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
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