team List

1. Lindon McGrady
2. Jamayne Isaako
3. Treymaine Spry
4. Josh Patston
5. Scott Galeano
6. Will Brimson
7. Toby Sexton
8. JJ Collins
9. Braden Robson
10. Reuben Porter
11. Klese Haas
12. Ioane Șeiuli
13. Charlie Murray
14. Craig Garvey
15. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave
16. Jo Vuna
17. Reece Summer

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls piled up the points early on their way to a big 42-0 win over the Townsville Blackhawks at the Piggabeen Sports Complex, Tweed Heads.

The home side took control of this one early on as a strong yardage set and attacking kick on the last provided the Seagulls with a scrum in good ball following a Blackhawks error. Toby Sexton’s inclusion in the side pushed Lindon McGrady to fullback but the pair didn’t take long to link up for points. McGrady swept to the right side of the scrum, skipped to the outside of his man to engage the three-in defender, and put Sexton through a gaping hole to open the scoring just two minutes into the match.

As they have done in recent weeks, the Seagulls punched down the left edge in yardage through their combination of Ioane Seiuli and Joshua Patston. Both big bodies with dangerous footwork, the pair are proving difficult to handle with Will Brimson putting them in positions to dominate. This time, Brimson sent Patston through a hole on halfway before the centre was dragged down just short of the line. With the defence scrambled and struggling to get back to the line, Sexton and McGrady again combined for Treymain Spry to score in the 10th minute.

Playing on the front foot following points, the Seagulls cruised up the field. Another punch down the left edge before a long shift to the right took the home side over halfway and in position for McGrady to hang up an attacking kick. Surrounded by the Seagulls kick-chase, Luke Geary couldn’t collect the McGrady bomb with Scott Galeano on hand to collect the crumbs and score Tweed’s third try in the 15th minute for a 14-0 lead.

Tweed continued to find success down the left side in yardage. Sexton is a notable inclusion and displayed good signs on the right side, but Brimson commanded the left edge and the Blackhawks struggled to build pressure in defence.

A handful of Tweed penalties allowed Townsville to spend some time attacking the line before halftime. Patrick Kaufusi poked his head through the line but couldn’t keep hold of the ball. However, a misfired pass on a right-side sweep ended up in the hands of Seagulls lock Charlie Murray who scampered up the field. Going back to what had worked earlier in the match, Tweed looked left. Some deception from Brent Woolf at dummy half along with a typically engaging line by Seiuli occupied the A and B defenders to provide Brimson with a huge gap to push the lead out to 20-0.

Some frustration from Townsville and feeling from Tweed added a little bit of spice to the game just before the break. Both teams gave away penalties leading to a skirmish but neither took it far enough for the referee to reach into his pocket.

Fired up following the break, Townsville threatened early in the second half. A Tweed penalty translated into the first attacking set after halftime, but a show of ridiculous strength from Jo Vuna dragged Sam Murphy back in front of the goal line, forcing an error in the process.

The Seagulls, however, managed to cross the line when presented with an opportunity of their own in good ball. Brimson’s fingerprints had been all over most of Tweed’s best-attacking actions which led to a defender shooting out of the line and looking to close him down. Still, with an opposition player hanging off the back of his jersey, Brimson found Seiuli out wide who put Patston over in the corner.

It wasn’t long before Patston had his second, again on the back of some Brimson brilliance. He spotted Tom Chester slow to track across the field and put in a left-foot chip which sat up perfectly for Patston to push Tweed’s lead out to 30 points in the 60th minute.

Townsville showed their reliance late in the piece. Three Tweed forced dropouts applied pressure to the defence but the line held firm through to the 74th minute. Eventually, the number of tackles the Blackhawks were asked to make in quick succession caught up with them for Spry to score his second of the afternoon.

With one more shot to get themselves on the scoreboard, a left-side shift ended in an error for Townsville. It’s an action that sums up their afternoon, and one Jamayne Isaako returned to the house for a final 42-0 scoreline.

The big win in their last game at home firms Tweed’s spot in the Top 8 ahead of their Round 20 clash against the Brisbane Tigers.

Key Takeaways

Toby Sexton was a notable inclusion and popped up in dangerous positions throughout the match. However, Will Brimson stood out as the dominant attacking threat with the ball. He looked likely every time he touched the ball on the front foot down the left side. Whether it be in yardage or good ball, Brimson and the Tweed left edge asked plenty of questions of the Blackhawks defence.

Sexton’s inclusion also triggered yet another change to the Tweed spine. It has been a constant challenge throughout the season. Still, the attack seems to fire regardless of who fills the key playmaking positions. Sexton and Treymain Spry scored down the right side and Brimson on the left all inside 35 minutes to leave no question that this new-look spine had plenty of points in them despite their inexperience playing beside each other this season.

Jo Vuna is making his return from injury and looked better again this week. Brutal in defence and a strong carrier of the ball, Vuna will play a big part in how the Seagulls get up the field in the coming weeks. Packing punch off the bench, his rotation with JJ Collins ensures Tweed are dangerous in the middle across the full 80 minutes.

Coach’s Comments

Tweed coach Ben Woolf has been forced to rotate through different players in the spine for much of the season but Will Brimson, Toby Sexton and Lindon McGrady gelled together from kickoff.

“The three of them combined well and again showed their ability to adjust to different combinations and positions without issue today,” said Woolf.

“Will was strong again on the left side as was Lindon on the right.”

The 42 points are pleasing, but after mentioning a focus on playing the full 80 minutes last week, Woolf was particularly happy with the defence through to the end.

“Our defence was strong today. We still had a couple of soft errors but our line stayed connected throughout and it was pleasing to keep them to nil.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will be chasing back-to-back wins for the first time since Round 11 when they host the Townsville Blackhawks at Piggabeen Sports Complex on Saturday 20th August.

The hallowed turf of Piggabeen was treated to a cracker two weeks ago when Tweed and Burleigh settled for a 26-26 draw in Round 17, and the Seagulls will be looking to do one better this weekend when they take on the 10th placed Blackhawks.

Tweed secured an all-important two points last week over the Northern Pride to entrench themselves inside the top eight with two games remaining in the regular season. The Pride and Seagulls were tied on competition points coming into that game and Tweed showed great resilience to come out on top in that must-win contest.

The Blackhawks present another winnable and important matchup for the Seagulls this weekend, who can all but end Townsville’s finals hopes with a win on Saturday.

Tweed have begun welcoming back key players late in the season and as those old combinations slowly reconnect, the Seagulls are being afforded chances to play their best footy. Paul Turner is one of those players in sublime touch since returning for Tweed following a stint in the NRL with the Gold Coast Titans. His class has been apparent in two Cup games since, running for a total 375 metres, setting up two tries, forcing two line dropouts and busting 12 tackles.

Turner’s greatest strength has always been his running game but he has clearly taken some lessons from a month in the #6 jersey in first-grade.

His composure, decision making and passing game are all noticeably improved as Turner takes on a lead playmaking role alongside Lindon McGrady and Will Brimson in the spine. A pinpoint chip kick for Jamayne Isaako to score last week is evidence of this; the vision to identify space out wide and the skill to execute a play on the run are both traits of a class playmaker that make Turner key to Tweed’s premiership chances in 2022.

The undisputed star for Tweed in last week’s win over the Pride though was five-eighth Will Brimson.

Another primarily renowned for his running game, Brimson was at his ball-playing best in Round 18, helping Scott Galeano to a brace on the left wing and threatening down that side of the field for Tweed all game.

Brimson has not allowed ongoing personnel changes around him to effect his form in 2022, having posted five tries and eight assists from 14 appearances this season. Whether it’s been Lee Turner, Josh Patston or Ioane Seiuli in the centres outside him, Brimson’s left edge has been a reliable avenues for points all year and profiles well against a Townsville right edge that conceded three tries last weekend.

The Blackhawks themselves are coming off an agonising 23-23 result against the PNG Hunters last weekend which all but ruled them out of finals contention this season.

Townsville five-eighth Jake Bourke slotted a field-goal with just minutes remaining to give his side the lead in that game, only for the Hunters to reply with a one-pointer of their own as the siren sounded to call the game a draw.

Townsville now need to win their last two games convincingly and rely on other results to go their way if they are to play beyond Round 20 this year, and that all starts with Tweed on Saturday.

Fullback Tom Chester was in stellar form last week for the Blackhawks, scoring two tries thanks largely to the work of Robert Lui at halfback. Much of Townsville’s attack comes through these two players in good ball, meaning the Seagulls will need to be on high alert whenever Chester and Lui link up in attack.

Player to Watch

After a quiet return to Cup grade in Round 17, Treymain Spry put together a convincing 70-minutes against the Northern Pride last week that has him primed to make an impact in his third game back on Saturday.

Last listed on NRL.com at 187cm and 97kgs, Spry is a daunting prospect out in the centres with some room to move. As his body adjusts to the rigours of Cup football, Spry will offer genuine X-factor in a Seagulls’ backline already stacked with talent. He’s a tackle busting and offloading threat who demands attention from the defence when he carries the ball or acts as a decoy.

It’s been all about Tweed’s left edge in recent weeks but the Seagulls were on fire down the right-hand side of the field to begin the season with Paul Turner, Lindon McGrady and Scott Galeano linking up to great effect. As Spry develops combinations with McGrady and Turner around him, he could become a key player for the Seagulls in the finals series.

With an expert finisher in Jamayne Isaako positioned outside Spry, Tweed’s right edge is all of a sudden looking very dangerous. They’ve got two more regular season games to get the reps in and they get another chance to do so against the Blackhawks on Saturday.

Spry’s own personal journey back to Cup level is one to be celebrated.

It’s a credit to his own resilience, determination and bravery that Spry is back on the footy field just months after a horrific off-field incident earlier this year where he was the victim of assault and sustained life-threatening injuries. Along with a gruelling road to recovery, Spry has also been active in the Gold Coast community helping to delivery education and wellbeing programs.

It will be inspiring to see Spry pull on the famous black-and-white strip for Tweed again this weekend.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf says his squad is preparing for a desperate Townsville outfit on Saturday.

“The Blackhawks are always strong and have a good mixture of youth and experience this year,” said Woolf.

“They are also in a must win situation so we expect them to come out firing. Our focus will be on our contact and linseed to limit their opportunities.”

Woolf also paid tribute to five-eighth Will Brimson who had a starring role in last week’s win over the Northern Pride.

“Will is always consistent on our left edge,” Woolf said.

“He’s got a good running game and is very good at putting his centre away. He also has a good left foot kicking game.”

Team List

1. Paul Turner
2. Scott Galeano
3. Treymaine Spry
4. Josh Patston
5. Jamayne Isaako
6. Will Brimson
7. Lindon McGrady
8. JJ Collins
9. Braden Robson
10. Sam Lisone
11. Klese Haas
12. Ioane Șeiuli
13. Charlie Murray
14. Craig Garvey
15. Jo Vuna
16. Reuben Porter
17. Reece Summer

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls made the trip to Cairns and left with the two competition points following their 24-18 win over the Northern Pride.

A Tweed forward pass on the first set of the game provided the Pride with the first opportunity to attack. Having solved an early shift on their right edge, the Seagulls left edge couldn’t keep Brendan Frei from crashing over. Some silky footwork from Julian Christian scrambled the line before Frei found just enough space to force the ball down.

Sam Lisone helped Tweed into the game with two efforts without the ball translating into points shortly after. His line speed in defence stopped the Pride’s path up the field out of yardage before his pressure on the kicker resulted in the kick going out on the full.

Having spent the majority of the opening exchanges inside their own half, Tweed could spend some time with the ball on attack.

Presented with a scrum 20 metres from their line and in the middle of the field, Tweed executed on a left shift for Scott Galeano to cross the line. Like last week, the Seagulls used Josh Patston’s backrow experience to create the space out wide. His line to Bernard Lewis’ inside shoulder dragged the Pride centre in as Will Brimson swept around the back to send Galeano over.

Tweed started to take control of the game. A 40/20 won field position and allowed the visitors to play on the front foot. However, Treymain Spry being sent to the naughty chair for dissent soon saw the Pride retake the lead. Going straight to the spot Spry would have been filling on the right edge, Will Partridge made it 12-6 in the 24th minute.

Galeano went close at answering right back but couldn’t keep hold of the ball as he leapt towards the corner post. That kept the score at 12-6 through to halftime where the Pride will perhaps have felt as though they left a try or two out there in the first 40 minutes.

Paul Turner and Jamayne Isaako linked up well throughout the first half. A sweeping Turner looked for Isaako out wide and found him effectively in yardage. That combination opened the scoring in the second half. However, this time, Turner found Isaako with his boot to level the scores at 12-12.

A moment of Brimson brilliance soon gave Tweed the lead. Looking to make up for his error in the previous set, Lewis jammed in as the Seagulls shifted the ball. However, he couldn’t stick to the tackle and Brimson spun out of the contact and down the sideline. His looping pass back in-field found Galeano for his second and the visitors put themselves in front for the first time in the 55th minute.

A Reece Summer offload to ground and into the hands of the opposition in the set after points put Tweed under pressure. So too did Collins’ second effort in the tackle resulting in a penalty and Craig Garvey’s forward pass. Still, the Seagulls defensive line propelled every attacking raid and frustrated the Pride into having another player sent to the bin for dissent in this one. Evan Child was marched this time, and from there, the Seagulls took control.

An early Turner kick in behind earned a forced dropout. Lindon McGrady and Brimson used the extra set on the line to put Tweed 12 points ahead. A long shift to the left edge through Collins in the middle compressed a 12-man defensive line leaving Galeano alone on the left wing. Similar to Turner’s kick through to Isaako earlier, Brimson dribbled one into the space down the left edge for Galeano to regather and claim his third of the night.

Not long after Child re-entered the field after his spell in the bin, Lisone replaced him after the officials ruled he threw a punch. The three minutes against 12 men wasn’t enough for the Pride, though. Partridge scored his second in the corner but the siren sounded as he kicked the conversion from the sideline for the Seagulls to claim an important 24-18 win.

Key Takeaways

Sam Lisone and JJ Collins linked up well early. Their work in yardage helped the Seagulls get into the game after conceding early points. Lisone’s ball-playing made things particularly difficult for the defensive line. He put Collins through a huge hole in the middle of the field at one stage, but the pass was called forward.

Lisone’s effort areas stood out, too. His line speed in defence backed up with pressure on the kicker turned a strong Pride yardage set into one ending with a kick out on the full. From there, the Seagulls used that field position to score their first try of the match.

Paul Turner stood out in a similar way. He had his moments in attack as he always does. The fullback made numerous half-breaks with his right foot step causing havoc when the Seagulls looked wide. However, he excelled in defence to clean up grubbers, save one try in cover, and organised the line as the Pride threatened in good ball.

Coach’s Comments

Defence has been a focus for Tweed all year and the line held up well despite conceding early.

“For the most part we defended well. Had a slip-up early but their other two tries were hard to defend, particularly a player down,” said Seagulls coach, Ben Woolf.

Having been forced into using six different fullbacks this season, Paul Turner’s availability in the #1 jersey helped this week.

“We’ve had a heap of different spine combinations and fullback, in particular, has been a spot we haven’t had consistency. Paul is our first choice fullback. He organised well and is a constant threat with the ball.”

Tweed have two games left to play in the regular season and are well-positioned to play finals footy. Still, the focus is on playing well over the next fortnight.

“We are building well and the focus over the next two weeks will be consistency over the 80 minutes,” Woolf said.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will travel to Barlow Park, Cairns this Saturday, 13th August to face the Northern Pride in Round 18 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.

The Seagulls will be eager to bounce back after drawing 26-26 with bitter rivals Burleigh Bears last week and will be confident of collecting the two points on Saturday if they can back up their Round 17 performance.

Tweed looked ultra competitive against the competition leaders last week. Despite a host of key players currently unavailable for selection (Brent Woolf, Lee Turner, Sam McIntyre, JoJo Fifita, Ryland Jacobs to name a few), the Seagulls looked dangerous with the ball in hand to threaten both around the ruck and on the edges.

