The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will face the Burleigh Bears this Sunday at 2pm in Round 4 of the QRL Hostplus Cup. Burleigh will host the local derby at Pizzey Park on the Gold Coast.
The Seagulls are coming off a grinding 13-6 loss to the Devils last week but will have taken plenty of confidence from that performance. Tweed showed signs of a defensive resolve in that game that will hold them in good stead as the season continues. Restricting a Devils’ halves pairing with more than 150 games of NRL experience to just 13 points is a fair effort and if the Seagulls can continue to keep themselves in contests with their defence, there is more than enough strike in this backline to put points on the scoreboard.
The Burleigh Bears are 3-and-0 to begin the 2022 season and come into this match following an 18-6 win over the Redcliffe Dolphins. Bears’ left winger Tony Francis has been on fire to start the year, scoring four tries and making five linebreaks in his three games so far. How well Tweed contain Francis and the Bears’ left edge should have a telling influence on the result this weekend.
The last time these sides met was in Round 13 last year, with Burleigh coming out on top 28-22. Brayden McGrady scored a second-half double in that match to tie things up late in the game only for Bears’ winger Andre Niko to cross with five minutes remaining.
Player to Watch
Burleigh may have an in-form winger lining up this weekend but so do the Seagulls. Sosefo Fifita has been in fine touch to begin the 2022 season and is shaping as a key player in Tweed’s backline this weekend.
The 19 year old Titans’ contracted winger has been busy in attack, notching 15+ receipts in all three games so far this year. From those receipts, Fifita is managing an average 121 running metres per game and has contributed three linebreaks, six tackle busts and two tries in three appearances for the club. He’s proving a reliable finisher on the end of a promising Tweed right edge this year and is a threat in the air too, as evident by his leaping effort against Norths in Round 4. Fifita’s battle with Bear’s left winger Tony Francis is a cracking head-to-head match up and one worth looking out for this weekend.
Coach’s Comments
Head Coach Ben Woolf said he was proud of Tweed’s defensive resolve last week but is eager to trouble the scoreboard a little more on Sunday.
“Our defence last week does give us some belief going into this weekend’s game,” Woolf said.
“It’s a week to week focus for us but in saying that, we need to score a few more points so we’ve spent some time sharpening our attack this week too.”
Team List
- Paul Turner
- Sosefo Fifita
- Lee Turner
- Scott Galeano
- Ryland Jacobs
- Will Brimson
- Lindon McGrady
- JJ Collins
- Brent Woolf
- Sam McIntyre
- Joshua Patston
- Rueben Porter
- Braden Robson
- Craig Garvey
- Lamar Manuel-Liolevave
- Harrison Muller
- Ioane Seiuli
- Daniel Ross
- Charlie Murray
Coach: Ben Woolf
Game Info
Round 4 v Burleigh Bears
Sunday 10th April @ Pizzey Park, Gold Coast
Kick-off: 2pm
Streaming via QPlus.tv (subscription required)
Written by Jason Oliver, Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media
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