Round 16
Wynnum Manly Seagulls 42 d. Burleigh Bears 20

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

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

Barba Steals Result For Seagulls
Mon July 10, 2006
Source: QRL

WYNNUM Manly has pushed clear of the bottom of the Wizard Cup ladder with a commanding 42-20 win against Burleigh at BMD Kougari Oval on Sunday.

At the same time as the Seagulls leapfrogged fellow wooden spoon candidate Ipswich, Burleigh dealt itself a potentially dire finals blow with a frustrated display.

The visiting Bears scored moments before and after halftime for a promising 20-12 advantage, but finished the match meekly and surrendered a chance at grabbing fifth spot on the ladder.

An audacious strip by Wynnum winger Rodney Barba on Burleighs Trent Purdon in the 51st minute appeared to turn the tide of the match, gifting Barba a freakish runaway try.

From there Wynnum Manly went on to score four more unanswered tries.

It could be that Purdon has nightmares of the Barba variety, with Rodneys brother Aaron famously tormenting the Burleigh speedster in the 2003 grand final.

Whatever the case, Burleigh coach Jimmy Lenihan will no doubt rue the missed opportunity, coming on a weekend where fellow fifth-place hopeful Tweed Heads encountered the bye.

The Bears started the match in front 4-0 courtesy of an Aseri Laing four-pointer and were heavy favourites to take out the match.

Yet Wynnum clung on and consistently found a right of reply. Steve Irwin matched Laings early try and when Purdon scored in the 17th minute, the Seagulls again shot back through Kerry Smith.

With more accurate goal-kicking, Wynnum actually led 12-8 until four minutes before halftime.

Coming out of his own half Barba attempted a chip and regather, but turned over possession cheaply, resulting in Burleigh scoring on the very next set courtesy of lock Robert Apanui.

For a quarter-of-an-hour Barba remained the villain. That was until he piped up enough courage to steal the ball from Purdon and became the hero.

After matching up for most of the afternoon on 105kg Laing, Barba found the 87kg Purdon more to his liking. Despite some contention about whether Barba was the second man into the tackle, referee Justin Davis saw fit to award the play, rejuvenating the loud Bayside crowd.

Moments of noticeable frustration crept as Burleigh struggled to keep the lead without the guile of usual playmaker Adam Hayden. A heavy knock to Ryan Gundry further stunted the Bears attack and some ill-disciplined play meant the weight of possession rested with Wynnum.

To their credit the Seagulls made the most of their opportunities, completing 21 of 24 sets in the second half and competing earnestly.

Fans will be dearly hoping for more of the same when the Seagulls travel to Dolphin Oval to tackle Redcliffe and one of the longest-running hoodoos in Queensland Rugby League next Saturday.

Meanwhile Burleigh will host Toowoomba on Sunday, aiming to rebound and reassert its finals claims.

WYNNUM MANLY 42 (Kerry Smith 2, Luke Dalziel-Don 2, Rodney Barba, Steve Irwin, Zac Chisholm tries; Steve Irwin 7 goals) d BURLEIGH 20 (Trent Purdon, Aseri Laing, Robert Apanui, Wayne Phillis tries; Reggie Cressbrook 2 goals) at BMD Kougari Oval.

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