Charlie Murray is proving a revelation in the starting lock role, playing 51 minutes last week to run for 94 metres, make 24 tackles with no misses and set up a try with a clever late offload for Braden Robson to score under the posts. Murray is named to lock the scrum again this week and forms a powerful and skilful middle third alongside JJ Collins and Sam Lisone.

Out wider, Joshua Patston is another Seagull proving his utility value this season; cameoing at left centre last week and proving a key figure in that draw against the Bears. Patston’s existing combination with five-eighth Will Brimson was evident as the pair asked constant questions of Burleigh halfback Guy Hamilton in defence. Patston finished that game with 139 running metres, one linebreak and four tackle busts and will line up there again on Saturday with Ioane Seiuli retaining his spot in the backrow inside him.

Tweed’s left edge of Brimson, Patston and Seiuli was afforded opportunities to impact the game thanks in largely to the kicking game of halfback Lindon McGrady’s.

McGrady put boot to ball 12 times last week for a season-high 383 kicking metres and two forced drop-outs. He is providing the Seagulls with wonderful experience and leadership while the squad changes around him this season and was a key factor in Tweed’s performance against Burleigh in Round 17.

A rare near missed field goal attempt with the clock winding down in that game will have replayed in McGrady’s head all week and we can expect a player of his quality and maturity to respond in telling fashion this weekend.

The Northern Pride bring some form into this Round 18 clash having won three on the trot and five of their last six games.

Pride’s recent record is such that they now sit equal with Tweed on the ladder with 19 competition points, meaning a win this weekend is vital as both sides chase a spot in the top eight. Hooker and captain Chris Ostwald has been in inspired form over the last month, with four try assists in his last three games catapulting Pride into ninth position.

The last time these sides met was in Round 8 this season, with Tweed coming away convincing winners 28-0. The Seagulls’ left edge was on fire in that game with Will Brimson, Josh Patston and brothers Paul & Lee Turner all starring in the shout-out win. Brimson, Patston and Paul Turner are all named to back it up in the rematch and profile as key players for the Seagulls again in Round 18.

Player to Watch

Ioane Seiuli was in a destructive mood last weekend against the Bears. At 191cm and 114 kgs he is an imposing prospect when sizing up on opposing halves and even when he doesn’t get the ball Seuili can manipulate the defence and create space for teammates around him.

He runs a good line off his half and linked nicely with Brimson last week to hold up the defence and leave space for Patston out wider or Paul Turner sweeping out the back.

When he did get the ball, Seuili’s strength through contact and offloading ability causes problems for the defence, as evident with Kaleb Ngamanu’s try midway through the second half last week. Drawing in two Burleigh defenders to the tackle on the left edge, Seuili still managed to get his arm free and pop the pass away for Ngamanu to dive over untouched.

With one game under their belt to further develop their combinations in attack, Seuili, Brimson and Patston shape as a likely avenue for points for Tweed again in Round 18.

Coach’s Comments

Tweed Seagulls Football Manager Dave Penna says the playing squad took plenty out of last week’s draw against bitter rivals Burleigh.

“The players always lift when playing Burleigh,” said Penna.

“It was a game we let slip but we will take a lot from that game, moving forward.”

Penna paid tribute to club stalwart Lindon McGrady for his leadership both last week and throughout the 2022 season as a whole.

“Lindon brings a lot of experience and calm to the team,” Penna said.

“He loves playing for Tweed and loves helping young players in the team.”

On the versatility and team-first attitude shown by players like Joshua Patston, Ioane Seiuli and Charlie Murray in recent weeks, Penna was full of praise.

“Our whole squad has that mentality. Everyone wants to work for one another and that is all you can ask for. It’s pleasing to see those boys do well – they have worked really hard all season.”

Match Details

Round 18 v  Northern Pride

Saturday 13th August @ Barlow Park, Cairns

Kick-off: 5:30pm

Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

At the recent Lion’s Long Lunch the Club, in partnership with the founding members of the Lion’s Den including Preston Campbell and his Foundation was proud to present the most recent scholarships in honour of Tom Searle as well as the inaugural Andy Stubbs scholarships.

The lunch was used to promote the efforts of local community clubs and schools that feed into our ‘Seagulls to Heroes’ Pathways Program and recognise that without these relationships Tweed Seagulls RLFC doesn’t exist.

Tom Searle was renowned for spotting talented young players and helping them achieve the best they could be. When interviewed at the lunch Preston spoke of Tom’s genuine interest in his wellbeing and his life away from football and how that helped him.

It is this legacy that we aim to keep alive through the scholarship program while we encourage all our players to have two ‘Plan As’ in pursuing their ambitions on and off the field..

Our most recent recipients are Aaron Singh (Murwillumbah and Murwillumbah HS), Blake Murphy (Tweed Juniors and St Josephs Banora Point) and Creedence Donovan and Zane Harrison (Tweed Heads Juniors and Palm Beach Currumbin SHS – PBC) following the likes of Tom Weaver (Cudgen and PBC), Zara Canfield (Currumbin Eagles and PBC), Chantay Ratu (Keebra Park SHS) and Tarryn Aiken (Bilambil and Tweed River HS)

All players will receive financial support for their studies, a small gear allowance and a 12-month gym membership through the Seagulls Club at Revolution Health & Fitness.

We thank our special luncheon guests Joel Parkinson, Greg Inglis, Chris Close, Trevor Gillmeister, Billy Moore, Kevin Campion and Preston Campbell, who gave generously of their time and shared stories to raise funds for the program.

Also, a special mention to Tristan Merlehan and the team at TopSport for promoting the Charity Bet in support of the Tom Searle Scholarship Program.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll profile all our scholarship holders and provide an update on their progress – on and off the field!

It was fitting that Lamar Manuel-Liolevave celebrated his 100th game for the Tweed Seagulls on our Legends Day. Tweed Seagulls past players and associates flocked to the grounds under the new ‘Legends’ banner and watched on proud to see the club in good hands.

When people speak of tradition and culture, it is important to note that the players and staff are the custodians. So for Legends to come back and witness the same loyalty they showed the club being mirrored is a significant moment for Seagulls.

Lamar epitomises the culture of the current playing group and the attitude they maintained during hard times. Whether it was the impact of the border closures or the recent floods, Ben Woolf, his coaching staff, assistants, and the playing group never looked for excuses and continued to work towards their goals on the field.

Before the match Lamar spoke of his gratitude towards Seagulls for helping him rediscover his love for the game and what the jersey meant to him. It is often said that the greatest compliment that a player can receive is from being the player others want to take the field with.

Congratulations Lamar we hope you are ready for 100 more!!

NAME – QCUP GAMES PLAYED

WOOD, James – 242

KING, Matt – 191

DAVIS, Brad – 154

MACCAN, Tim – 152

BARNES, Nathanael – 142

BERDIE, Selasi – 141

LEARY, Jake – 104

MANUEL-LIOLEVAVE, Lamar – 100

KINGSTON, Tom – 99

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls have spent the last fortnight gearing up for a blockbuster with competition heavyweights and bitter rivals the Burleigh Bears this Sunday 7th of August in Round 17 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.

This weekend will mark a return for Tweed’s to Piggabeen Sports Complex for the first time since round 12, and the added element of a local derby is sure to add some emotion to the contest. The club is expecting a packed house at Piggabeen on Sunday as all of Tweed’s valued corporate partners, affiliates and fans gather to celebrate club stalwart Lamar Manuel-Liolevave who will play his 100th game for the Seagulls.

While all the focus is on the Round 17 clash this week, there will also be one eye on the future with the Bears and Seagulls likely to face each other again in the Hostplus Cup finals series later this year. With a packed house at Piggabeen on Sunday and everything to play for, this is profiling as the game of the round.

The Seagulls come into Sunday’s clash following a 38-26 win over the Ipswich Jets in the QRL’s Country Round last month. Tweed’s attack clicked into gear in a high scoring affair in that game, running in eight tries against the Jets to clinch their eighth win of the season.

The Seagulls have welcomed back a host of names with NRL experience over the last few weeks and in Round 16 it was Tweed fullback and Titan’s five-eighth Paul Turner who made a statement in his return to the Hostplus Cup.

Turner ran for an even 200 metres, made four linebreaks, busted five tackles and set up a try in Tweed’s rout of the Jets, and he is named in his familiar #1 jersey again this week. Turner’s return also allowed Lindon McGrady to slot back into the halves, where he looked ultra comfortable to post three linebreak assists and two try assists in Round 16.

Alongside Turner, NRL regulars Jamayne Isaako and Brian Kelly were also strong contributors for the Seagulls last week, as was Tweed’s own Scott Galeano who again showed his versatility to shift onto the wing and cross for a double. With Galeano shifting back into his preferred centre position this week and Turner, McGrady and Will Brimson rounding out a familiar and formidable playmaking trio, the Seagulls are well positioned to make a statement when they take on the competition leaders on Sunday.

The Burleigh Bears sit alone atop the QRL premiership ladder with just two losses this season and carry a three game winning streak in Round 17. Interestingly, it was Tweed who dealt Burleigh their first loss of the season back in Round 4 with a comprehensive 38-12 victory, adding yet another layer to what’s shaping as a fiery clash between the rival clubs on Sunday.

The Bears’ competition leading offence has averaged 39.2 points per game over their last five matches and they will be confident of troubling the scoreboard again on Sunday. Halves Josh Rodgers and Guy Hamilton have 12 tries and a whopping 42 try assists between them so far this season and will be a focus for the Seagulls’ defence as they look to best the Bears for the second time this year.

Player to Watch

One of the Seagulls’ most reliable performers not just this season but across his QRL career to date is Lamar Manuel-Liolevave, who will celebrate a milestone 100 Cup games for Tweed this weekend.

Manuel-Liolevave is a beloved clubman and highly respected leader in this Seagulls’ side, having made his debut back in 2017 and playing all 99 Cup games in the black-and-white since. He has played primarily through the middle this season but is named in his familiar #11 jersey this week in recognition of his services to the club as an edge forward in season’s past.

Manuel-Liolevave’s rugby league journey is testament to Tweed’s development pathways, having come through the Keebra Park system and into the Seagulls’ program from a young age. Six seasons later and Manuel-Liolevave has truly found a home at Tweed and it will be a proud moment for both himself and the club when he takes the field for the 100th time in Seagulls colours on Sunday.

Tweed Seagulls Football Manager Dave Penna could not speak highly enough of their milestone man this week.

“Lamar has been with us for a while now and is definitely one of the leaders in our club,” said Penna.

“He plays with his heart on his sleeve every week. He always turns up, never complains and always does his job. He loves the club and the club is looking forward to honouring and recognising him this weekend.”

“I think at any level – particularly at an elite level – to play 100 games for any club deserves recognition. It’s a great achievement for Lamar and another proud moment in our club’s great history.”

Another reliable performer for the Seagulls this season – albeit not one with Manuel-Liolevave’s experience – is 20-year old rookie forward Charlie Murray.

Murray had a breakout game starting at lock in Tweed’s last outing, playing 54 minutes and taking 10 hit-ups for 103 running metres (47 in post-contact), throwing two offloads and making 20 tackles for no misses.

In a pack boasting big names like Manuel-Liolevave, JJ Collins and Sam Lisone, the Seagulls are equally well stocked with role-players who can be relied on to do their jobs every week. Joshua Patston, Ioane Seiuli and Braden Robson are three good examples from this season so far, and we can add Murray to the list now too.

Moving one of your best players to cover another injured star can be risky business. With Murray stepping up in a big minute lock role however, Tweed can afford to use Robson at hooker while they navigate a dummy-half injury crisis late in the season. Both players will be key to Tweed’s chances again in Round 17.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf was pleased to see his side wrack up the points against Ipswich in their last outing but says his focus this week has been on defence.

“Defence has been a big focus this week, particularly coming up against Burleigh who have been attacking well and putting teams away,” said Woolf.

“With the quality they have it will be important to defend well.”

Along with Manuel-Liolevave, Woolf also paid tribute to young Charlie Murray after a breakout game against the Jets.

“Charlie has been playing well and always brings great energy to the group – his effort and energy is always high,” Woolf said.

Match Details

Round 17 v  Burleigh Bears

Saturday 7th August @ Piggabeen Sports Complex, Tweed

Kick-off: 3:00pm

Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Chris ‘Choppy’ Close, Billy Moore, Greg Inglis, Trevor ‘The Axe’ Gillmeister, Kevin Campion and Preston Campbell will headline ‘The Lion’s Long Lunch’ will be held at Seagulls Club on August 5.

Our upcoming Lion’s Long Lunch will be held on August 5 at the Seagulls Club. Proceeds from the event will help us support our community links and the Tom Searle scholarship program.

It is a great line-up of guests and with a limit of 200 seats, this event will be in high demand.

The event will take place on the Friday to build hype for the rivalry round against Burleigh where we hope to fill the stands with a sea of black and white butcher stripes! The support from the fans will become critical in a must-win clash for our Hostplus Cup team.

We encourage everyone to circulate this link to those you think may be interested in the event.

Lunch will be a 2 course meal with a 3-hour drinks package included.

The Lunch named in memory of Seagulls legend Tom Searle with funds raised directed to the scholarship program in his name and the Seagulls to Heroes Pathways program. Several scholarship recipients will be named on the day, including the inaugural Andy Stubbs scholarship. Andy originally worked in the media, and his close association with Seagulls saw him become a key member of the consortium that brought the Titans to the Gold Coast.

Following the success of Queensland in the recent State of Origin decider, the special guests will almost be able to provide a living history of Origin with ‘Choppy’ winning the man-of-the-match in the inaugural game when the legendary Arthur Beetson captained the team.

‘Gilly’ famously led the team to one of its most famous victories in the 1995 series during the Super League war and was rushed back to the hospital after the final game at Melbourne.

This was the same series in which Billy Moore was captured in the tunnel at the Sydney game, yelling out the rallying cry of “Queenslander” that echoed around Suncorp Stadium as the Maroon ‘underdogs’ once again took the mantle of Origin holders.

This was the legacy that ‘Campo’ carried with him in his four Origin appearances, with teammate Gorden Tallis paying him the ultimate compliment of saying Campo was the player he wanted by his side in any game.

Greg Inglis, of course, was part of the Maroons dynasty playing alongside the likes of Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston, who Billy Slater reunited as part of his coaching team in his inaugural year as Coach.

GI will be joined on stage by his cousin Preston Campbell who brings us back to ‘The Lion’.

Preston got his original start in the top grade when Tommy recruited him in 1998 for the Gold Coast Chargers, where he shared a bedroom with Michael Searle, who brought him back to the Coast as the inaugural signing for the Titans.

Preston’s link with Seagulls involves the Preston Campbell Foundation trainees, with his son debuting for the Titans after a break-out year for Seagulls in the Queensland Cup last year.

Our guests will have plenty of stories to tell, and with a limit of 200 guests, tickets are selling fast.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls pile up the points early on their way to a 38-26 win over the Ipswich Jets at Bauhinia Park, Springsure.

It didn’t take long for the Seagulls to register on the scoreboard. Presented with an opportunity to attack in good ball after Ngangarra Barker failed to defuse a Lindon McGrady bomb, Brian Kelly plucked a McGrady cross-field kick out of their air to open the scoring in just the second minute.

As they so often do, the Seagulls looked straight to the edges in return. Left and right, they surged up the field and produced a strong set after points to control the early stages of the match. However, the Jets scored their first in a similar fashion to the Seagulls. This time it was Paul Turner who failed to defuse a bomb, and with five Ipswich players around to clean up the scraps, Blake Lenehan levelled the scores at 6-6.

Back-to-back penalties as the Seagulls worked out of yardage hurt the Jets. Tweed looked to the right side and found success through Turner as he skipped past his defender into the backfield. He couldn’t link up with Scott Galeano to finish the job this time. With another penalty and chance to move the ball though, the Seagulls again looked left. Sam Lisone acted as the trigger in the middle before McGrady provided Turner with early ball to skip to the outside of his man. Passing the ball this time, Turner found his brother Lee who shrugged off his man and sent Galeano down the sideline. Making no mistake, Galeano carried two into the corner and over the line for a 10-6 Tweed lead.

