Round 15
Easts Tigers 34 d. Wynnum Manly Seagulls 30

2006 Wizard Queensland Cup Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Australia > Queensland > State/Metropolitan Level Competition: Wizard Queensland Cup

Easts Snaffles Third Straight Win
Mon July 3, 2006
Source: QRL

EASTS has won three games in a row for the first time in over a year, secured with a 34-30 victory against neighbouring rival Wynnum Manly on Saturday.

The triumph against the Seagulls capped off a week when the Tigers announced the appointment of Des Morris as their new chief executive (effective September) and unveiled an exciting affiliation with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Yet while there was plenty to be chuffed with at Langlands Park, there was also a down note when local favourite Brett McPherson was struck down with a leg injury early in the match.

A member of Easts 1997 grand final side, McPherson was celebrating 200 Wizard Cup games, making him just the second person in competition history to achieve the feat. The fact he reached the milestone against his only other State League club made it all the more sweeter.

When sidelined, the wily veteran would have been thankful the Tigers did not lose momentum in his absence, opening up a 12-0 advantage and setting the platform for the win.

Often criticised for a lack of size, Easts gained the upper hand with a more clinical and competitive approach than the Seagulls. The Tigers led throughout and consistently found a right of reply when Wynnum fought back.

The visitors had announced their own big news in the previous week, with coach Neil Wharton indicating he would step down at the end of season 2006. Responsible for taking the Redcliffe club to three premierships, he now has a record of 12 wins, 2 draws and 19 losses since moving to Wynnum.

Easts win places the black-and-golds fourth on the ladder, allowing them to leapfrog Tweed Heads and stay ahead of lurking Burleigh.

Yet the coming weeks will be the true test of Michael Booths men, facing a draw that sees them play Toowoomba, Souths Logan, North Queensland and Tweed Heads in succession. The torturous month ends with a bye, for which no points are awarded in the Wizard Cup.

In the first half of the season Easts lost to each of the aforementioned teams, not receiving a single competition point between rounds 6-10.

Meanwhile, despite 14 competition points remaining on offer for cellar dwellers Wynnum, realistically the club has a fight on its hands to avoid the wooden spoon. Even with a massive reversal of fortunes, the Seagulls would be hard-pressed to make up the eight-point buffer between them and those on the edge of the top five.

Next Sunday the Baysiders face Burleigh at BMD Kougari Oval. The two sides drew 14-all earlier in the year, but only after a controversial penalty was awarded to the Bears in the dying stages.

Easts game against Toowoomba on Saturday will be the Live ABC TV match of the round, broadcast from Clive Berghofer Stadium.

EASTS 34 (John Tamanika, Shane Neumann, Donald Malone, David Tyrrell, Mark Cantoni, Jamie Tomlinson, Steven Goodhew tries; Donald Malone 3 goals) d WYNNUM MANLY 30 (Steve Irwin 2, Darren Bain, Daniel Evans, John Bruce, Sam Crabb tries; Steve Irwin 3 goals) at Langlands Park.

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