Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, will play as hosts for the first time this season as they welcome Norths Devils to the Piggabeen Sports Complex, Piggabeen.

The Seagulls come into Round 3 following an encouraging 26-22 win over the Western Clydesdales last week. A fast start and Treymain Spry double late in the first half set things up nicely before the Clydesdales scored two late tries to finish. Coach Dave Penna was happy with the result but recognised it shouldn’t have finished up so close.

“We probably should have made life easier for ourselves,” said Penna after the match.

“We made two or three breaks and should have put it to bed but took the wrong option. We made a couple of errors in yardage and gave away a few penalties but we’ll take the two points.”

Round 2 marked the return of Will Brimson to the side. Having played primarily as a five-eighth throughout his 18 games in 2022, the 26-year-old featured in a lock role to provide middle service to the edges. He has been named to start in the #13 jersey this week as Penna looks to nail down his first-choice 17.

Ryland Jacobs again impressed out of dummy half and will start in the #9 jersey on Saturday. Jacobs will be looking to pass his forwards onto the ball to provide an exciting backline with another chance to link up after going unchanged from Round 2. Youngsters Jaylan De Groot, Kaleb Ngamanu and Tom Weaver will all be better for the experience of the last two weeks while Lee Turner, Treymain Spry, Ioane Seiuli and Toby Sexton provide a range of experience and versatility across the outside backs.

Tweed’s 24 points per game ranks 6th in the competition right now, but as Penna mentioned, they left a few points out there in Round 2.

The Seagulls take on the defending premiers who are yet to pick up a win but played out a thrilling 30-30 draw against the Redcliffe Dolphins in Round 2. Like Tweed, Norths piled up points in the first half before conceding in the second. In front 20-0 shortly before the break, a 76th-minute Jeremiah Simbiken try levelled up the scores for the Devils to now sit 12th on the Hostplus Cup ladder with one loss and a draw.

Player To Watch

Ioane Seiuli came off the bench to start last season, finished in the second row, and played in the centres and on the wing in between. Starting this season in the centres, the 23-year-old will now start his second consecutive game on the wing.

Seiuli’s versatility has made him a mainstay in the Tweed side over the last 12 months and he comes into Round 3 on the back of a strong performance against the Clydesdales. Getting himself involved for 20 touches on the night, Seiuli finished up with 147 running metres, 74 post-contact, and five tackle breaks. He’s a key part of how the Seagulls get up the field and in good ball outside Treymain Spry, the Seaguls have a destructive right edge that will be tough to stop close to the line.

With Brimson in the middle zipping the ball wide, Spry and Seiuli should see plenty of opportunities near the line.

Coach’s Comments

The Seagulls dealt with a few travel issues on game day in Round 1 and have needed to jump a few hurdles in the build-up to Round 3, but coach Dave Penna is still happy with the preparations and excited for the contest.

“Unfortunately, we’ve been inundated with rain so the ground is closed,” Penna said.

“But the week has started well, we got a good session in last night and the boys are all healthy. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

One of the challenges for Penna is getting his best players out on the field as often as possible. This week that takes the form of Will Brimson starting at lock.

“It’s great to have Brimo back,” said Penna.

“We need the best 17 playing to see how that looks. We will play around with that over the next few weeks and have our combinations for the back end of the season. “

Another area of change is in dummy half where Ryland Jacobs will make his second start of the season. Notably, there isn’t a recognised hooker on the bench this week.

“We’ve got a couple of boys there that can potentially play hooker. Ryland put in work in the preseason. He’s fit and has come a long way, but a few of the boys can do a job there for us.”

Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media

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