The Seagulls show no fear regardless of the game state. Where a lot of teams look to settle the game down and play with a lead, Ben Woolf’s side continues to explore the edges. If the offload is there, they will throw it and their set after points again ended with an Ipswich error deep in their own end after second-phase play dragged Tweed up the field.

McGrady and the Seagulls needed only one play off the scrum to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Feeding the ball before wrapping around to the left side, McGrady straightened the attack, created the numbers and left his backline with a three-on-two situation which Jamayne Isaako finished in the corner.

Rinse and repeat for the Seagulls in yardage. Another offload created the second phase and Paul Turner skipped through a disjointed defensive line and into the backfield. Again, the linebreak itself didn’t translate into points but the field position did. Another look to the right edge through the Turner brothers put Galeano over as the Seagulls built an 18-6 lead after only 26 minutes.

Tweed continued to build pressure through a forced dropout following Galeano’s second but Ipswich weathered the storm to finally spend some time with the ball before halftime.

Lachlan Cooper threatened close to the line as his big right foot step beat the first defender. However, his offload ended up in the hands of the Seagulls who soon added another four-pointer through Will Brimson. The Tweed five-eighth used a magnificent Josh Patston lead to break through the line for a 22-6 lead which stuck through to halftime.

Ipswich made their intentions clear after the break. Leaving the ground announcer speechless as the ball moved through, up and around numerous Jets players and hands, Ricco Falaniko strolled over to cut Tweed’s lead to 22-10.

Falaniko broke through the line shortly after, but the Seagulls responded with a strong set of their own. It appeared as though Ipswich had hung on after dragging Patston down just short of the line. However, as Craig Garvey stepped out from behind the ruck and shaped to pass right, he dropped Lamar Manuel-Liolevave back underneath to stroll over almost untouched.

A try to Kirisome Auva’a and sustained pressure on the Tweed line to follow threatened to put Ipswich back in the match. However, a strong defensive stint and relieving penalty put the Seagulls back into attacking field position, where they once again turned that field position into points. Going over from dummy half himself this time, Garvey pushed the score out to 32-16 with 20 minutes to play.

The result was put beyond doubt when Kelly strolled over for his second – again on the back of a scrum with Turner involved on the right side – to make it 38-12. Falaniko managed to score his second and Barker dotted down for the Jets as the siren sounded but the damage had been done. Tweed used lovely conditions for running rugby league to run up a 38-26 victory and play themselves into form ahead of a top-of-the-table clash against the Bears after the bye.

Key Takeaways

Coach Ben Woolf has talked about his willingness to see the Seagulls release an offload when the opportunity presents itself throughout the year. We’ve seen it all season regardless of the conditions and game state. With the go-forward through the middle established early into this one, the offloads helped to sustain it as the second phase generated yardage and disjointed the Jets’ defensive line. Paul Turner made particular use of the platform to regularly threaten and break through the line out wide.

Josh Patston continues to play well on the left edge. Whether it be a charging run with the ball in hand or a hard line for the ball to move wider, he is a crucial part of a left-edge attack that made in-roads all the way up the field in this one. His consistency is particularly valuable in a side that has been forced to rotate through players in recent weeks.

Coach’s Comments

With some big names returning to Ben Woolf’s side for this one, the Tweed attack sung from the start.

“It was good to see the team string the ball well on shifts, and the inclusion of Paul and Jamayne gave us some class to finish the sets off. We let ourselves down at the end of some backline movements but overall, the attack was good,” said Woolf.

Tweed’s attack has clicked at the perfect time ahead of a massive rivalry battle with the Burleigh Bears in Round 17. It doubles as the first Seagulls game at Piggabeen since the middle of June.

“The boys are always up for a big one against Burleigh and will be keen to get a home game after a long run away,” Woolf said.

“If we can keep the same line up, I’m really looking forward to challenging the benchmark team after the bye.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will take their Round 16 clash with the Ipswich Jets to Bauhinia Park in Springsure this Saturday, 23rd July at 3:30pm as part of the QRL Hostplus Cup’s Country Round initiative.

Saturday’s game is the fourth consecutive away game for the Seagulls who have travelled to Rockhampton, Redcliffe and the Sunshine Coast in what has been a challenging month of football for the Tweed based club. The Seagulls have been forced to navigate injuries and NRL call ups to key players throughout that time and have done well to keep in touch with the top eight with five games remaining. As Tweed get some troops back over the coming weeks they will be well positioned to make a deep run into this year’s finals series, but for now it’s all about a Round 16 matchup with the Ipswich Jets.

Saturday’s game profiles as an important one for the Seagulls who will be looking to avoid a logjam in the bottom half of the top eight with finals approaching. Just four competition points seperate the 5th placed Dolphins and the 11th placed Cutters, with Tweed sitting right in the middle of that bunch with seven wins and 16 competition points coming into Round 16.

With one win and two losses from their last three games, Saturday’s clash presents as a winnable game for the Seagulls before they meet with top eight sides Burleigh, Townsville and Brisbane to round out the ‘22 regular season.

The Ipswich Jets bring a very different form line into Round 16, having won three of their last four games and averaging a convincing 24 points per game throughout that period. It’s a far cry from the Jets’ start to the year, where they lost their first 10 games and scored more than 20 points on just two occasions.

It was a meeting with the Tweed Seagulls at North Ipswich Reserve in Round 11 that marked a turnaround in the Jets’ 2022 season and that is sure to add some feeling to this weekend’s contest.

The Jets came to life either side of the break in that game to score six tries and threaten a huge upset against the then-sixth placed Seagulls. Two late tries to Sosefo Fifita and Ioane Seiuli sealed the result for Tweed in that game, but with Fifita named to play for the Gold Coast Titans this week the Seagulls will need to look elsewhere for points on Saturday.

Players to Watch

With 121 NRL games worth of skill and experience named at left centre for the second week in a row, Brian Kelly is again a player to watch for the Seagulls in Round 16.

Playing in his first Hostplus Cup game of the season last week, Kelly took 21 carries for a game-high 223 metres (81m in post-contact) against the Falcons, busting eight tackles and throwing three offloads along the way. Kelly has always been a destructive runner of the ball and was a welcome addition to a Tweed backline last week that is still missing reliable yardage men in Ryland Jacobs (leg injury) and Paul Turner (Gold Coast Titans) when working out the back of the field.

Kelly’s appearance for the Seagulls in Round 15 pushed regular left-centre Lee Turner to the other side of the field while backrower-turned-centre Ioane Seiuli lined up on the wing. The Seagulls’ back five combined for 795 running metres last week to keep Tweed competitive in yardage and it’s a testament to the Falcons’ defensive resolve that they were able to win last week with just 44% of the ball. With the same backline named to take on the Jets this weekend, Tweed will be confident of working off their own line effectively and starting their sets on the front foot.

From there, it’s the Seagulls’ left edge that has looked most likely with the ball in recent weeks and we can expect Tweed to search for points down that channel on Saturday.

Backrower Joshua Patston was the beneficiary of a left-dominant offence last week, with the workman-like forward troubling the scoreboard twice against the Falcons thanks to Lindon McGrady’s short kicking game in good ball.

Once in the first half and then again in the second, McGrady took possession in a left-side shift and dropped the ball onto the boot and into space behind Sunshine Coast’s line. Patston showed great skill to scoop the first grubber off his laces and through traffic, and then was quick enough to beat Falcon’s fullback Luke Polselli to the ball for his second.

Aside from McGrady’s involvements from fullback, the combination of Patston and five-eighth Will Brimson is one the Seagulls can look to in good-ball on Saturday, particularly with the threat Brain Kelly poses to the defence outside them. The temptation might be to play wide to Kelly on the edges but if Brimson can straighten up the attack and have McGrady and Kelly threatening out wide, the space might open up for Patston off his hip.

Patston runs a great backrowers’ line and is skilful enough to get a pass away through or at the line to a teammate in support. Throw in the kicking threat of McGrady and Brimson’s own ability as a ball runner and the left edge is an area of strength for the Seagulls coming into Round 16.

Team List

1. Lindon McGrady
2. Ioane Șeiuli
3. Lee Turner
4. Brian Kelly
5. Scott Galeano
6. Will Brimson
7. Thomas Weaver
8. JJ Collins
9. Blake Scott
10. Sam Lisone
11. Joshua Patson
12. Charlie Murray
13. Braden Robson
14. Craig Garvey
15. Reece Summer
16. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave
17. Reuben Porter
18. Daniel Ross

Match Details

Round 16 v Ipswich Jets

Saturday 23rd July @ Bauhinia Park, Springsure

Kick-off: 3:30pm

Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls fought back from a 16-point deficit early but a fast-finishing Sunshine Coast Falcons took the chocolates with a 26-18 win at Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast.

Presented with sunny skies perfect for throwing the footy around, Tweed got into their work early. They searched the edges in yardage and moved up the field to win the early field position battle. However, a Sam Lisone error gave the Falcons an opportunity in good ball which they turned into points. Cooper Johns crabbed across the field before Daniel Atkinson straightened the attack and sent the ball wide for Nat McGavin to score in the corner.

Tweed responded well with a tough Charlie Murray carry ending up in a penalty and kick up the field. Tom Weaver, Lee Turner and Scott Galeano found space down the right edge to put the Seagulls on the front foot. Lindon McGrady approached the line on the last tackle and looked to dribble one in behind the line for a repeat set, but Blake Wilson cleaned up the grubber and returned it to the house to put the Falcons up 10-0 after 12 minutes.

The home side made it 16-0 on the following set. Johns hung one up on the last tackle with Luke Polselli beating McGrady in the air before sending Kane Jackson over the line.

Despite the scoreline, the Seagulls didn’t go into their shell. Typical shifts wide posed danger down the edges on both sides. Ioane Seiuli went close in the left corner before being bundled into touch. Backrower Josh Patston found himself streaking down the left edge and into Falcons territory on the following set. Seiuli did the same shortly after. However, the home side solved Tweed’s shifts well enough in good ball to keep their line clean until the visitors finally broke through in the 30th minute. McGrady’s long kicking game improved Tweed’s field position and his grubber to Patston produced points and cut the Falcons’ lead to ten which lasted through to halftime.

Neither side managed to grasp control of the game throughout the early stages of the second half. Tweed again found success down the edges but the Sunshine Coast defence held firm. Meanwhile, a big Falcons middle charged up the field and forced the Seagulls to work out from deep in their own end.

A Sunshine Coast penalty for high contact and back-to-back six again infringements changed the game and put Tweed into attacking field position for an extended period. McGavin put a shot on out wide to close down a dangerous-looking right shift before Johns knocked the ball on while solving a Tweed shift to the left edge. An Atkinson shoulder charge extended Tweed’s time in good ball and having been held up over the line a minute earlier, Craig Garvey eventually cracked the Sunshine Coast defence to score.

The big middles moved the ball between themselves up the field while Brian Kelly also worked hard out of yardage, and Tweed returned straight back to the Sunshine Coast 20 to continue their onslaught with the ball. Lisone went close to crashing over the line but the home side managed to hold him up. However, the fatigue in the legs started to catch up with the Falcons middle as Patston won the race to a McGrady grubber with Tweed taking an 18-16 lead into the final 15 minutes.

The Falcons completed a strong defensive set but a late shot as Weaver kicked from deep in his own end released all pressure and sent the Seagulls 40 metres up the field. However, Polselli found a gaping hole in the defensive line in response before drawing the fullback and sending Johns under the post to put the home side back in front.

Just like that, the Falcons were rewarded for their work in defence with a 22-18 lead with Jack Gibbons adding to it in the final moments. While the Seagulls completed an impressive comeback throughout the middle of the match, the Falcons’ fast start and strong finish was enough to secure the 26-18 win.

Key Takeaways

Reece Summer again impressed in his stint off the bench. He entered the field with the Seagulls 16 points behind and provided a much-needed energy boost through the middle.

Lindon McGrady’s kicking game proved to be a turning point for the Seagulls in the first half, though. Down 16-0 and in need of a response, McGrady began to pin the Falcons in their own end as Tweed slowly worked themselves into the match. That allowed the ball-playing middles to trigger shifts in yardage. It wasn’t long before the pressure started to build and turn into points.

It comes up every week but Craig Garvey again proved instrumental in Tweeds best periods in attack. He put his forwards on the front foot and found metres himself when ducking out of dummy half. His deception in good ball forced the defence to crowd the ruck which opened up space wider. When the defence didn’t close the gap between A and B, Garvey twice put his head through the line with the second leading to points.

Coach’s Comments

Tweed fought back well but ultimately gave up too many points early on.

“We did well to come back into the game and lead after trailing early but can’t afford to give those sort of leads,” said Seagulls coach, Ben Woolf.

McGrady played a big part in Tweed working their way back into the game. Despite playing at fullback, he’s still slotting in as a halfback at times.

“Lindon’s doing well [since moving to fullback]. He’s still controlling the game for us like he has all year,” Woolf said.

Craig Garvey also made a positive impact on the comeback when coming off the bench.

“Craig gives us good intensity off the bench every week. His defensive effort and running game are handy attributes to have to come on during the game.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

With JoJo Fifita named to make his debut this week, rugbyleaguewriters.com have looked into his QCup form and how it might translate into the NRL.

Rugby League Writers has spent the year covering the Tweed Seagulls in the Hostplus Cup and have been able to see JoJo Fifita earn his NRL debut with the Gold Coast Titans this week.

The 19-year-old has featured eight times for the Seagulls in 2022 scoring seven tries, breaking the line seven times and handing out two try assists. He’s quick, can break tackles (17 this year) and has the patience and ability to sum up a situation with the ball before making the right pass or finding the corner himself.

 

Any highlight packages introducing Fifita to the NRL will feature streaking runs down the sideline and finishes in the corner. He has looked comfortable on the end of Tweed’s wide-ranging shifts all season.

However, it’s his willingness and ability in yardage that is perhaps most encouraging. It’s an area of the field a lot of younger players might shy away from. Listed at 91kg, he’s not the biggest winger going around at Hostplus Cup or NRL level. Still, he puts his hand up for the tough carries and his contact and leg drive have turned numerous Tweed yardage sets around with a strong carry.

You can see how he breaks the first tackle before pushing through the second to earn his team 15 valuable metres here.

When given a little bit more time and space to wind up, Fifita is dangerous on kick returns. Tweed played in poor conditions against the Capras three weeks ago. Still, Fifita was able to apply some footwork to beat the initial kick-chase and pick up extra metres against a disjointed defensive line.

Unfortunately, we don’t get a lot of helpful angles to assess wing defence in the Hostplus Cup but Fifita hasn’t stood out as a weakness. Tweed typically slides in defence and he made good enough contact to complete this try saver in his last match for the Seagulls.

Fifita is signed with the Titans and has been destined for a crack in the top grade at some point, but it’s a worthwhile reminder that the Hostplus Cup is stacked with talent. It’s a nursery for young players and despite so few clubs considering those over 23 or 24 years old for an NRL debut, plenty look capable of stepping up. Check-in on the action at QPlus.tv and keep up with our work for the Tweed Seagulls.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will hit the road for consecutive weekends this Saturday, 16th July when they travel to Sunshine Coast Stadium to take on the Falcons in Round 15 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.

Tweed’s premiership credentials this season are built around defence. A slip up last week against the Redcliffe Dolphins – where the Seagulls conceded an uncharacteristic 30 points – still leaves Tweed with the fifth best defensive record coming into Round 15 and we can expect a response from their middles in particular this week.

The Seagulls were navigating the absence of key players across the park last weekend and Redcliffe made them pay. Around the ruck in particular, the Dolphins’ hooking rotation of Sheldon Pitama and Liam Hampson threatened and schemed from dummy-half which allowed Redcliffe to play over the advantage line in attack. It’s an area of the game we’re used to seeing Tweed dominate this season and they get a chance to answer back on Saturday against the Falcons.

