Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, played host to the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls in the Battle of the Chip but were left hungry with the visitors finishing on top 38-18.
A Gold Coast Titans bye saw a raft of NRL players turn out for Tweed in this one. Kruise Leeming made his debut for the club while Joe Vuna and Klese Haas also returned for a run at the Piggabeen Sports Complex.
We caught a glimpse of Tweed’s intentions early as they used an early penalty to kick themselves into good ball before throwing a dangerous shift to the right edge. From Kruise Leeming at hooker through Brent Woolf and Toby Sexton, only a touch by the opposition as the ball sailed towards Kaleb Ngamanu on the right wing stopped the home side from opening the scoring.
Being forced to spend a lengthy period in defence, Tweed looked comfortable working their way up the field. However, an error crossing halfway provided Wynnum-Manly with another chance at the line. A chance they turned into points through Oliver Pascoe in the 9th minute.
Tweed were quick to answer back, though.
Brent Woolf’s one-on-one strip turned Tweed’s defence into attack and in a matter of seconds, Ryland Jacobs was catching a Tom Weaver peach to score in the corner.
Lindon McGrady’s goal from the sideline levelled the scores at 6-6 and Tweed got to work on scoring another.
In perfect conditions for running rugby league and with ballplayers in McGrady, Woolf, Weaver, Sexton and Will Brimson scattered across the field in an assortment of roles, Tweed searched down the edges all the way up the field.
Shifting the ball from one side to the other on the 5th tackle, Tweed moved the ball quickly across the field and used a Jacob McCudden line to tie up the three-in defender and sent Weaver over for his first try of the Hostplus Cup season.
An improved Wynnum-Manly defence allowed the game to grow into a grind. As they had done earlier, the visitors managed to force a repeat set and spend back-to-back sets attacking the line which turned into points. This time, Josh Rodgers stepped inside a sliding defence and back into a gaping hole to bring the scores level in the 30th minute.
Wynnum-Manly weren’t done in the first half. With two more before the break, the visitors flew into the sheds with a 24-12 lead. First, Joshua Simm crossed over in the corner before Matthew Milson made the most of a Tweed error defusing a bomb to dot down as the siren sounded.
Tweed made a strong start to the second half with McGrady going close to scoring. However, while William Samuel helped to stop the Tweed fullback from getting over the line, he spent the next ten minutes in the bin for sliding in with his knees and connecting with McGrady’s head.
Daniel Ross will have been nervous about joining Samuel shortly after but escaped from his dangerous tackle with a penalty with Wynnum-Manly opting for goal and a 26-12 lead as they returned to their full complement of players.
The visitors tightened up with the lead and looked to play the percentages. Finishing sets, kicking to corners and holding up in defence through the middle, Wynnum-Manly forced Tweed into chasing the game in the final quarter.
Rodgers added six more points to the chase in the 63rd minute. A third goal-line dropout again ended in points as the Wynnum-Manly five-eighth crashed over from dummy half.
In desperate need of a response, the Tweed back five kicked their team into gear. Ngamanu, Brimson and Jacobs all combined to drag the home side up the field and into attacking position. With it, Sexton rolled one in for his winger to collect and cut the Wynnum-Manly lead to 14 with as many minutes to play.
Tweed left no stone unturned in their search for points. A 5th tackle shift ended with the ball in touch with Ngamanu in space. On the left edge, Jacobs wore one across the chops as he looked to tiptoe down the sideline before being pushed into touch.
Despite Tweed emptying the tank late, the visitors kept their nerve and managed to add to their lead on the stroke of full-time to the end to take the chip with a 38-18 win.
Tweed will now prepare for a trip to Port Moresby to take on the Papua New Guinea Hunters in Round 12.
Key Takeaways
Will Brimson, Lindon McGrady, Toby Sexton and Tom Weaver are four of the best halves in the Hostplus Cup. Add Kruise Leeming at dummy half and Brent Woolf at lock and Tweed played with an embarrassment of ball-playing riches in this one.
When it all came together, Tweed moved the ball with ease. They went around Wynnum-Manly on the last tackle to score their second and looked to shift the ball early and often in yardage. Woolf’s involvement in providing middle service added a particularly dangerous element to the Tweed attack.
However, it didn’t come together often enough throughout the 80 minutes. By turning the ball over in the wrong parts of the field, Tweed didn’t give their high-powered attack enough opportunities to play close to the line.
Coaches Comments
Tweed came into this game following a big win in Round 10 but couldn’t back it up on the day.
“I’m very disappointed in the way we played,” said coach Dave Penna.
“There are no excuses, we were outplayed and out-enthused today.
“Wynnum played really well.”
Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media
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