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
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