The importance of combinations and team cohesion is being stressed right now with the Seagulls’ navigating a host of injuries and absences to key players in key positions.

Following in the footsteps of Sam McIntyre, both Paul Turner and Sosefo Fifita have earned NRL call-ups to the Gold Coast Titans in recent weeks on the back of compelling performances in the Hostplus Cup. Ryland Jacobs impressed when filling in for Turner at fullback but succumbed to a leg injury prior to Round 14 which rules him out again this week, while first-choice hooker Brent Woolf remains on the sidelines as he manages a shoulder concern. Big minute prop Lamar Manuel-Liolevave has been out of action since copping a nasty head knock while playing for Fiji in the Pacific Test and experienced QRL campaigner Harrison Muller has been out since Round 10.

It’s a testament to both Tweed’s depth of roster and also their ‘next man up’ mentality that the Seagulls remain inside the top eight coming into Round 15.

Tweed’s big men JJ Collins and Sam Lisone start in the front row again this week with Braden Robson at lock and Joshua Patston returning to the side in the backrow. With Blake Scott and Craig Garvey again sharing hooking duties, the Seagulls have the nucleus of a forward pack who can compete with Sunshine Coast in yardage and open things up for Will Brimson, Tom Weaver and Lindon McGrady in attack.

Patston’s return is a timely one for the Seagulls, who are searching for a reliable constant amidst a raft of team changes in recent weeks.

Patston’s inclusion rounds out a familiar left edge for the Seagulls with Brimson, Patston and Lee Turner playing plenty of footy together at five-eighth, backrow and centre respectively this season. Brent Barnes is the fresh face on the wing but the combination of Brimson, Patston and Turner is one the Seagulls can turn to in the pressure moments on Saturday. If Brimson and his left edge can take control in good ball it will alleviate the pressure on young Weaver at halfback, playing just his second Cup game on Saturday.

The Sunshine Coast Falcons come into Round 15 following a narrow loss to the Central Queensland Capras. Sunshine Coast scored the first and last tries in that game but couldn’t seal the result, with the Capras defending their line bravely as the Falcons chased a late comeback.

Currently sitting second on the QRL ladder, the Falcons are a side Tweed can expect to meet again in the finals series and pose a welcome challenge as the Seagulls this week as they prepare for the back end of the season.

The last time these sides met was in Round 2 earlier this year, with Tweed Seagulls coming away comprehensive winners 28-6. The Seagulls’ left edge was on fire in that game with Brimson, Patston and Lee Turner all crossing the chalk in Round 2 and that trio shape as key players for the Seagulls again on Saturday.

Player to Watch

Tweed have embraced the next man up mentality as well as anyone in 2022 as injuries and NRL opportunities continue to disrupt head coach Ben Woolf’s first-choice 17 from week-to-week.

Earlier in the season it was Blake Scott and Craig Garvey stepping up with Brent Woolf on the sidelines and more recently we’ve marvelled at the efforts of Ryland Jacobs at fullback with Paul Turner playing for the Gold Coast Titans. But with Jacobs going down with a leg injury last week, Seagulls’ winger Scott Galeano identified an opportunity – and a need – to step up and he took it with both hands.

Capable of playing centre or wing, Galeano has good ball skills but is at his best when running the ball. Strong through contact and with nice footwork, Galeano took 16 energetic carries in a losing side last week to clock up 160 running metres (the most of any Tweed player and Galeano’s second highest tally this season) against Redcliffe and make 10 tackles with no misses.

In Galeano and three-Cup-game rookie Brent Barnes, the Seagulls have two reliable ball carriers out of yardage who can start their sets well in Round 15. This is made even more important with Lindon McGrady – primarily a ballplayer – filling in at fullback at the moment. Backrower-turned-centre Ioane Seiuli is also a strong runner of the ball and Lee Turner is still Tweed’s strike weapon in the outside backs, but at 24 years old Galeano has quickly become the familiar face in the Seagulls’ backline this season and his ability to step up when needed is promising signs, moving forward.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf conceded his side were beaten through the middle last week and is looking for a response on Saturday.

“Redcliffe were better than us around the ruck last week,” said Woolf.

“They had better line speed and their effort in the ruck was better than ours on both sides of the ball. Our effort in those areas needs to improve to match the top teams.”

Woolf said the next man up mentality his squad has embraced this season is not something they have spoken about as a group.

“There’s no fuss made when we get injuries and the expectation is that all players in the squad are ready to go,” said Woolf.

Scott Galeano was a standout performer from the wing last week and Woolf paid special mention to his efforts on the ball.

“With Lindon being a ballplaying fullback Scotty had to carry more and he did a good job there last week.”

Team List

1. Lindon McGrady
2. Brent Barnes
3. Lee Turner
4. Ioane Șeiuli
5. Scott Galeano
6. Will Brimson
7. Thomas Weaver
8. JJ Collins
9. Blake Scott
10. Sam Lisone
11. Joshua Patson
12. Klese Haas
13. Braden Robson
14. Craig Garvey
15. Reece Summer
16. Charlie Murray
17. Reuben Porter
18. Daniel Ross

Match Details

Round 15 v Sunshine Coast Falcons

Saturday 16th July @ Sunshine Coast Stadium

Kick-off: 4pm

Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls couldn’t keep up with a charging Redcliffe Dolphins who ran away with a 30-4 Round 14 win at Moreton Daily Stadium, Redcliffe.

The Seagulls didn’t need long to open the scoring as Scott Galeano crossed in the just sixth minute of the match. In a replica of their first try last week, Tweed looked to the right edge with Sam Lisone throwing the first pass of the shift at first receiver. He dug into the line before sending the ball wide where Galeano found acres of space to race over the line for an early 4-0 lead.

While the Seagulls worked well through the middle to pin the Dolphins in their own end, the home side did their damage out wide. With the defensive line compressed early in the count, Daejarn Asi chipped one over and into the corner for Setu Tu to level the scores 15 minutes into this one.

The try provided the Dolphins with a boost as they took control of the middle of the field. Dunamis Lui stood out within a rampaging pack that provided the playmakers with regular opportunities to attack the Seagulls line. Still, the visitors held firm in defence.

Lindon McGrady moved to fullback for this one with young Tom Weaver spotting up at halfback. However, McGrady made sure to insert himself into the Tweed attack whenever he could, directing the side a lot more than you would typically see from a fullback. Thriving through the middle by getting deep into the line and straightening the attack, McGrady created space for Tweed to find regular success down the edges in yardage. Will Brimson broke through the line but couldn’t connect with a teammate to turn the break into points.

While the Dolphins were presented with a handful of opportunities to ask questions in attack, the Seagulls defence had the answers in the first half. Lee Turner and Brimson on the left edge, in particular, made things difficult with their jamming defence shutting down back-to-back Redcliffe shifts.

Defence defined the first half which ended 4-4. The Dolphins middle defence limited the number of opportunities the Seagulls had to attack the line, while the Seagulls’ line defence shut down those of the Dolphins.

That Seagulls defence didn’t stick through to start the second half. Asi’s run at the line ended with Eli Katoa through it with the big backrower holding McGrady off for long enough to release an offload to the trailing Trai Fuller. While the fullback scored close to the posts, Asi couldn’t convert as the Dolphins moved to 8-4 in front.

That soon became 14-4 following a Valynce Te Whare break from inside his own half. The big centre who is signed with the Dolphins NRL side for 2023 showed incredible speed for his size as he streaked down the sideline. With the Tweed defence on the back foot, Liam Hampson found space around the ruck to crash over the line in the 50th minute.

As has so often been the case this season, Craig Garvey provided a spark off the bench. His linebreak threatened to break the game wide open before Fuller collected Garvey’s grubber to shut the play down and put Redcliffe back on the front foot. With points at a premium at this point, Bryce Donovan pointed at the posts when given the opportunity to put the Dolphins up 16-4 with 20 minutes to play.

It was all one-way traffic from there, though.

Hampson again triggered the action for the Dolphins to score their fourth try of the night. Spotting a Tweed defender slow to reload at the play-the-ball, the hooker jumped out from behind the ruck, stepped past the first marker and brought the shortside A defender into the tackle before sending the ball wide where Edward Kosi finished the job with a barnstorming run down the right wing.

Hampson completed what was an impressive performance by sending Kosi over only minutes later but Valynce Te Whare added the icing to the cake on the stroke of full time. Another charging carry down the left side ended with the centre crashing over as the Dolphins finished up as convincing 30-4 victors at Moreton Daily Stadium.

Key Takeaways

Lindon McGrady replaced the injured Ryland Jacobs at fullback for this one which changed things up for the Seagulls in attack. Opportunities to attack in good ball were few and far between. However, where Jacobs had made his mark in yardage and out wide with his speed and footwork in previous weeks, McGrady acted more as a ball player in the middle of the field this week. It may not show on the scoreboard, but there is points in this spine when given the chance.

Tom Weaver made his debut for the Seagulls top side in this one. He wasn’t presented with many opportunities in attack but displayed a nice right-foot step late in the piece. Some quick hands played a key role in the right shift leading to Scott Galeano’s try, too. The 19-year-old impressed with his defence, though. The Dolphins used Eli Katoa to run at the young halfback but Weaver did well enough to contain the much bigger backrower.

Coach’s Comments

Tom Weaver impressed coach Ben Woolf in his debut despite the limited opportunities in attack.

“I thought he did well. They sent plenty of traffic at him but he stood up well,” said Woolf.

The absence of Ryland Jacobs at the back had an impact on the number of opportunities the Seagulls had to use the football.

“We missed Ryland’s carries in yardage tonight. Lindon still ran the show in attack, but Ryland was definitely a loss,” Woolf said.

Ultimately, though, it came down to the Tweed defence which didn’t perform at the level it has done in recent weeks.

“We gave some cheap possession which put us under pressure at key times. We struggled to control their ruck speed in both halves but the extra possession allowed them to take advantage of it better in the second half.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will be looking to post back-to-back wins on Saturday 9th July at 6pm when they take on the Redcliffe Dolphins in Round 14 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.

The Seagulls will make the trip up the M1 to Moreton Daily Stadium, Redcliffe with plenty of confidence this weekend having bested the 4th placed North Queensland Capras in Round 13. That win boosted Tweed up to fifth place on the ladder and in perfect position to make a deep run in this year’s finals series. A win against the seventh-placed Dolphins on Saturday will entrench the Seagulls inside the top eight with seven games to go in the regular season.

Much of the analysis in 2022 has been focused on Tweed’s free-flowing attacking structures and the threats they possess from dummy-half. The hooking trio of Brent Woolf, Craig Garvey and Blake Scott is a combination most QRL clubs would die for and the Seagulls have used all three effectively throughout the ‘22 season. They all bring different strengths to the position but one constant is their ability to bring Tweed’s middle forwards onto the ball and generate ruck speed in attack.

Much of this can also be attributed to the Seagulls’ forward rotation. The likes of JJ Collins, Lamar Manuel-Liolevave and Braden Robson have been stalwarts for Tweed in 2022 and consistently bend the line in yardage sets which creates the spaces out wide. Two tries against the Capras last week came on the back of exactly that – compressing the middle before simple hands to both edges found space in the corner.

All Tweed’s points in Round 13 were fine examples of their confidence and willingness to promote the footy, from anywhere on the field and in any conditions. Seven pairs of hands were needed for Sosefo Fifita to score in the 15th minute and another six were involved to put Scott Galeano over despite the horrid conditions last weekend. Considering the Seagulls are currently navigating the absence of fullback Paul Turner and forward Sam McIntyre – both who were integral to Tweed’s attacking shapes to begin the season and both who have earned a Gold Coast Titans NRL gig as a result – is further credit to the depth of Tweed’s roster and the quality of their coaching.

The saying goes though that defence wins premierships, and in that department the Tweed Seagulls profile well with finals approaching.

As of Round 14, the Seagulls defence (224 points conceded) ranks as the fourth best in the competition, with just 18 points separating them and the first placed Burleigh Bears (206 points conceded). Defence is a week-to-week focus under Head Coach Ben Woolf and it’s seen the Seagulls scrap and fight their way to two-points on a number of occasions this year, regardless of their attacking form on the day. A narrow win over the Hunters in Round 10 and last week’s six point margin against the Capras are recent examples of Tweed’s ability to defend their way to victory when the points aren’t flowing – a trait that will hold them in good stead come finals time.

The confidence Tweed take from their defensive resilience also flows into their attack. The Seagulls afford themselves opportunities to promote the footy and use the ball in attack, knowing they can defend any errors along the way. Against a Dolphins outfit that averages 21.8 points per game this season, the Seagulls’ defensive resolve could be the difference on Saturday.

The Redcliffe Dolphins come into Round 14 on the back of a 26-20 win over the Brisbane Tigers, capping off a strong month that included a 50+ point win over Ipswich Jets, a narrow win against the Mackay Cutters and a tough 24-all draw with the NQ Capras.

While not as watertight as Tweed without the ball, Redcliffe have proven they have plenty of points in them in with the likes of Trai Fuller and Valynce Te Whare troubling the scoreboard consistently in recent weeks. The Dolphins are 2-and-2 at home this season and will be eager to make that record a positive one at BMD Kougari Oval on Saturday.

Tweed have the wood over Redcliffe with wins in their last two matches, including a comprehensive 41-22 win to the Seagulls in last year’s finals series.

Player to Watch

Sam Lisone returned for the Seagulls last week for immediate impact and shapes as a key player for Tweed again on Saturday. Playing 47 minutes against the Capras in Round 13, Lisone proved his quality to contribute 99 running metres and 27 tackles in just his second Hostplus Cup game for 2022.

What the numbers don’t show however, is Lisone’s effectiveness as a link man from the ruck to the edges in attack. When he wasn’t carting the ball up and bending the line, Lisone could be seen passing forward teammates into space or chiming in at pivot in Tweed’s backline shifts. It’s a role that Braden Robson and Manuel-Liolevave have filled almost exclusively this year since Sam McIntyre’s elevation into first-grade, but Lisone’s addition gives the Seagulls yet another skilful big body to employ through the middle of the field.

Against a powerful Redcliffe forward pack led by Dunamis Lui this weekend, the impact Lisone brings on both sides of the ball will be crucial to Tweed winning the ruck on Saturday.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf says his side are close to finding a nice balance in attack and defence.

“We do back ourselves with the ball but also try to take controlled risks in attack,” said Woolf.

“It is good to show that we have the ability to scramble and defend our line if we do make errors though.”

Woolf is wary of a Dolphins outfit this weekend that hasn’t lost a game since Round 6.

“The Dolphins are a dangerous side and we follow them in the draw so have seen plenty of their games,” said Woolf.

“They are a strong team across the board with plenty of strike. They’ve got a strong forward pack so we will expect them to come through the middle then challenge our edges once they get some momentum.”

Team List

2. Sosefo Fifita
3. Lee Turner
4. Ioane Șeiuli
5. Scott Galeano
6. Will Brimson
7. Lindon McGrady
8. JJ Collins
9. Blake Scott
10. Sam Lisone
11. Joshua Patson
12. Charlie Murray
13. Braden Robson
14. Craig Garvey
15. Reece Summer
16. Daniel Ross
17. Reuben Porter

Match Details

Round 14 v Redcliffe Dolphins

Saturday 9th July @

Moreton Daily Stadium, Redcliffe

Kick-off: 6pm

Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls weathered wet and soggy conditions to outlast the Central Queensland Capras 18-12 at Browne Park, Rockhampton.

Tweed found themselves under early pressure when a Lee Turner penalty forced them into defending a full set on their line. However, the defence held firm in what would become a telling trend throughout the 80 minutes.

The wet conditions made it difficult for both teams to get up the field and Tweed appeared to play a territory game early. Lindon McGrady put in a pin-point grubber to force Central Queensland to travel 99 metres if they wanted to score before running it on the last and into the corner on the following set. However, penalties allowed the Capras easy passage up the field on both occasions to release the pressure.

