Saavanah Bourke Reports –
The Gold Coast Airport Open Women’s Tweed Seagulls have started their 2022 campaign on the right foot, defeating the North Queensland Gold Stars 24-16 in Round 1 of the BMD Premiership.
A side combined with inexperience and youth proved no disadvantage for Tweed, running in five tries to North Queensland’s three.
The Seagulls wasted no time to get on the board, capitalising on early back to back errors made by the Stars, opening the door for Gulls winger Brooke Saddler to cross in just the 7th minute.
“They (Gold Stars) made a couple of errors at the start of the game and it really allowed us to get on the front foot and into a bit of a grind,” head coach Spencer Taplin said.
Enough so for the home side to bank three more tries, sending the Seagulls into the sheds with a 14-point lead at half time.
“We went into the second half in a good space around completion and getting through our sets,” Taplin said.
But the second half is when things started to heat up, the Stars returning to the field full of fire.
“We made a few errors early in the second half and they started doing to us what we had done to them in the first.”
It wasn’t long after when the Seagulls defence line took a hit, Gold Star Mateeka Nielson breaking through in the 55th minute.
“I don’t know what their coach had said to them during halftime, but they almost looked like a different team.”
The Gulls put the work in to hold the lead, Brooke Saddler crossing for her second not long after.
The Stars struck back yet again, but it was too little too late, Tweed closing the match with an 8-point victory.
“They stood up, you would never have thought that we had a team full of young girls and some who had never played the game before.
“It makes you proud as a coach and highlights how important it is for clubs to have those pathways from Under 19s to Opens.”
But the hard work has only just begun, Tweed face the Brisbane Tigers in Round 2.
“The Tigers are quite mature and experienced.
“They haven’t had many changes to their side from last season, they only lost one girl to the NRLW.
“They held Souths scoreless in Round 1 which is quite a statement, so this will be a big test for us,” Taplin said.
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