Intrust Super Cup Round 22 saw great results for all the top 6 sides except the Sunshine Coast, and whilst the make up of the top 6 is essentially sorted, the finishing order most certainly is not.
Realistically four teams can finish first, PNG Hunters are now in the box seat but still have tough games left. But depending on results in the last three rounds, in which all but the Hunters have a bye to come, Easts, Redcliffe or the Sunshine Coast could still finish on top.
Plenty to play for ahead, and being plenty of point being scored this weekend with some high scoring events. A quick rundown of the matches is below.
Stay in touch with all the games and results with our Intrust Super Cup Match Centre.
PNG HUNTERS 20 IPSWICH JETS 4
Saturday 3pm @ Port Moresby
The PNG Hunters have got over the “loss they had to have” last weekend with an ultimately comfortable victory over Ipswich, which has just about put the Jets final bid to bed.
It didn’t start out that way when Ipswich try machine Michael Purcell scored yet another try in the eighth minute, and after the ordinary first half against the Dolphins last weekend it wasn’t a great start, and they only caught up just before the break through David Loko.
Loko wasn’t named ion the original squad named below on Tuesday, and neither were either Boas brother in the starting line up, but the hunters ultimately lined up with their big name players starting and the second half saw them combining well to outscore Ipswich 3 tries to nil and sweep to a 20-4 win. Ase Boas wrapping it up with a few minutes to go.
The win gets the Hunters minor premiership hopes back on track, and were given a big boost with the Falcons losing a few hours later. Ipswich need to turn around a 167 for and against deficit and win both games and hope the Blackhawks lose both of theirs to beat Townsville to make the top 6.
NORTHERN PRIDEย 24 SOUTHS LOGAN MAPGIES 28
Saturday 5:30pm @ Barlow Park
Penalty goals made all the difference in Cairns as Souths Logan confirmed a place in the finals by overcoming a late Pride fightback with timely penalty goals. There were three in all for the Magpies, and those 6 points was the deciding factor in a game which ended four tries a piece.
The Pride didn’t take long to get on the board after Javid Bowen scored the first of his two for the evening in just the 3rd minute. That was all the home side got in the first half, as Souths Logan scored two tries through a double to halfback Sam Scarlett and a penalty goal to lead 14-6 at the break.
The home side hit back straight after the break and it was a two point game until the 55th minute when the Magpies scored two quick tries to extend the gap out to 24-12. Tries to Cowboys fringe players Ben Hampton and Javid Bowen made the game interesting with the scoreline 26-24 with five minutes to go. A third penalty goal to Souths Logan in the last minute settled the game.
Souths Logan are now just one point off the third and fourth placed sides, and it just their record against the teams above them that is the only question heading into the finals. The Northern Pride were once again close enough without winning, but they have still not avoided finishing last yet.
MACKAY CUTTERS 30 SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS 26
Saturday 6pm @ BB Print Stadium Mackay
Mackay put a dent in the minor premiership ambitions of the Sunshine Coast with a 30-26 win that not many were expecting on Saturday night.
The Cutters outscored the Falcons four tries to one in the first half, and the 24-4 half time deficit would take some overturning.
And they did try their best to overturn it as the visitors outscored the home side four tries to one in the second half, and ultimately it was goal kicking which made the difference as both sides ended on five tries each.
Sunshine Coast fall to third and four points behind the table topping Hunters, but have a bye in hand. Mackay are mathematically possible of making theย Top 6, ย but they will have to be some very large sums to come true.
CENTRAL QLD CAPRASย 14 TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS 26
Saturday 7pm @ Browne Park
Townsville bounced back from their loss to Burleigh last weekend with a victory over a gallant Central Capras. The Blackhawks win essentially sealed the top 6, with an extraordinary set of results required to have them removed from the eight by either Mackay or Ipswich.