The Seagulls have proven already this year that they’re willing to shift the football no matter the conditions. Sam Lisone made sure to insert himself into the attack as a ball-player through the middle and sent Braden Robson through half a gap. Shortly after, he linked up with McGrady one-off the ruck before McGrady threw a harbour bridge pass out to Will Brimson. Streaking down the right side from halfway, Brimson’s one-two with Jojo Fifita ended with the Seagulls centre opening the scoring in the 12th minute.

It wasn’t long before the Seagulls were presented with an opportunity to attack in good ball and made the most of it with a wide-ranging shift from the left corner to the right. JJ Collins took a long pass from dummy half and found McGrady wider, though the hands while drawing jamming defenders, the Seagulls right edge put Fifita over in the corner to push their lead out to 12-0.

The Capras weren’t short of opportunities with the ball, earning a repeat set in the 30th minute and spending back-to-back sets inside the Seagulls 20-metre line. However, they came up empty-handed while the visitors surged up the field in response. A destructive Collins carry into an offload to Craig Garvey soon translated into a Brimson kick into the far corner to pin the Capras deep in their own end of the field.

Tweed managed to add another try before halftime with close to a mirror image shift of their second try. This time starting on the right and looking left, Collins and McGrady again linked up before Brimson skipped to the outside of his man to engage the right centre. Turner straightened the attack to bring the winger infield and found Scott Galeno in the corner for a 16-0 lead.

Looking to answer back in the second half, the Capras scored the first points through a deflected grubber which found its way into the hands of Jesse Jennings in the 49th minute. A McGrady penalty goal four minutes later made it 18-6 as this game once again turned into a back and forth grind. Both sides worked towards forcing a mistake out of the opposition.

The errors came. Nixon Putt gave away a penalty which put the Seagulls into attacking territory but they couldn’t turn the field position into points. At the other end, errors working out of their own 20-metre zone in three consecutive sets put the Seagulls line under pressure. It took two more repeat sets for the Capras to cross the line. Jack Madden hung one up for Jonus Pearson who leapt above a crowd of Seagulls defenders to pluck the ball out of the air to make it 18-12 with seven minutes to play.

Game on.

Central Queensland threw everything at Tweed in the final moments; they weren’t going home wondering. A grubber from inside their own half early in the count put the Capras hot on the attack but Tweed kept them out. While trying to wind down the clock and close the game out, Bailey Butler put a shot on Collins to force an error and give them one more chance at levelling the scores.

However, as had been the case so often in this one, the Seagulls defence held up and held on to secure an impressive 18-12 win.

Key Takeaways

Tweed didn’t seem to care about the wet and soggy conditions in this one. As they’ve done all year, Ben Woolf’s side explored the edges in yardage and shifted the ball through multiple sets of hands in good ball to score. The weather did have an impact at times as the ball-players needed a little bit more time with the ball which threw out some of the timing. Still, it all came off often enough for the Seagulls to stretch the defence and find points in the first half.

Sam Lisone’s involvement was a big part of Tweed’s early success with the ball. He carried the ball well but it was his ball-playing that caused havoc. He played short to Braden Robson and put the lock forward through half a gap at one stage. Shortly after, he sent the ball wider and played at pivot for the first try of the afternoon. With Lamar Manuel-Liolevave not available for this one, Lisone filled the role to ensure the Seagulls attack didn’t miss a beat all the way up the field.

Coach’s Comments

In a match that forced a reshuffle, the Seagulls didn’t miss a beat. Tweed coach Ben Woolf was especially happy with how the team responded defensively.

“We are lucky enough to have several players that can play multiple positions which definitely helped today,” said Woolf.

“We defended our line really well. Both of their tries came from kicks so it was a credit to our defence in the second half.”

He also made mentioned of Lisone’s involvement in tough conditions.

“Sam was a good inclusion and his carries helped today, although the conditions didn’t really suit him,” Woolf said.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will hit the road this weekend as they travel to face the Central Queensland Capras at Browne Park, Rockhampton in Round 13 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.

The Tweed Seagulls are building nicely towards the back end of the season despite a slip-up in Round 12 against the Mackay Cutters, going down 22-24 in a tight contest. The positive for the Seagulls is that they only beat themselves with a 66% completion rate and just 40% of the ball in that game.

Tweed are at their best when rolling through the middle thanks to their creativity around the ruck before shifting smoothly to the edges in good ball. They afford themselves a chance to do so thanks to their discipline and attention to detail on both sides of the ball. Tweed’s 17.1 missed tackles per game is the lowest across the competition this season, and with the ball their 8.4 handling errors is the fourth least per game in 2022. The time in possession and field position Tweed earn for themselves on the back of this eventually turns into points, particularly with the attacking skill across the Seagulls’ lineup.

In Round 12 however, Tweed simply made it too hard for themselves.

With 13 errors, nine infringements and a whopping 37 missed tackles, the Seagulls were off their game and we can expect a much improved performance against the Capras on Saturday. Some minor adjustments and a keener focus on the basics should bring out the best of Tweed and if it does, the Seagulls profile well to grind Central Queensland out of the game in Round 13.

The Capras bring similar form into Saturday’s matchup with a draw and shaky wins over Townsville and Wynnum-Manly in their last three games. The Capras started the year red-hot but have slowed slightly as the season progresses, settling to third on the QRL ladder coming into Round 13.

Despite the Capras sitting a few rungs above Tweed on the ladder, this match will pit the league’s third and fourth best defences against each other. Both the Seagulls and Capras have been dominant without the ball in 2022 but it’s Tweed who hold a slight advantage in attack, having scored 14 more points across 11 games so far this season. While there is plenty of strike in both backlines, whoever can win the yardage battle and dominate the ruck on Saturday will likely come away with the result.

These sides last met in the 2021 season opener, with Tweed Seagulls taking care of the Capras 28-18 at Tugun RLFC. Current fullback Ryland Jacobs ran for a team-high 178 metres in that game from the wing, perhaps in a sign of things to come given his recent form out the back for Tweed this season.

Player to Watch

First choice hooker Brent Woolf is named to start in his favoured hooker position this week, marking a successful return to the side in what has been an injury disrupted season.

Woolf was one of Tweed’s best to begin the year, taking a leading role in steering his side around the park in attack and providing plenty of starch through the middle off the ball, too. Woolf played a starring role in the Seagulls’ first three games but hasn’t played consecutive games since, with a shift at five-eighth in Round 9 and a cameo from the bench in Round 11 his only appearances since.

The silver lining of Woolf’s absence has been the fast-tracked development of young dummy-half Blake Scott, but the Seagulls are without a doubt a stronger side with Woolf in the mix. His combination with Tweed’s middle forwards around the ruck – particularly JJ Collins this week with Lamar Manuel-Liolevave ruled out by concussion protocols – will be crucial to winning the yardage battle. As they’ve shown consistently this season, one strong carry and quick play-the-ball from Collins is all the Seagulls need to trigger a smooth backline shift, and Woolf is a guy who can help bring Collins onto the ball.

Another Seagull who deserves a mention this week is young Klese Haas who gets another start in the backrow after punching out 80-minutes there against Souths Logan in Round 9. His big brother has set the bar pretty high in the Haas household, but at 19 years old Klese is a powerful, mobile prospect who runs a good line on the edge. If Tweed can get themselves into attacking field position, a crash ball for Haas onto the opposing half seems a likely and promising action to look out for.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf will wait until game day to decide on the final line up, but confirms having Brent Woolf back is a big boost.

“Craig Garvey and Blake Scott have done an excellent job so far this season but it’s always good to get a player like Brent back in the squad,” said Woolf.

“He’s our strongest defensive hooker so he’ll help tighten us up through the middle.”

Woolf conceded the Capras present a real challenge on Saturday.

“The Capras have been travelling well and they’ll be tough up there. Our focus has been around our effort areas in defence this week as that lacked at times against Souths.”

Team List

1. Ryland Jacobs
2. Sosefo Fifita
3. Lee Turner
4. Ioane Șeiuli
5. Scott Galeano
6. Will Brimson
7. Lindon McGrady
8. JJ Collins
9. Brent Woolf
10. Daniel Ross
11. Joshua Patson
12. Klese Haas
13. Braden Robson
14. Craig Garvey
15. Reuben Porter
16. Charlie Murray
17. Reece Summer
18. Blake Scott

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls used a flurry of points in the second half to beat Souths Logan Magpies 42-24 at Marsden State High School, Brisbane.

Both sides produced early errors as the opening ten minutes proved to be a stop-start affair but from there, the points started to flow.

Having defended repeat sets on their own line the Magpies worked their way up the field one-off the ruck before a Tristan Sailor kick turned into points. Some indecision at the back between Ryland Jacobs and Scott Galeano ended up with a bouncing ball for Ethan Quai-Ward to collect and open the scoring.

It didn’t take long for the Seagulls to respond, though. Jacobs had found success down the right side once already in the match before stepping through the line and past the fullback to score in the 15th minute. This his fourth consecutive game at fullback, the 26-year-old is looking comfortable with the ball and proving to be a consistent threat in attack. Down the right edge, in particular.

As the game worked into a grind the Tweed middle defence made things difficult for Souths Logan to get up the field. Regularly forcing a kick from the 40-metre line, the Seagulls won the field position battle throughout the middle stages of the first half and eventually pulled out in front.

An escort penalty provided Tweed with an opportunity to attack the Souths Logan line. Charlie Murray went close as he was held up over the line but Joshua Patston dotted down on the very next tackle. A pin-point Lindon McGrady grubber sat up perfectly for Patston to to give the Seagulls a 12-6 lead after 30 minutes.

It looked as though Tweed would extend their lead as Craig Garvey made half a break before being dragged down just short of the line. However, it was Souths Logan who added to the scoreboard just before oranges as Justin Fai followed up a Benaiah Bowie linebreak to level things up at 12-12.

A Sailor penalty goal put Souths Logan in front shortly after halftime but the lead didn’t last long. Three Tweed tries in eight minutes blew the game open as the dominance in the middle and field position advantage translated into points.

Scott Galeano scored his sixth try of the Hostplus Cup season as reward for pushing up in support with Garvey through the middle. The Seagulls hooker caught one marker on the ground and the other offside to get up the field and into the backfield. Drawing the fullback, he sent Galeano over for a 18-14 lead.

Patston scored his second to finish the following set. McGrady’s boot again acted as the catalyst but Patston didn’t need a perfect bounce this time. Instead, he rose above the Souths Logan winger to defuse the bomb and crash over the line.

The home side added insult to injury when putting the kickoff out on the full to give Tweed a third consecutive set attacking the line. A Charlie Murray error released pressure but only for a moment. Tweed soon found themselves back on the front foot and as he had done twice already in this one, Patston crossed the line for his third of the afternoon and a 30-14 lead.

Brent Woolf threatened on the end of a long-side shift to the left edge which scattered the Magpies defensive line. Spotting the retreating defender at marker, Patston stepped through an arms tackle with relative ease before casting aside three defenders on his way to the line.

Souths Logan threatened a comeback when Bowie crossed the line in the 63rd minute. A superb double-pump from Bradley Firth as Kelly Tate dragged the defence across opened up a gap for Bowie to skip through to score and cut the deficit to 30-20. However, Tweed made sure of the result five minutes later.

In the minds of the opposition right edge with three tries already, Patston’s decoy off McGrady’s hip dragged the defence in to create space out wide. It took some silky hands from Brent Woolf to beat the jamming defence but the ball ended up with Lee Turner who put the game beyond doubt at 36-20 with 11 minutes to play.

A Souths Logan consolation try late in the piece closed the gap to 36-24 but Galeno added another for Tweed as the siren sounded for full time. A month after it was due to be played, the Seagulls took the chocolates in this Round 9 fixture with a big 42-24 win.

Key Takeaways

The Tweed middle did the hard work early and it paid off in the second half. Even without Lamar Manuel-Liolevave who is away with Fiji Bati, the Tweed pack still dominated their opposition. Strong with the ball in hand, it was the middle defence that won the match. Souths Logan were often forced to kick from inside their own half which allowed Ryland Jacobs and the Tweed back-three to return the ball at pace to start the return set.

Charlie Murray is proving to be a valuable contributor off the bench for coach Ben Woolf. He’s a high-energy middle and did an excellent job of covering the minutes JJ Collins spent on the bench in this one. A strong carrier of the ball, Murray torpedoes himself at the defensive line. His quick play-the-balls provide Craig Garvey with the platform he needs to dominate from dummy half.

Brent Barnes again impressed in his second game for the top side. The youngster is a big unit and breaks tackles when returning the football. He’s not had too many opportunities close to the line but will be tough to stop when charging towards the corner.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls and Souths-Logan Magpies will meet at Marsden State High School this Saturday, 25th June at 3pm for their rescheduled Round 9 meeting.

The Seagulls are coming off a disappointing 24-22 point loss to the Mackay Cutters in Round 12 but will welcome the chance to quickly bounce back this weekend.

Tweed’s attention to detail on both sides of the ball was tested by the Cutters last week, making 13 errors to complete at just 66% – a far cry from their 72% season average – and missing 37 tackles, up significantly from their 17.7 per game so far in 2022.

With ill discipline gifting the Cutters free field position right from the kick off, the Seagulls simply made it too hard for themselves against Mackay last week. In most key stat areas in Round 12 Tweed performed considerably worse than their season average, but on a more positive note most of those issues are easily addressed. With some minor adjustments and a little more concentration this week, Tweed can get back to what has worked for them so far in 2022 – running hard to collapse the middle before shifting smoothly to the edges.

The Seagulls will need to navigate the absence of JoJo Fifita & Kaleb Ngamanu (QLD U19’s), Lamar Manuel-Liolevave (Fiji Bati) and Rueben Porter (Cook Islands) this week, who are all on representative duties. All four have been key contributors for Tweed this year and are difficult players to replace, but the Seagulls’ depth has been tested and proven capable already this season and they are well positioned to take on the Magpies on Saturday.

For Souths-Logan, this rescheduled match is a chance to post their second win of the season.

The Magpies haven’t come away with the result in the last month but there has been signs of improvement, with narrow losses to the Northern Pride, PNG Hunters and most recently the Ipswich Jets in Round 12.

The 18-26 loss to the Jets will have hurt Souths-Logan the most, given just one competition point now seperates both sides on the premiership ladder. The Magpies will be desperate to respond after that loss and get a chance to do so this Saturday.

The last time these sides met was in Round 12 last year, with the Magpies coming away 38-28 winners in a high scoring affair.

Broncos’ half Ezra Mam was in rare touch for the Magpies in that game, scoring a hattrick and kicking six from six off the tee. For Tweed, prop-forward JJ Collins stood tallest with a team-high 186 running metres in that game and will need to do so again on Saturday with his prop partner Manuel-Liolevave on rep duty.

Player to Watch

As mentioned above, the Seagulls will lean heavily on JJ Collins through the middle this week with a number of key yardage men missing from the squad.

Collins had an off game by his standards last week against Mackay but profiles well to respond with a standout performance on Saturday. He rarely has back-to-back quiet games and can put this Tweed side on his back against the Magpies this weekend.

If Collins can bend the line and generate some ruck speed it will allow Braden Robson to come into the game.

Robson’s combination of footwork and short passing one-off the ruck will cause some problems for Souths-Logan if Collins can get them retreating. The Magpies conceded three of their four tries last week through the middle third of the field – an area of strength for the Seagulls in 2022 with the one-two punch of Scott and Craig Garvey at hooker and the creative threat of Robson at first receiver.

If Souths-Logan tighten up through the middle in response, look for Robson to link with his halves on the edges in good ball.

Big Ioane Seiuli gets another start in the centres this week with JoJo Fifita and Kaleb Ngamanu in the U19’s Maroons squad, and will surely be a target for McGrady close to the line on Tweed’s right edge. Scott Galeano has been doing a fine job there so far this season but finds himself on the wing this week outside the 191cm, 95kg Seiuli, who will like his chances of either running straight through the Magpies’ goal-line defence or compressing it with a decoy to create space for Galeano or fullback Ryland Jacobs.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf says Tweed’s discipline must improve as they look to bounce back after last week.

“It will be good to respond quickly after last week,” said Woolf.

