Round 1 Match Review – QRL Hostplus Cup vs CQ Capras

Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, kicked their 2023 Hostplus Cup season off with an away visit to the Central Queensland Capras in Rockhampton. While Tweed produced an impressive second half from 16-4 behind to bring the scores level with five minutes to play, an Anthony Milford field goal sealed a 23-22 win for the home side.

A Toby Sexton dropped ball on the very first set of the game put the Capras hot on the attack early. With the early opportunity for points, Kodi Nikorima slipped through a Lee Turner tackle to score in the right corner just two minutes in.

As the game entered an arm-wrestle, Sexton started to kick the Seagulls into the territory battle. His near 40/20 and towering kick landing on the line negated the Capras’ advantage in yardage on the ground.

A fortuitous bounce in one of those Capras yardage sets ended with a tapped offload and six more tackles. Nikorima only needed one to get the scoreboard ticking over again, though. Selling a dummy and skipping through the line, the former Kiwi international slowed up while waiting for support before finding a streaking Oliver Gildart on his outside.

With a chance to answer right back courtesy of the kickoff bouncing dead and forcing a dropout, Tweed crashed the ball around the ruck on the line. Joe Vuna went close to dragging three Capras defenders over the line. Ending the set by giving Central Queensland 99 metres to travel is the next-best result after points.

As the pressure built, Tweed earned a long-awaited spell inside the Capras 20-metre line. Looking left towards Lindon McGrady’s edge, the experienced five-eighth reacted quickly to the jamming defence. He flipped the play, darted to the right edge, and found Sexton who put De Groot into the gap to score.

Tweed looked to be finishing as the stronger of the two sides heading into the break. Another promising period led to a Sexton grubber around the post with De Groot appearing to apply downward pressure over the line. However, the officials saw it differently, and no more than a minute later, Milford was over at the other end. The 12-point turnaround saw the Capras enter the sheds with a 16-4 lead.

Neither side took control of the early exchanges after the break as errors plagued both the Seagulls and Capras. It took another piece of Nikorima magic to break the game back open. On the end of a long-side shift down the right edge, his double pump threw McGrady off his man and allowed Tom Farr to streak down the sideline and push Central Queensland’s lead out to 22-4.

Back-to-back Capras penalties is just what Tweed needed to bring themselves back into the game. Not long after returning to the field, Oskar Bryant jumped out from behind the ruck to hold up the B defender before playing short to a charging Lloyd Perrett. Bouncing out of the initial contact, Perrett spun free to trigger a comeback.

Earning another penalty and a piggyback out of yardage from the kickoff, the Seagulls pulled themselves to within a converted try with 20 minutes to play. Sexton had kicked well all night. This time, it translated into points as Ioane Seiuli leapt up and over the Capras defence to pluck the ball out of the air and send Kaleb Ngamanu over in the corner.

An error turned Tweed’s time in attack into defence on the kickoff set, but after a lengthy period defending their own line, they managed to turn the home side away. Ryland Jacobs, who seemed to pop up all over the field in this one, used his speed to shut down long-side shifts and turn the Capras ball players back into the middle.

The toughness in defence and willingness to get into the grind late eventually paid dividends. After searching down the right edge through Klese Haas, Sexton sent his 5th-tackle kick towards the right wing of Malachi Morgan. It wasn’t Sexton’s best kick of the night. Still, he put it in a spot for Morgan to create a contest and fall on the loose ball to level things up at 22-22 with five minutes on the clock.

Tweed fought hard to get themselves back into the contest after halftime. However, the penalties that plagued them in the first half returned to end the second, allowing Central Queensland to move up the field and into a spot for Anthony Milford to slot a field goal. The Capras were made to work hard for it but ultimately held on for a 23-22 victory.

Key Takeaways

Tweed played out some impressive periods in defence throughout this one. While they often put themselves under pressure, the line looked comfortable more often than not. Only the quality of Nikorima regularly threatened and broke through.

With the ball, their style of play remains similar to last season despite the change in coach. We caught regular glimpses of the shifts out of yardage and middle service through big forwards. Joseph Vuna looks as though he will be a key player throughout the 2023 season. He’s a brutal ball carrier but moved the ball nicely in good ball. His threat as a runner will only open things up for those on the edges when he sends the ball wide.

Another to keep an eye on in the coming weeks: Ryland Jacobs.

He started on the wing, spent time at hooker, and finished the game at five-eighth. His speed, skill and versatility proved invaluable in this one with the 26-year-old looking good to build on his promising 11-game 2022 season.

Coach’s Comments

Tweed captain Lindon McGrady couldn’t finish the game which saw Ryland Jacobs move into five-eighth. Having already spent time on the wing and at hooker, Jacobs’ versatility came in handy for coach Dave Penna.

“Ryland was great,” Penna said.

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

A few great players ran out for the Capras and made things difficult in defence. Still, Penna saw the benefit in his side going up against NRL-quality spine players.

“Nikorima and Milford were very good, they’re both quality players. It was great for our young squad to experience playing those type of players,” said Penna.

Oskar Bryant and Jaylen De Groot were two of those youngsters to benefit. Penna was happy with how they made the jump in grade.

“Both of the young boys had good games. They will only get better for the experience.

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

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