The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls resume the 2021 Intrust Super Cup season in Cairns this Saturday knowing their finals push will be conducted with challenges unique to them as the only New South Wales-based club in the Queensland Rugby League competition.
No ISC matches have been played since the last weekend in July because of Covid restrictions, when an understrength Tweed went down 38-28 to Souths Logan Magpies in the rescheduled round 12 clash which saw the Seagulls drop to fifth on the ladder when victory would have given them second spot.
The reformatted competition restarts this weekend with Tweed taking on the eighth-placed Northern Pride at Barlow Park in what was initially the final (round 19) round of games before the finals. However, rounds 16 and 17 have been rescheduled and the grand final put back two weeks.
While the remaining weeks return to almost ‘business as usual’ for their rivals – although the availability of NRL players after this weekend is still unknown – it is a different story for the Seagulls.
Several NSW-based players, particularly experienced key utility back and goalkicker Lindon McGrady, can not compete while the NSW-Queensland border is closed and the Gulls cannot train or play matches at Piggabeen Sports Complex which is just south of the border.
The following weekend Tweed has had to relocate its clash with Townsville Blackhawks to Pizzey Park, home of Burleigh Bears (on Saturday, September 4 at 2.10pm), while their last pre-finals game will be against PNG Hunters at Bycroft Oval, Runaway Bay (Saturday, September 11 at 2.10pm). The finals will be played from October 2 over four weekends, with the grand final at Redcliffe’s Moreton Daily Stadium on the weekend of October 9-10.
The Seagulls will train at Robina and Mudgeeraba with only Queensland-residing players available which means key man McGrady, who has been playing fullback with Jayden Campbell in the Titans’ NRL side, is unavailable at least until the finals along with forwards Joshua Patston, Daniel Ross and Matt Koellner who were called up from the Northern Rivers competition mid-season to boost Ben Woolf’s squad, and key emerging winger Caleb Hodges who was promoted from the Colts several times this season.
Tweed are hopeful of getting some Titans players back after this weekend but their availability may be determined by whether Gold Coast make the NRL finals (Covid protocols currently do now allow them to play in feeder competitions) and the NRL’s ruling on releasing players with the chance they may have to return late to pre-season training in November after the required break enforced by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
For now only Darius Farmer, who had been released from the NRL ‘bubble’ in July, is available for the Seagulls.
Fortunately, Brayden McGrady – who usually works in NSW – was in Queensland when the border was closed and has remained there. He will be a vital member of the team as they look to elevate themselves back into the top four and gain ‘two bites of the cherry’ in the finals.
Jack Mackin will play fullback in place of Lindon McGrady against Pride. He had missed much of this season with a knee injury after starring for Runaway Bay during their premiership-winning 2020 season and played for the Seagulls in 2019.
The teams for the clash at Barlow Park, Cairns on Saturday August 28 at 5.30pm:
1 Jack Mackin
2 Brayden McGrady
3 Treymain Spry
4 Lee Turner
5 Ryland Jacobs
6 Will Brimson
7 Luke Jurd
8 JJ Collins
9 Brent Woolf
10 Harrison Muller
11 Lamar Liolevave (capt)
12 Luke Burton
13 Braden Robson
14 Liam Hampson
15 Darius Farmer
16 Stuart Mason
17 Jack Glossop
18 Juwan Compain
19 Tevin Arona
Round Details:
- Northern Pride v Tweed Seagulls at Barlow Park, Cairns on Saturday August 28 at 5.30pm
- COVID safe practices will be enforced
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