“We just need to be more disciplined. Our attack and defence were both OK, just a lack of possession due to poor discipline let us down. So we will be looking to improve there this week.”

Woolf also paid tribute to his representative stars who are unavailable for the Seagulls this week.

“It’s great for Lamar, JoJo, Reuben and Kaleb to get their opportunities in the rep games,” said Woolf.

“We will prep as normal and it will just be the next player up in those positions. JoJo and Kaleb were both out last week so Barnsey will get another go which is great for him personally.”

Ben Liyou was first introduced into the Future Titans system at 13, he’s currently playing in the Hastings Deering Colts U21’s and has played through our U18s Mal Meninga cup and will make his debut up against men today.

We will also see Reece Summer make his debut for the butcher stripes after coming over from cross-town rivals Burleigh Bears to join his little brother Tom Summer who plays in our U16’s Cyril Connell.

Team List

1. Ryland Jacobs
2. Brent Barnes
3. Lee Turner
4. Ioane Seiuli
5. Scott Galeano
6. Brent Woolf
7. Lindon McGrady
8. JJ Collins
9. Blake Scott
10. Daniel Ross
11. Joshua Patson
12. Klese Haas
13. Braden Robson
14. Craig Garvey
15. Reece Summer
16. Ben Liyou
17. Charlie Murray

Coach: Ben Woolf

Match Details

Round 9 (rescheduled) v Souths-Logan Magpies

Saturday 25th June @ Marsden State High School, Brisbane

Kick-off: 3pm

Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)

Written by Jason Oliver, Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

It might be a step below the real thing, but that fact is irrelevant for Tom Weaver as he prepares to pull on a Blues jersey and face the Maroons in tonight’s Under 19 State of Origin clash.

Circling the fixture at the start of the season as one he wanted to play a part in, the Cudgen Hornets junior will achieve a childhood dream when he runs out with the No. 6 on his back in Sydney, representing his state for the first time since playing for New South Wales in the Under 16 fixture in 2019.

“I set [the Under 19 game] as a goal for myself for the start of the year that it was something that I wanted to achieve and I was stoked to get the call and be told that I was in the squad to take on the Maroons in the Under 19 Origin,” Weaver said.

“As a young kid, I’d always watch that game and want to play in it myself, and now I get the opportunity to be able to do that so, I’m pretty stoked.”

The goal for the young playmaker this week has been to learn as much as he can, being the first time he’s entered such a high-level camp such as this one.

“I just want to go in there with an open mind. I’ve been in a camp before, but not in a camp such as the New South Wales Origin Under 19s,” Weaver said.

“To be in there with greats that played Origin (such as coach Andrew Ryan) and learning off them to soak up as much as I can.

“That’s what I’m looking forward to the most and getting in with the boys and becoming good mates with them as well.”

One of six Titans named for their respective state in the junior fixture, the 19-year-old is looking forward to playing alongside his teammates and other friends on both sides of the field – including Jojo Fifita, who jokingly suggested earlier this week he’d smash him in the contest.

“He’s such a talent [Jojo]. I also have a few mates in the Queensland side as well, which is pretty cool to be able to have some of your mates in an Origin game… you don’t really get to do that very often,” Weaver said.

“To be able to play with them and especially Jojo being here with him at the Titans, it’ll be pretty cool opportunity to be able to verse him on the field.”

Away from the representative scene, the former Palm Beach Currumbin playmaker’s next goal is to debut in the Hostplus Cup, after a strong start to the year in the Hastings Deering Colts competition for.

“One of my other goals is to play Cup this year. That’s been one of my main focuses to take that next step and play for Tweed in Q Cup,” Weaver said.

“I played a few trials at the start of the year and I really enjoyed my time there, challenging myself a little bit more against men… older men and stuff like that.

“That’s probably my next step to try and push for a Cup spot. If it’s at the back end of this year or if it’s next year, I’m happy to bide my time and keep learning.”

He is also happy to keep spending each day at Titans HQ as a sponge, learning and growing without needing to fast-track a call-up to NRL anytime soon.

“I’m not in any rush as such to play in the NRL or anything like that.,” Weaver said.

“I’m just happy to keep learning and I think I’ll look at it now… if I was to go out and play in NRL, I think I’d get bashed up a bit being such a smaller bloke.

“I’m a bit realistic in what my timeline is looking like. I know I’m not going to play this year and probably next year – I might get a crack here and there, but I’m just happy to bide my time and keep learning.

“Especially with trying to build myself up and get confident in my own body being able to match it with NRL players week in week out so, I’m just sort of looking to bide my time.”

Joel Gould – qrl.com.au

Jojo Fifita has followed his father’s professional footy career all around the world. Now it’s his turn to shine.

The 19-year-old will play for Queensland Under 19 side on Thursday night in Sydney after a journey in more ways than one. His father, Pila Fifita, enjoyed a stellar career in rugby union which culminated in a World Cup appearance.

“Dad played mostly rugby union, but also rugby league when he was younger and he loved it,” Fifita said.

“Dad played professionally. He played in the Rugby World Cup in 2003 for Tonga. He played in New Zealand, Europe [for Saracens] and in Japan for Sanix Blues. We did a lot of travelling when I was younger.

“I lived in Japan for four or five years and used to speak Japanese when I was younger, although I’ve lost it now.

“All the boys in the family were born in a different place. Dad was born in Tonga, my younger brother in Japan, the youngest one in Australia and I was born in New Zealand.

“Dad has been a huge inspiration. His best advice has been to keep doing all the little one-percenters that other people don’t know about. Even when they don’t know you are doing it, the key is to keep doing it yourself.”

An outside back who can play wing or centre, Fifita is as close as it gets to making his NRL debut after being 18th man for the Gold Coast Titans against the Cronulla Sharks on Saturday.

“I am getting pretty close. I’ve just got to keep pushing and hopefully I get a chance this year, or at least next year,” Fifita said.

“I’m enjoying it at the Titans. We all push each other.

“I’ve got a lot out of Brian Kelly and Pat Herbert. They both play centre, the position I am going for, and they give me tips at training.”

Fifita attended rugby union powerhouse The Southport School (TSS), also the former school of Queensland Maroons flyer Mat Rogers, who carved out a career as a dual-international.

He had interest from rugby union franchises but chose to join the Titans and have a crack at league.

“I wanted to challenge myself, try something new and see which pathway I enjoy more,” Fifita said.

“From my year at TSS there was Zane Nonggorr and George Blake who went to the Reds. They all stuck with union. I don’t think anyone went back to league.

“I learned a lot at TSS from our coach Mike Wallace. He was hard on us and pushed us. I reckon he did a really good job with us.”

In rugby union, Fifita was an outside centre and he would often clash at schoolboy level with now Under 19s teammate Jack Howarth, who played rugby for Brisbane Boys College.

“It was me and him going against each other. That was scary… for both of us,” Fifita grinned.

“I also played with Jack for Queensland under 16s rugby union when he was outside centre and I was on the wing playing outside him. They were good times.”

Queensland Under 19 coach Kurt Richards said Fifita had progressed nicely in his rugby league journey and would offer plenty in both attack and defence.

“Jojo has had a real accelerated learning period in rugby league,” Richards said.

“It hasn’t come naturally for him from the word go, but over the last 12 to 18 months, the Titans have done a really good of progressing him, as has Ben Woolf at the Tweed Seagulls.

“Jojo is a big, strong carrier of the ball and I like the way in defence that he doesn’t give his man time or space. That’s what we are going to need from him.”

Fifita said the showdown against New South Wales was “definitely a big one” for him.

“A lot of people are going to be watching this and it will be all about which players can show their skill and shine the most,” Fifita said.

“If the team comes together, I know we will play well.”

Joel Gould – QRL Reporter

Chantay Kiria-Ratu has only been playing rugby league for two years and credits older brother Jayrome for her stellar rise through the ranks.

The Queensland Under 19 playmaker has also been nurtured by the outstanding sporting program at rugby league powerhouse Keebra Park State High.

Chantay, just 17, is playing in the BMD Premiership with Tweed Seagulls.

As she prepared to take on New South Wales in Sydney on Thursday night she gave a shout-out to one of her biggest supporters.

“My older brother Jayrome loves the game and he has been supporting my league all the way through,” Chantay said.

“He will watch all the footage of me playing, and send me other footage from the NRL that he thinks has good plays worth looking at.

“He is always pushing me to be the best that I can. He is probably my biggest supporter, along with my mum. He sends me all my highlights and how I can look back and improve my game.

“His best advice is ‘go out and give it your all’. I am still young and my opportunities will come.”

Mum Maryanne and dad Andrew have been huge supports to Chantay.

“My inspiration is my family. They have always been committed and supportive since I started playing sport,” she said.

“Family means a lot to me. My mum and dad always find a way to get to my games and I am pretty lucky because they are flying down from the Goldie to watch me play Origin.

“This is the top team I have ever made for league. It is a huge privilege to play for Queensland. It is something to be proud of.”

Chantay, who moved to Australia from New Zealand in 2011, began playing rugby league when she attended Keebra Park High School two years ago.

“From the moment I played at Keebra I just loved it. Then I played club for the Parkwood Sharks in the under 16s,” the Year 12 student said.

“There have been some big names come out of Keebra Park and our school has a great pathway, with a girls sport academy which is what I am in at the moment.

“That has been a good prep’ for me because that is where it all started for me with league.”

Chantay has played a couple of games at centre for the Tweed Seagulls but halfback is her favourite position and where she is making a name for herself.

Queensland Under 19 coach Ben Jeffries, a huge fan, agrees.

“Chantay has got vision. She has got speed, all the credentials to be a good footballer,” Jeffries said.

“She is relaxed, which is something as coaches we look at. She doesn’t get flustered and that is crucial in a pivotal position like halfback. Hopefully we can help her play well.”

The expansion of the NRLW competition to 10 teams next year, and the addition of the Titans this season, has been welcomed by Chantay.

“I was with the Titans last season in development…vand that does give me inspiration to follow my dreams,” she said.

“The game is becoming so much bigger for younger girls. We are seeing more and more come through the system and more being able to play NRLW.”

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls fell to a persistent Mackay Cutters side 24-22 at Piggabeen Sports Complex, Tweed Heads.

The Seagulls put themselves under early pressure in this one as a penalty in the first set of the game provided the Cutters with free passage up the field. Holding firm defensively, the Seagulls kicked the ball out of the full to end their return set before an error ended their next on the second tackle. The Cutters continued to pile on the pressure through a forced dropout before Laitia Moceidreke finally scored in the corner to turn close to ten minutes of pressure into points for the visitors.

Tweed earned a much-needed relieving penalty in the 13th minute which qualified as their first completed set of the match. Their second ended in points with the 19-year-old debutant, Brent Barnes, finishing off a typical Tweed long-side shift to the left edge.

Barnes soon became a distributor with his offload translating into a Blake Scott linebreak and 60-metre run. With the defensive line disjointed and Tweed flying up the field, Ryland Jacobs went over down the right side. Despite handing over possession and providing the Cutters numerous opportunities to attack the line, the Seagulls managed to build a 10-4 lead after 23 minutes.

Both sides started to work themselves into the game and managed to end consecutive sets with kicks for the first time in the match after 30 minutes. The longer the game worked towards a grind, the better the Seagulls started to look. They won the middle to get up the field on the occasions they maintained possession and those sets eventually turned into points. A Lindon McGrady kick ended up in the corner before a strong defensive effort forced the Cutters back over their line for a repeat set. With it, Charlie Murray barged his way over the line to push the Seagulls’ lead out to 16-4.

Mackay managed to knock over a penalty goal before halftime but the first 40 minutes belonged to Tweed after they made the most of limited opportunities to hold a double-digit lead at the break.

It was a different story in the second half, though.

The errors continued for the Seagulls and it didn’t take the Cutters long to capitalise. While it required a friendly bounce away from a scrambling Jacobs at the back, Ewan Coutts won the race to the ball to close the gap to 16-12.

Another penalty after points once again sent the Cutters up the field and into attacking territory. Keeping it relatively tight throughout the set as they looked for a way through the Seagulls line, Kyle Schneider crashed his way over for the Cutters to retake the lead with 30 minutes to play.

Tweed looked likely every time they managed to hold onto the ball for extended periods. Searching down the edges in yardage, a long-side shift to the left side sent them up the field and into attacking field position. A Josh Patston carry set up the short side raid before a deflected Will Brimson grubber ended up back in the hands of the Tweed five-eighth and the stroke of luck put the home side back in front.

With the lead and the clock winding down, Tweed took better care of the football and started to spend time attacking in good ball. JJ Collins completed a typically strong shift in the middle while Klese Haas also provided quality in his debut off the bench. Reuben Porter went close to extending the lead but the Cutters scrambled well to keep him out. Having absorbed the pressure and forced another penalty up the field themselves, the Cutters turned the screws and leveled the scores with six minutes to play. Moceidreke collected a cross-field kick for his second of the afternoon before Brandon Finnegan knocked over the conversion to put them 24-22 in front.

As the home side looked for the big shot in defence or the one-on-one strip in the search of one last attacking opportunity, Mackay executed well to finish. An early kick from dummy half put the Seagulls deep in their own end and a repeat set kept them there until the final whistle blew on a 24-22 Cutters win.

Key Takeaways

Brent Barnes made his debut after being elevated from the Hastings Deering Colts for this one. He did exceptionally well to bounce back from an early error to carry the ball well out of yardage. Strong in contact, he didn’t look out of place in the top side. His offload following a tackle-breaking carry set up Tweed’s second try of the afternoon.

Klese Haas, brother of Broncos prop Payne, also made his first appearance this week. He put his hand up for the hard work through the middle and worked well alongside Collins towards the end of the match. Another 19-year-old making the step up from the Colts side and performing well, there is plenty of talent coming through the grades with Kaleb Ngamanu another who has deputised for the club this season.

Coach’s Comments

It was a tough introduction to first grade for the two youngsters but Brent Barnes and Klese Haas both impressed Seagulls coach Ben Woolf on debut.

“I thought they [Barnes and Haas] both did well in a tough game. They didn’t have a lot of possession so didn’t get to show a lot in attack,” Woolf said.

The game was made tougher for Tweed through regular errors and penalties while working out of their own end.

“Our discipline definitely let us down. Penalties and errors at key times gave them opportunities to score points,” said Woolf.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will play host to the Mackay Cutters at Piggabeen Sports Complex this Saturday, 18th June at 3pm in Round 12 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.

Tweed come into Saturday’s match following a high-scoring affair against a lively Ipswich Jets side last weekend. The Jets threatened to cause a huge upset when they took the lead with 20 minutes to go, but Tweed would finish strong with tries to Sosefo Fifita and Ioane Seiuli in the dying stages to seal the 40-30 point win.

Despite both Braden Robson and Paul Turner missing last week, the Seagulls’ expansive brand of footy was still on show. Tweed worked smartly out of their own end in yardage, using their middles effectively as pivots to shift the ball and find easy metres on both edges. The stats back this up – all of the Seagulls’ outside backs clocked over 100 running metres in Round 11, bar Lee Turner who managed 95 metres, two tries and an assist.

With Braden Robson returning at lock this week the Seagulls are again well equipped to move the ball in yardage and bring their strike outside backs into the game.

The selection of Blake Scott at #9 this week is noteworthy too, with the young hooker earning his second starting jumper for Tweed on the back of four compelling performances in the black-and-white.

Scott’s ability to step up in the absence of Brent Woolf this season has been a real boost for the Seagulls, who make effective use of their attacking threats from dummy-half. Woolf, Scott and Craig Garvey are all genuine dummy-halves who can bring Tweed’s big bodies onto the ball and create scoring opportunities around the ruck, and Scott gets a well deserved chance to lead that from the kick-off in Round 12.

The Mackay Cutters will be eager to bounce back after falling painfully short to Redcliffe last weekend, 32-34. Three tries in the final ten minutes to Mackay saw the Dolphins sweating to hold their lead, and it was only the final siren that would prevent the Cutters from a miracle comeback in that game. Mackay’s edge defence struggled against the Dolphins last week and will surely be a target for the likes of Lee Turner, Scott Galeano and Ryland Jacobs on Saturday.

