Neil Cadigan
The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls had to, yet again, come from behind on the scoreboard to record their fifth win from six games and claim second place on the Intrust Super Cup ladder with a 32-26 victory against Ipswich Jets at North Ipswich Reserve on Saturday.
The Seagulls have only once this season not given up a lead either by halftime or in the second half, failing only once to peg back the deficit – in the second round 36-24 loss to the unbeaten Wynnum Manly. In four of their five victories – against the Capras, Magpies, Bears and Jets – they have shown the character and confidence to overhaul their opponents (they led most of the game against Redcliffe, the Gulls’ best win of the season).
And it was the case again against the unconventional Jets in a game in which Tweed conceded an eight-point try, four penalty goals and possession from three shallow kick-offs – all of which shows what visiting teams confront in Ipswich: a style which can put opponents out of stride.
“It wasn’t a pretty victory but that’s what you get against Ipswich,” said coach Ben Woolf.
“It’s hard to keep any momentum against them because it’s such a stop-start game with their short kick-offs, slow play the balls and a heap of penalties. It was a frustrating game but we rolled downfield well against them and I always thought we could score points if we kept the ball.
“We stood back waiting for something to happen and let them run across the field too much but in the end, we corrected that a bit and got a valuable win.”
Right-winger Talor Walters scored a hat-trick of tries, the first coming in the sixth minute from a smart passing movement down the short side after a run of possession. Lindon McGrady’s conversion made it 6-0 but the Jets scored the next 18 points over 28 minutes, a period that saw Tweed forwards Darius Farmer and JJ Collins spend HIA stints on the sideline.
The first of the Jets’ touchdowns was ruled an eight-point try with McGrady penalised for using his legs dangerously even though it seemed an innocuous incident after Ipswich prop Nathanial Neale pounced on a grubber kick that rebounded off a Tweed defender.
A converted try and two more penalty goals gave Ipswich an 18-6 lead after 34 minutes before Lee Turner crossed on the left to bring the score back to 18-10 at the break.
The Jets went to 24-10 ahead with a converted try scored by second-rower Julian Christian when he rolled through the middle of the ruck from close range.
Tweed quickly gained some composure with Walters crossing for his second try from a scrum after a Jets’ dropped the ball before former Souths Logan Magpies forward Luke Burton picked up a double on debut for the Seagulls within seven minutes with McGrady’s conversions giving Tweed the lead at 26-24 for the first time since early in the match.
Burton, who played for Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast competition last season after the Intrust Super Cup was abandoned, accepted a tip-back from centre Treymain Spry after a Seagulls bomb and then hit a hole off hooker Liam Hampson to grab his second.
It was left to Walters, who played strongly and had plenty of work to cross for all three of his tries, to secure the victory when he crossed in the right corner with three minutes remaining. His strength, footwork and pace has turned the former fullback into a quality finisher on the right flank and his hat-trick gives the utility back, who scored 14 tries in 2019, five for the season.
There were no stand-out performers for the Seagulls in a match marred by continual stoppages but none were better than prop Jai Whitbread who has dropped back from the Titans with good energy and commitment in every game this season.
The Seagulls stand two points behind leaders Wynnum Manly on the ladder, level with the unbeaten Norths Devils who were scheduled to play Burleigh Bears on Sunday. Tweed takes on Northern Pride at Piggabeen Sports Complex next Saturday.
TWEED HEAD SEAGULLS 32 (T Walters 3, L Burton 2, L Turner tries; L McGrady 4 goals) def. IPSWICH JETS 26 (N Neale, T Coburn, J Christian tries; J Cleeland 7 goals) at North Ipswich Reserve.
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