The more fancied visitors weren’t first to score as the home side Capras did that in just the fourth minute through Ken Tofilau who appears regularly on the scoring lists for Central. Townsville didn’t take long to reply four minutes later through the competition’s leading point scorer Carlin Anderson. Just before the break Townsville scored two tries in three minutes in reply to another Capras try in the 33rd minute to take a handy 14-8 lead into the break.
Carlin Anderson scored the second of his evening double in the 55th minute, at which stage the Blackhawks had a comfortable 20-8 lead. The Carpas made it interesting with a try five minutes later, and were still in with a chance until Dan Beasley scored in the last minute to seal the game.
Townsville lie sixth, and look likely to stay there for the finals, and at best fifth so will be on the road in the finals. The distance of which is yet to be decided. Northern Pride remain just one above last place.
WYNNUM SEAGULLSย 22 BURLEIGH BEARS 38
Sunday 1:40pm @ BMD Kougari Oval
TV Game
The Bears continued their late season revival with a 38-22 win over the Wynnum Seagulls in the Round 22 TV game. Three tries to winger Troy Leo and a double to fullback Kurtis Rowe were the headlines from a game in which the Bears outscored the Seagulls seven tries to four.
Despite the overall tally of tries going against them, and the fact Burliegh skipped ahead 10-0 early with two tries to Troy Leo, Wynnum did hit the front early in the second half when their skipper Mitch Frei scored the second of his double just a few minutes after the break.
That 16-14 score line was the last time the home side were in front for the afternoon as Burleigh scored the next four tries over 20 minutes to comfortably lead 38-16, and a last minute Seagulls try was purely consolation.
Neither side can now make the finals, and so it is all about momentum for next season. With Burleigh now 6 wins from eight, and having Jamal Fogarty back, it looks like a better 2018 ahead next season.
EASTS TIGERS 44 TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS 4
Sunday 3pm @ Suzuki Stadium Langlands Park
Easts Tigers joined the Sunshine Coast Falcons on 31 points in equal third place after a big win over the Tweed Heads Seagulls to finish the Intrust Super Cup Round 22 clashes.
It was not only the score line and manner of the victory that will have fellow finals contenders taking notice, but looking at the team lists there is plenty of quality despite losing some players to their NRL feeder team Melbourne. The Sunshine Coast also have to deal with that, but easts did it the better this weekend.
Tweed Heads didn’t score their first points until Lindon McGrady scored the only try of the afternoon for Tweed Heads two minutes after resuming 26-0 downm at the break. Easts had scored five unanswered tries in the first half, with the fun starting in the fourth minute through winger Jarrod McInally, who went on to complete a hat trick. Amongst those try scorers were Melbourne golden point hero Brodie Croft and Easts golden point hero Brayden Torpy.
Easts piled on four more tries after the break, as Young Tonumaipe’a and Billy Walters got in on the action either side of the second and third tries to Jarrod McInally. The end 44-4 result was ruthless, and keeps them in the hunt for a top two finishing position. Tweed Heads must win one more game minimum to finish higher than last.
NORTHS DEVILSย 24 REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS 44
Redcliffe jumped to second outright on the Intrust Super Cup ladder after continuing their excellent recent record over the Norths Devils with a big 44-24 win.
It was all about the first half for Redcliffe as they tunned the home side with a six tries to one performance, that saw tries to the returning Jack Ahearn, the eternally fired up Curtis Johnston, and doubles to Nick Slyney and Josh Beehag. The Devils first points came in the 32nd minute with a try to Haydan Lipp, but were still down 32-6 at half time.
Norths came out firing in the second half with two tries by the 45h minute making it a 14 point gap and plenty of time remaining to upset the Dolphins. A try in the 61st minute to Redcliffe’s Zach Strasser effectively killed the comeback, and each side finished off the game with one more try a piece.
Redcliffe now sit second but could now finish anywhere in the top 6, as is the competition of the finals teams, and will be confident of competing against all of them come September.