The last time these sides met was in Round 10, 2021 with Tweed Seagulls coming out on top, 24-16. Five-eighth Will Brimson had a day out in that game, scoring two tries and getting busy in defence with 20 tackles in an inspired performance.

Players to Watch

Much of the focus for Tweed this year has been around their middle forwards and the impact they have with either a strong carry, quick play-the-ball or a smart pass to shift to the edges.

In the last two games however, it has been fill-in fullback Ryland Jacobs who has arguably had the greatest influence on the game. Jacobs has run for a combined 446 metres in his past two games at fullback, along with two try assists, a linebreak assist and eight tackle busts.

Fit, fast and powerful, Jacobs has taken swimmingly to the fullback role in Paul Turner’s absence and while he mightn’t have the ballplaying skills of his predecessor, Jacobs is doing a fair job as a winger-turned-fullback in this regard.

From 66 receipts in two games out the back, Jacobs has thrown 31 passes and run the ball 39 times. He seems to be getting the mix right between tipping it on or challenging the line himself and with 126 post-contact metres in his two games at the back, Jacobs is proving a highly effective yardage man when he does run the footy.Against a Mackay edge defence that struggled at times last week against the Dolphins, Jacobs will like his chances of straightening things up and taking on the line himself.

Another player who profiles well to take advantage of the Cutters’ defensive worries out wide is Seagulls’ right centre Scott Galeano.

Tweed have gone back to the well in recent weeks with their right edge featuring heavily in attack against the Jets in Round 11. To start the year it was Sam McIntyre, Lindon McGrady and Paul Turner linking up down that right edge, with Galeano or Sosefo Fifita usually the beneficiary out wide. It’s a credit to the club’s depth that Tweed still look just as likely down that channel with Ioane Seiuli and Jacobs slotting in seamlessly for McIntyre and Turner in recent weeks. Seiuli runs a great line off McGrady on that right edge and the aforementioned Jacobs is proving a reliable link man in Tweed’s backline shifts.

Galeano had 16 possessions last week against Ipswich and made them count with 130 running metres, a try, a try assist and three tackle busts. If McGrady and Jacobs can continue feeding Galeano good ball in attack, the Seagulls’ centre will be every chance of taking his try scoring tally to six (or more) for the season on Sunday.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf says he was pleased with how his side is adjusting with key players missing through injury or NRL call-ups.

“It was good to score some points and we needed it late in the game (against Ipswich) to get home,” said Woolf.

“I think the combinations are getting better each week. It can be difficult changing key positions but the team is adapting well.

Woolf says he is looking out for attention to detail this weekend.

“We have worked on refining our combinations and our attention to detail – particularly with our defence,” said Woolf.

“At times last week we were scrappy, so we’ll be looking to improve in those areas against the Cutters.”

Team List

1. Ryland Jacobs
2. Brent Barnes
3. Lee Turner
4. Ioane Seiuli
5. Scott Galeano
6. Will Brimson
7. Lindon McGrady
8. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave
9. Blake Scott
10. JJ Collins
11. Joshua Patson
12. Ioane Seiuli
13. Reuben Porter
14. Craig Garvey
15. Charlie Murray
16. Klese Haas
17. Dan Ross
18. Brent Woolf

Match Details

Round 12 v Mackay Cutters

Saturday 18th June @ Piggabeen Sports Complex

Kick-off: 3pm

Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls waited until the very end to seal the 40-30 win over the Ipswich Jets at North Ipswich Reserve, Ipswich.

The Seagulls wasted no time in getting their name on the scoreboard to start this one, though. Making the most of an early penalty which Lindon McGrady kicked into good ball territory, a long side shift to the right stretched the defence before Tweed sent the ball back to the left for Lee Turner to score just 90 seconds into the contest.

While the Jets managed to recover and start to work themselves into the game, discipline continued to provide the Seagulls with extra ball. By the 10th minute, Tweed had extended their lead to 10-0.

Lamar Manuel-Liolevave positioned himself on the left side of the ruck before sweeping into first receiver on the right. Getting deep into the line with Collins hanging off his hip, Manuel-Liolevave compresses the defence and creates the space out wide for Scott Galeano and Jo Jo Fifita to link up for points.

However, Manuel-Liolevave’s ball-playing ended up as the catalyst for Ipswich’s first points of the afternoon when Ngangarra Barker returned an intercept to the house. Just like that, despite dominating for the first 15 minutes of the match, the Seagulls led the Jets by only four points.

Both sides provided the other with opportunities to attack through errors and penalties in a trend that would last the full 80 minutes. But it wasn’t until the 25th minute when the Seagulls were presented with six more tackles that they added to the scoreboard.

In a carbon copy of the first try but with an extra pass out wide, the Seagulls moved the ball from right to left with JJ Collins again chiming in with a pass through the middle. With the defence sliding and on their heels, Lee Turner got to the outside of his man before feeding 19-year-old Kaleb Ngamanu the first try of his Hostplus Cup career.

But as was the case earlier, the Jets answered straight back through Todd White. Again, a Tweed error prior to the try provided Ipswich with the opportunity to attack in good ball. Two Seagulls penalties in the kickoff set after points put the Jets back hot on the attack before an outrageous Denzel Burns offload landed in the hands of Ricco Falaniko to level the scores at 16-16.

The theme of the first half translated into the second as a Tweed penalty soon turned into Ipswich points. This time, Lachlan Cooper rolled one into the in-goal which Barker was able to dive on to score his second try of the afternoon.

As was the case for most of the game, the Seagulls found success by shifting the ball in yardage sets. They consistently found metres down the edges and eventually provided Craig Garvey with the opportunity to burrow over from dummy half. Pulled up short only one tackle earlier, Garvey forced his way over the line on the second attempt to pull Tweed back to 22-all.

Swap Brent Woolf in for Collins in Tweed’s first and third tries and you’ve got a perfect picture of their fifth. Another shift starting from the right tram line ended up with Turner scoring his second. However, that was cancelled out by Barker’s third. He picked out another intercept and raced 80 metres to score. Shortly after, and following another Tweed penalty, Ono So’oialo put the home side 30-28 in front after he collected a Lachlan Cooper chip that landed just short of the try line.

It felt for most of the match that the last error or penalty would decide the result. For 80 minutes, the two sides traded opportunities with neither taking full control. In the end, a late Ipswich error while attempting to defuse a McGrady bomb led to Fifita going over in the corner to give Tweed the lead. Shortly after, another Jets penalty led to a Ioane Seiuli match-sealing try.

Again exploring down the right side, Jacobs cut back in against the grain to break the line. Holding up on his run while drawing the fullback, he handed Seiuli a freebie and secured the 40-30 win.

Key Takeaways

Braden Robson wasn’t available for this one but Daniel Ross stepped into the #13 jersey and the Seagulls still moved the ball wide from the middle. Robson is a key part of how Tweed moves the ball but JJ Collins, Lamar Manuel-Liolevave and Brent Woolf (making his return from a Round 4 injury) also picked up some of the slack in that department.

While the ball-playing middle featured in plenty of point-scoring actions this week, it was particularly effective in yardage. Plugging the middle for two or three tackles before exploring wider, the Seagulls worked their way up the field well throughout the match. Scott Galeano and Lee Turner, in particular, found plenty of metres down the edge to get Tweed up the field. However, that dominance in yardage was often undone with an error or penalty to release pressure.

Coach’s comments

While the 30 points conceded will be of some concern, Tweed coach Ben Woolf was happy with how his side performed with the football.

“Our attack was good at times, particularly when we were genuine on our lines,” said Woolf.

Despite being without Braden Robson, JJ Collins and the rest of the forward pack kept the Tweed attack humming.

“There wasn’t a particular focus on JJ passing but we stuck to our process regardless of who is in the middle,” Woolf said.

Ryland Jacobs is still new to the fullback role and also impressed again this week.

“Ryland is transitioning well. He still has some technical things to learn but his effort there is great and he is improving each week.”

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls travel to North Ipswich Reserve this Saturday 11th June, 3pm to take on the Ipswich Jets in Round 11 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.

The Seagulls will be riding the highs of a last minute win over the PNG Hunters last weekend, with halfback Lindon McGrady proving the hero with a 77th minute field goal to give Tweed the lead.

Tweed will take plenty of confidence out of that win, having been forced to fight back from 12-0 down after just ten minutes as the Hunters came charging out of the sheds. The resilience shown by Tweed – particularly without star fullback Paul Turner who is named to make his NRL club debut for the Gold Coast Titans this week – is promising signs for the Seagulls in 2022.

Clearly at their best when moving the ball and threatening on the edges, the Seagulls were dragged into a grind against the Hunters in Round 10 but proved they can handle the pressure. Across the park Tweed competed well enough to keep themselves in the contest before a few classy touches from the likes of McGrady, Blake Scott and Craig Garvey did enough to seal the result.

With first-choice hooker Brent Woolf getting ever closer to making his return from injury, the Seagulls remain well equipped to compress the defence before shifting smartly to the spaces out wide.

For the Ipswich Jets, a difficult 2022 season continued last weekend with a 56-0 loss to Redcliffe on Saturday. Playing at home this weekend is an added boost for the Jets as they chase their first win of the season.

The last time these two sides met was in Round 6 last year, with Tweed sneaking away a 32-26 victors. Playing fullback in that game, Lindon McGrady was in fine touch for the Seagulls with two try assists and four conversations from the tee. Lining up at halfback this weekend, McGrady profiles as a key player for the Seagulls again in Round 11.

Player to Watch

In a contest that was fought and won in the middle, lock-forward Braden Robson was immense for the Seagulls last week. Just two of Tweed’s forwards (JJ Collins; 120m, Craig Garvey; 125m) clocked over 100 running metres in Round 10 – testament to the PNG Hunters’ strength in contact – but it proved the perfect environment for Robson to go to work.

Robson’s footwork and passing game terrorised the Hunters’ around the ruck. Posting 95 running metres from 11 carries, Robson played to his strengths as a ballplaying lock to bust five tackles, throw two offloads and record two linebreak assists including a clever final-pass for JJ Collins to score beneath the posts.

With an incredible work-rate on both sides of the ball (69 minutes, 28 tackles, one miss) Robson provides Tweed with a nice point-of-difference in how they work through the middle of the field. The big bodies of Collins and Lamar Manuel-Liolevave are extra effective thanks to Robson’s ability to move the ball into space or create some ruck speed for his dummy-half.

The combination between Robson and returning hooker Brent Woolf was one of Tweed’s strengths to begin the season and they shape as a key duo for the Seagulls in the coming games.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf said the squad will take plenty of confidence from last week’s game.

“We did a good job coming back from behind on the weekend and can take some confidence from the close win,” said Woolf.

“Our defence at times was strong again, particularly when down to 12 men.”

Woolf also said there was no room for complacency against the Ipswich Jets this weekend as his side works on some new combinations.

“We are expecting Ipswich to come out strong at home,” said Woolf.

“We have been focussing on our processes – particularly in attack with some new combinations in the backs with Paul Turner earning his Titans debut.”

Team List

1. Ryland Jacobs
2. Kaleb Ngamanu
3. Lee Turner
4. Scott Galeano
5. Sosefo Fifita
6. Will Brimson
7. Lindon McGrady
8. JJ Collins
9. Craig Garvey
10. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave
11. Joshua Patson
12. Ioane Seiuli
13. Braden Robson
14. Blake Scott
15. Reuben Porter
16. Daniel Ross
18. Brent Woolf

Coach: Ben Woolf

Match Details

Round 11 v Ipswich Jets

Saturday 11th June @ North Ipswich Reserve

Kick-off: 3pm

Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls recovered from a slow start to beat the Papua New Guinea Hunters 24-22 at Tugun RLFC, Tugun.

An early Seagulls penalty provided the Hunters with the first opportunity to attack in good ball and the visitors made it count. Having looked relatively comfortable defending the line and shutting down a long-side right shift, Hunters five-eighth Mark Tony put in a grubber which ended up in the arms of Kevin Appo. An unlucky deflection off the Seagulls defender allowed the Hunters to open the scoring.

Rinsing and repeating, another Seagulls penalty gifted the Hunters field position and they came up with the same result. This time, Tony used a pass to put a teammate through the line and Brandon Nima ended up under the posts.

Down 12-0 inside ten minutes, the Seagulls needed to respond

They have thrived behind a strong defence all year and it finally started to show in this one.

A crunching tackle as Terry Wapi was taken back over ten metres when returning a 20-metre restart acted as a turning point for the Seagulls as they used their defence to promote improvements to their attack.

Making it difficult for the Hunters to work out of their own end and with the Seagulls on the front foot, Craig Garvey started to enjoy himself when getting out of dummy half. His tempo and deception caused havoc for the Hunters around the ruck as the 29-year-old darted and passed his side up the field and into attacking position.

The sustained pressure eventually translated into points after both Ioane Seiuli and Garvey were held up over the line in quick succession. A repeat set added some fatigue to the Hunters defensive line and Braden Robson made them pay with a short pass to JJ Collins on the line. The big prop strolled over for his first try of the season.

A Hunters high tackle straight off the kickoff sent the Seagulls flying back up field. While the home side couldn’t keep the scoreboard ticking over, they extended their period of dominance as the Hunters struggled to work their way up the field.

Garvey set the standard with his dummy half play and Blake Scott followed suit shortly after his introduction to the game. Using a hard-running Josh Patston as a decoy for the B defender, Scott hit the A defender on the line and spun his way over to level up the scoreboard at 12-12.

It wasn’t until four minutes before halftime that the Hunters ended up back inside the Seagulls 20-metre line. Over 20 minutes since their last visit, the Hunters couldn’t find any points but did see a Seagulls player sent to the bin after Lee Turner was given his marching orders for taking out kick-chaser.

The 12-all halftime score accurately reflected a first 40 minutes in which the Hunters started exceptionally well before the Seagulls asserted their dominance for the remainder of the half.

Like the first half, the second started with a Seagulls penalty and error to provide the Hunters with the first attacking period after the break. However, unlike the first half, the Seagulls defence held firm and they soon worked their way into the grind and, soon enough, into the lead.

Looking dangerous when sending it wide through Will Brimson, Lee Turner and Kaleb Ngamanu earlier in the match, Brimson this time dropped Patston back underneath. Showing great strength as he bumped off the first contact before driving two defenders over the line, Patston slammed the ball down through three defenders to push the Seagulls out to an 18-12 lead.

That 18-12 lead became 22-12 on the following set. A linebreak down the left edge sent the Hunters defence scrambling. Cool, calm and collected, Lindon McGrady chipped one over into the corner of JoJo Fifita who rose up and came down with the football to score Tweed’s fourth unanswered try.

Kitron Laka answered back for the Hunters with a super solo effort ten minutes later. Leaving defenders on the ground in chalk, he broke five tackles on his way to the line to pull his side to within four points of the hosts.

The Hunters are a confidence side. They play games in waves and started to roll themselves back into this one which must have worried blanketed Seagulls faithful on the Tugun RLFC hill. Just as it looked as though the Seagulls had weathered the storm and would hold out the visitors through to fulltime, Terry Wapi pulled off a brutal and athletic finish in the corner to level the scores at 22-22 all with five minutes to play.

Enter the Prince of Piggabeen, Lindon McGrady.

He bounced the kickoff into touch to give his side a scrum in the middle of the field ten metres from the line. A relatively ugly field goal set later, he chipped one through the posts to put the Seagulls 23-22 in front before Scott made sure of things with another field goal as time expired.

In a back and forth encounter between two sides trying to drag themselves up the Hostplus Cup ladder, the Seagulls came out on top 24-22 and will now prepare to face the 14th-placed Ipswich Jets in Round 11.

