Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, travel to the Logan Metro Football Fields to take on the Souths Logan Magpies in Round 9.
Fresh off a 50-18 win over the Western Clydesdales last week, the Seagulls are brimming with confidence heading into this one.
“It was pleasing,” Dave Penna said of the performance.
“The boys went out there and stuck to what we know and it was a really good win.”
The outside backs made the most of a dominant yardage game for Lindon McGrady, Treymain Spry, Lee Turner and Ryland Jacobs to combine for six tries in Round 8. Brent Woolf played a blinder from dummy half to play the forwards onto the front foot and get the team downhill early.
Having allowed the Clydesdales to play themselves back into the match after building an early lead in their first meeting, the Seagulls left no room for a comeback as they kept their foot on the gas to score consistently through to the end. The 20th to 30th-minute block is the only ten-minute period Tweed failed to cross the line.
Jacob McCudden returns from his suspension to line up in the backrow alongside Daniel Ross and Sam McIntyre in a fairly unchanged squad this week. Ioane Seiuli and Aaron Schoupp – a standout for 122 running metres, two line breaks, a line break assist, a try assist and a whopping 12 tackle breaks – started on the edge last week but are the notable outs for this one.
Tweed will hold fond memories of the last time these two teams met. A Josh Patston hattrick ended with the Seagulls claiming a 42-24 win in their rescheduled Round 9 fixture. While they heaped 42 points on the Magpies last time out and scored 50 points last week, Tweed comes up against the second-best defensive team in the Hostplust Cup in Round 9. Souths Logan has conceded only 15.4 points per game this season. No team has scored more total points than the Wynumm Manly Seagulls but the Magpies kept them to just 12 last week while scoring 34 points themselves.
Tristan Sailor is one to watch in the opposition this week. While he’s only scored two tries in his seven games, he’s handed out seven try assists while averaging 193 running metres per game. Jake Campagnolo is another. The Italian international, in his first season with the Magpies, has scored 72 points through two tries and 32 goals to be second in the competition in points scored.
Thanks to two Magpies draws, only points differential separates the two teams on the ladder heading into this one. The winner can leap to 1st depending on other results. Both in fine form and with an opportunity to climb the ladder, this has Match of the Round potential.
Players To Watch
Highlighted in the post-game review last week, Brent Woolf is one to watch on Saturday. His injury last season is well-documented but you wouldn’t know it looking at his recent form. Looking more comfortable and improving every week, the 25-year-old looks set to play another significant role in the Tweed attack on Saturday afternoon.
As his game fitness improves Woolf is running the ball a little bit more each week which Penna puts down to both instruction and simply playing what is in front of him.
“It’s no secret Brent’s strongest point of his game is his running game,” said Penna.
“We’re really working together on ways for him to run the footy and for the rest of the team to know where to be when he does.”
His dart from dummy half translated into points more than once last week.
With Woolf stressing the defence around the ruck early in that match, Oskar Bryant’s impact off the bench either side of halftime is another aspect to follow. Like last season, the Seagulls’ rotation at hooker sees them as a constant threat from dummy half across the full 80 minutes. Woolf has the smarts and deception to beat fresh defenders while Bryant’s speed makes him a dangerous prospect against tired forwards through the middle.
Coach Penna mentioned Tweed’s game management as a positive last week and has highlighted that aspect of Bryant’s game as a key focus for his development. He’s learning from one of the best in the competition at the moment.
Coaches Comments
The Magpies have only lost once all season and pose as a tough test for a Seagulls side looking for four wins on the bounce.
“They’re a really good footy side,” Penna said of the Magpies in the build-up.
“They’ve got a lot of youth, speed and size and they’re playing a good brand of footy.
“For us as a club, we’re going to need to be at our best and play patient football and work hard in all of those simple areas.
“It will be a good challenge for us on Saturday afternoon.”
The Seagulls kicked on to score 50 points last week but can’t sit back and assume it will happen again against a strong Magpies defence on Saturday.
“Most pleasing for me was our game management,” said Penna.
“Staying in the grind, sticking to what our structures are and don’t turn the ball over where we don’t want to turn the ball over. We’re starting to get really good at that as a team.
“If we can stick to that and keep testing them, keep asking the questions that we know we can, it will be interesting to see how we go. If we don’t, we could be in for a long afternoon.”
Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media
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