Seagulls Depth On Show In Clash With Magpies

Neil Cadigan

The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls will display the club’s strongest depth of talent in many years when they take on Souths Logan Magpies at Davies Park on Sunday with both teams bereft of their NRL players because of the COVID-19 restrictions.

While the NSW Rugby League competitions, including the NSW Cup ‘reserve grade’, have been ordered to be suspended for two weeks, the Intrust Super Cup is scheduled to continue at this stage after the three-down South-East Queensland lockdown ends on Friday night.

However, NRL players must remain in their bubbles which means the Seagulls will be missing their Gold Coast Titans players and the Magpies their Brisbane Broncos players.

This means halfback Toby Sexton, who has played 10 games for Tweed in 2021, and Jayden Campbell (six appearance before this three NRL games filling in for AJ Brimson) will be among seven Titans squad members who will be missing while the Magpies this season have fielded Albert Kelly, Karmichael Hunt, Dale Copley, Corey Oates and Jamayne Isaako (both recalled to the Broncos side) among other Broncos.

The Seagulls have still included eight players who have been part of NRL squads or have vast ISC or NSW Cup experience. This includes skipper Lamar Liolevave, JJ Collins, Lindon and Brayden McGrady, Treymain Spry, Lee Turner, Brent Woolf, Ryland Jacobs and Braden Robson.

Luke Jurd, the former Cronulla Sharks under-18s representative who played 12 ISC games for the Seagulls in 2019, comes into the side at halfback after a dominant performance for Currumbin Eagles when they ended Burleigh Bears’ unbeaten run in the Gold Coast competition last weekend.

Interchange hooker Liam Hampson returns after missing the round 11 victory over Redcliffe with a knee injury, winger Brayden McGrady is back after a month out with a hamstring injury while prop Stuart Mason, picked on the bench, has had plenty of ISC experience.

A positive feature of the team announcement, which lists 20 players because of injury doubts over several players, is the inclusion of two prominent Northern Rivers players, which shows how valid that pathway has become into this level of rugby league.

Middle forward Daniel Ross, from Tweed Coast Raiders, could make his ISC debut while Lismore Marist second-rower Joshua Patston is in the running to also get his first appearance at this level.

Two Hastings Deering Colts players – Juwan Compain, who was on a Titans NRL development contract in 2020, and lock Charlie Murray – have also been named.

Utility back Talor Walters was not on the provisional list but will come into the side if he passes the required medical protocols after suffering a head knock in the match against Redcliffe.

The Seagulls, like all teams, have been forced to alter their training schedule this week because of the three-day lockdown.

They had an hour long session before the 6pm curfew was enforced on Tuesday, will have their next session at 6pm Friday and, with the advantage of being involved in the only Sunday match this weekend, will get in a third session on Saturday morning if the lockdown is not extended.

The Tweed Seagulls team to play Souths Logan Magpies at Davies Park on Sunday at 2.10pm:

1         Lindon McGrady

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       Daniel Ross

16       Stuart Mason

17       Juwan Compain

18       Joshua Patston

19       Charlie Murray

20       Jack Cook

Round Details:

• Tweed Seagulls v Souths Logan Magpies at Davies Park, Montague Park, West End on Sunday June 30 at 2.10pm
• Davies Park,
• COVID safe practices will be enforced