Key Takeaways

Paul Turner has filled the fullback spot for much of the season but wasn’t available for this one. Instead, Ryland Jacobs took over the #1 jersey and he didn’t disappoint. Slotting into similar positions Turner has filled throughout the season, Jacobs took possession both at first-receiver and out the back of shape when Tweed went searching through the right edge. Kaleb Ngamanu made the second appearance of his Hostplus Cup career on the wing for Jacobs. The 19-year-old provided the strong carries Tweed needed out of yardage and managed to find a quick play-the-ball behind them more often than not.

It comes up every week, but with Brent Woolf named at 18th man for this one, the Seagulls have an embarrassment of riches at hooker. Craig Garvey used all of his guile and experience to bring Tweed back into the game following a slow start before Blake Scott used his speed around the ruck to continue their dominance at the position. It’s a position the Seagulls can rely on every week regardless of who is out there.

Coach’s Comments

The Seagulls have dealt with a postponed game, venue changes and lost Paul Turner during the week which disrupted the build-up for this one.

“Preparation has been very difficult and that showed today, particularly in our attack,” Woolf said.

“We were a little clunky at times, particularly in good ball.”

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will play host to the SP PNG Hunters this Sunday, 3pm at Tugan RLFC in Round 10 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.

Sunday’s match marks the first time in over two weeks since Tweed’s last game, with a Round 9 fixture against Souths-Logan postponed last weekend due to wet weather. Despite this, the Seagull’s recent form at Tugun is good following a comprehensive 28-0 shutout of the Northern Pride in Round 8. Tweed were not phased by the wet and windy conditions in that game, moving the ball confidently and threatening from all areas on the park.

The Seagulls’ ability to promote the football and shift smoothly on both edges shapes as an area of strength this weekend against a Hunters side that is powerful through the middle.

The Hunters’ middle forwards have been a shining light for the club in a challenging 2022 season. In a losing side against Redcliffe last weekend, Hunters’ starting props Dilbert Issac and Sylvester Namo ran for a combined 238 metres, broke 11 tackles, made three linebreaks and scored two tries between them. How effectively Tweed contain the Hunters’ go-forward will be a telling factor in Round 10.

The last time these sides met was in Round 17 last year with the PNG Hunters coming away with a 30-18 victory, although both teams will roll out very different lineups on Sunday.

With Tweed sitting in 9th position (8 points) and the Hunters just behind them in 12th (6 points), the two points on offer this weekend are invaluable as both sides look to build towards the back end of the season.

Player to Watch

After a breakout performance against the Pride in Round 8, backrower Joshua Patston is again the player to watch this week.

With an average 101 running metres per game and a tackle efficiency of 95%, Patston is providing coach Ben Woolf with a reliable and effective ball carrier and edge defender this season. He’s also offering some nice attacking skill alongside Will Brimson and Lee Turner on the left edge, with his hole running and support play netting two linebreaks and a try assist in Round 8.

For Tweed to bring Patston and that left edge into the game this weekend however, their middles will need to step up against a damaging PNG Hunters’ forward rotation.

Starting forwards JJ Collins, Lamar Manuel-Liolevave and Braden Robson have been standouts for the Seagulls all season, with all three players often the trigger for an attacking shift with either a quick play-the-ball or a smooth pass from pivot.

Against the Hunters this weekend though, it’s all about their defence. If Tweed can keep competitive in the yardage battle and limit PNG’s go-forward through the middle, they will earn themselves enough scoring opportunities later in the match.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf conceded the wet weather has impacted preparations but is not making any excuses.

“The lack of games has been frustrating as has lack of available fields for training,” said Woolf.

“Last week we were forced to do a few alternative sessions but it will be good to get a full week of training in this week in preparation for the Hunters.”

Following a 28-0 shutout of the Northern Pride in Round 8, Woolf said defence continues to be a focus for his side.

“We are always working on defence so it will definitely be a focus again this week. The Hunters are a physical side who like to offload so we need to focus on shutting down their momentum.”

Team List

1. TBA
2. Sosefo Fifita
3. Lee Turner
4. Scott Galeano
5. Ryland Jacobs
6. Will Brimson
7. Lindon McGrady
8. JJ Collins
9. Craig Garvey
10. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave
11. Joshua Patson
12. Ioane Seiuli
13. Braden Robson
14. Blake Scott
15. Harrison Muller
16. Reuben Porter
17. Daniel Ross

Coach: Ben Woolf

Match Details

Round 10 v PNG Hunters

Sunday 5th June @ Tugun RLFC, Gold Coast

Kick-off: 3pm

Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

Our aim at Rugby League Writers:

The Pub Test is a classic rugby league reference. Heck, the NRL have changed rules based on what they think does and doesn’t pass The Pub Test. We want YOU to be the most informed person at that pub. By digging into the best players, teams, shapes and schemes, we observe the game through an analytical lense and piece it all together through weekly previews, reviews, newsletters and features.

Saavanah Bourke For Tweed Seagulls Media

The Gold Coast Airport women’s Tweed Seagulls have fallen two points shy of ending their BMD Premiership campaign with a victory.

It was a tight tussle at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with Souths Logan running in six tries to four.

But Seagulls head coach Spencer Taplin said the win was well within Tweed’s reach.

“We beat ourselves in the game with individual errors and penalties which gave them the field position to capitalise on that and put points on the board,” Taplin said.

That’s how the scoring was opened, but it wasn’t until more than halfway through the first half the frenzy of tries would start when Souths lock Sera Koroi broke through the Seagulls defence line.

The Magpies forward pack hit Tweed again with Jasmine Fogavini making her way over the line less than five minutes later.

But the Seagulls responded, Chantay Kiria-Ratu showing her class on the edge and adding the first four points to the board for Tweed.

After a successful conversion from Karli Hansen right on the stroke of halftime, the Seagulls trailed by just 2 points.

But Souths wasted no time to extend their lead even further, forward Tyesha Mikaio crossing just 5 minutes into the second half.

The run of tries continued, a four-pointer from Tweed playmaker Jada Ferguson kept the Gulls in the contest, and another conversion made by Karli Hansen levelled the score at 12 all.

But it didn’t stay that way for long, Souths skipper Frieda Seu would put her side back in front by four just two minutes later.

Shannon Mato made an impact off the bench in the front row for Tweed, making her way over the line 3 minutes later.

Karli Hansen was on fire with the boot and slotted another successful conversion putting the Seagulls ahead by two.

Souths Logan responded in fine fashion, with Mackenzie Baty-Karauria putting the Magpies back in front by two.

But Tweed got the ball out wide to Alani Sullivan on the wing who crossed with just 8 minutes of play remaining.

Tweed were in front by two and looked to have the victory sealed, but Souths weren’t finished yet, forward Jasmine Fogavini would cross for the match-winner with just three minutes remaining, putting the Magpies back in front by 2 at full time.

Taplin said while the result didn’t always swing the Seagulls way, Tweed has won plenty of battles off the field this season.

“The girls know we are building something great and it’s obviously going to take some time to get that foundation right.

“We spoke about the culture together after the game and the connection and growth we have built in our women’s program this year,” Taplin said.

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will travel to Marsden State High School in Brisbane this Saturday to take on the Souths-Logan Magpies at 3pm in Round 9 of the QRL Hostplus Cup.

The Seagulls are coming off a 28-0 shutout over Northern Pride in horrible conditions last weekend and will be looking to post back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Fullback Paul Turner was outstanding in that game, running for 196 metres to score a try, bust nine tackles, make one linebreak and set up another two in a dominant performance.

Paul’s combination with brother Lee Turner at left centre is fast becoming a focal point of Tweed’s attack, with the pair combining on a few occasions in last week’s big win. Whether in exit sets or on the end of a backline shift in good ball, Paul and Lee are terrorising defenders with their footwork, speed and ballplaying skills. With JJ Collins and Lamar Manuel-Liolevave providing Tweed with plenty of go-forward through the middle and subsequently plenty of space out wide, the Turner brothers are getting more opportunities than ever to use their skills and they will like their chances against a leaky Souths-Logan defence on Saturday.

The Magpies come into Round 9 following a tough 32-0 loss to the Redcliffe Dolphins last Saturday. Dolphins halfback Cody Hunter was on fire in that game and the Magpies had no answer despite several players with NRL experience bolstering the Souths-Logan lineup. The Magpies are chasing just their second win of the season and are not to be underestimated on Saturday.

Player to Watch

While Paul and Lee Turner dominated the highlights reel last week, it was the work of edge forward Joshua Patston that dominated my notepad. The promising backrower has played out six games on the left edge for Tweed so far this year for an average 101 running metres and a tackle efficiency of 95%. He was profiling as a safe-as-houses, no-frills edge forward but Patston showcased some nice skill of his own against Pride in Round 8.

This was one of two linebreaks Patston was involved in last weekend. He shows great energy and intent to push up in support in both instances, and in this case he finds himself at left wing to receive a lovely offload from Lee Turner and streak into the backfield. Patston then puts on some footwork teammate Paul Turner would’ve been happy with to beat the fullback, and we’ll blame the slippery conditions for a little stumble at the end that cruels Patston’s scoring chances.

Named in the backrow on a strong left edge for Tweed again in Round 9, Patston is a fair crack at scoring his second try of the season on last week’s form.

Team List

1. Paul Turner
2. Sosefo Fifita
3. Lee Turner
4. Scott Galeano
5. Ryland Jacobs
6. Will Brimson
7. Lindon McGrady
8. JJ Collins
9. Craig Garvey
10. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave
11. Joshua Patson
12. Reuben Porter
13. Braden Robson
14. Blake Scott
15. Harrison Muller
16. Daniel Ross
17. Ioane Seiuli

Coach: Ben Woolf

Coach’s Comments

Defence continues to be a major focus for Head Coach Ben Woolf this season, and he was particularly pleased with his side’s efforts last week.

“The defensive effort was great last weekend. To only miss five tackles all game was a huge improvement on the Wynnum game,” Woolf said.

“Souths-Logan have a lot of strike across the park so we are going to have to defend well again. That has been our main focus this week.”

Match Details

Round 9 v Souths-Logan Magpies

Saturday 21st May @ Marsden State High School, Brisbane

Kick-off: 6pm

Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)

Written by Jason Oliver, Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

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Saavanah Bourke for Tweed Seagulls Media

It’s fair to say this season in the BMD Premiership hasn’t quite reached the Tweed Seagulls expectations.

Recording just one win from six games, head coach Spencer Taplin said the desire to finish the season on a high has never been greater.

“I just want to end it how I know we can end it,” Taplin said.

“I want us to be able to show the brand of footy that we haven’t been able to put together yet.”

Tweed has one last chance to do that when they meet Souths Logan Magpies on Sunday afternoon.

The game will be played at Cbus Super Stadium and act as a curtain-raiser for the NRL clash between the Titans and Sharks.

“It’s a great opportunity for our girls to play on the big stage and I just want them to grab it with both hands.”

Tweed has shown promise in patches this season but are yet to put together 70 minutes of footy.

“We just have to start well. If we can do that and continue that energy throughout the entire game, then we will get the win.”

While the results haven’t always come through for the girls, Taplin said the Gulls will be better because of it.

“I know there’s been some big learnings and development of us not achieving everything we would have liked this season.”

However, one thing the club has achieved is a great culture and promising program.

“I know what we have created here this season is just the beginning for the club, and we will continue to grow on that in the coming years.”

Taplin has made some key changes to his side, bringing in some youth to pair with experience.

“A lot of our younger girls have been working really hard and I thought they deserved an opportunity to show what they can do.

“I know that experience will get us over the line.”

Kick off from Cbus Super Stadium is at 1.45pm on Sunday.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will celebrate a comprehensive victory over the Northern Pride in Round 8 of the QRL Hostplus Cup, having beaten the visitors 28-0 in wet and windy conditions on Saturday afternoon.

It was Tweed who would start fast from the kick-off, ignoring the slippery surface to throw some nice shape at Pride in their opening set. A left side shift through Will Brimson got Pride moving sideways and opened up the right hand side of the field for a simple but slick block-to-block shape movement. Tweed winger Jaline Graham looked destined to finish it off only for some desperate cover defence from Pride to deny him in the corner.

Far from going into their shell Tweed would look to use the ball in their very next set, working out their own end thanks to Paul Turner’s efforts at fullback before shifting to the right edge to Scott Galeano in space. **As was the case just minutes earlier however, Pride would scramble effectively to shut down Brimson on the following tackle and force the turnover.

For all their efforts defending their own try line, Pride couldn’t seem to trap Tweed down on their own. Some lovely deception from Craig Garvey at dummy-half found Brimson down a short side in Tweed’s next exit set which saw Lee Turner offload for Josh Patston into space on the left edge this time.

Lee’s offload is only bested by the support play of Patston and Tweed should have scored on the following play but were again denied when Lee coughed up the ball trying to catch them down the short side for a third time that set.

Four times in the opening ten minutes Tweed created scoring opportunities but couldn’t convert due in some parts to a desperate Pride defensive unit and in others just poor execution. Eventually however, Tweed’s dominance would translate onto the scoreboard thanks to some individual brilliance from Paul Turner.

From an attacking scrum the Seagulls took a settler to the left before finding Paul Turner on the right edge with a three pass shift. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave made a compelling case as a forward distributor as the prop belied his size to shift the ball smoothly from the ruck to the edges a few times on Saturday. In this instance, his involvement got Lindon McGrady and Paul Turner running at a retreating defence and Paul’s electric feet did the rest. Try time.

Paul Turner was the catalyst for Tweed’s next try too. The Seagulls’ back three were reliable yardage men working off their own line all game and Lee Turner’s try in the 29th minute was a product of just that.

Presented with a poor kick chase, Paul Turner’s footwork was too difficult to handle in the wet and he skipped 25 metres upfield before linking with Patston on his outside. A lovely offload from the big backrower was enough to put Lee Turner in space and the centre raced away to score under the posts.

Despite facing a 12 point deficit as they returned from the break, the Northern Pride did anything but drop their heads and were arguably the better team to begin the second half. They defended three consecutive sets on their own line to deny an eager Tweed offence but poor handling and ill discipline in defence continued to turn over the ball and the Seagulls would eventually make them pay.

Galeano scored in the 63rd minute, finishing off a clever backline movement that featured Tweed winger Jaline Graham slotting into a fullback role on the right edge. Graham’s speed and footwork was enough to create the overlap and Ione Seiuli would provide the soft hands to find Galeano on the flank. Seiuli then got a well deserving try of his own just minutes later when Craig Garvey sold a few dummies to poke his nose through the line and link with Seiuli in support.

Tweed might have saved the best for last, however, with Ryland Jacob’s try in the 74th minute featuring everything the Seagulls got right in Round 8.

Garvey’s service from dummy-half, Manuel-Liolevave straightening the attack and the skill of McGrady and Paul Turner out wide all proved too much for the Northern Pride to handle on Saturday as the Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls notched their fourth win of the season.

Key Takeaways

With Sam McIntyre missing this week the Seagulls were looking for someone to pick up his ballplaying duties through the middle and Lamar Manuel-Liolevave filled the role admirably. The big front rower was typically effective in yardage but chimed in on a few occasions as a link man between the ruck and the edges. Manuel-Liolevave slotted in at pivot for good effect in the lead up to Paul Turner’s opening try and again for Ryland Jacob’s try in the 74th minute.

Despite the wet weather, Tweed played an expansive brand of footy particularly coming out of their own end on Saturday. Using the speed and ballplaying of Paul Turner and Lindon McGrady, the Seagulls frequently shifted to their edges in exit sets and found easy metres through centres Scott Galeano and Lee Turner. The work of Tweed’s outside backs was crucial to this – Paul Turner, Ryland Jacobs and Jaline Graham consistently got the Seagulls’ sets off to a positive start and were the beneficiaries down the other end of the field with tries to four of Tweed’s back five in Round 8.

Coach’s Comments

Head Coach Ben Woolf was pleased with his team’s patience in the testing conditions.

“I thought we broke them down well today in attack,” Woolf said.

“We took some poor options but stuck to our style of play regardless of the weather which was good to see.”

On Tweed’s propensity to use the ball from anywhere on the field, Woolf said he was happy for his players to play what they see in the wet.

“We move the ball in yardage if the defence is tight. The message was play how we play regardless of the weather.”