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
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