Round 1
Easts Tigers 40 d. Wynnum Manly Seagulls 18

2007 Wizard Queensland Cup Index [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

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

Three tries from Tamanika helps Easts topple Wynnum in derby
Mon March 19, 2007
Source: www.qrl.com.au

Three tries from three consecutive sets has seen John Tamanika lead Easts to a 40-18 humbling of Wynnum Manly in the traditional derby at Langlands Park.

In what commentator David Wright speculated was the 'fastest hat-trick ever', Tamanika touched down in the 17th, 18th and 20th minutes to give Easts a 14-0 headstart.

The Otahuhu Leopards junior owed a lot to inside men Matt Lockyer and Isaac Kaufmann, however his third try in the left-hand corner was pure acrobatics and worthy of any highlight reel.

From there the game was an uphill battle for the visiting Seagulls and they did themselves no favours with poor discipline and sloppy handling. Three times the Baysiders gave away penalties whilst in possession, compounded by two tries gone begging through dropped ball.

In fairness to the Seagulls they were fielding a new-look side, featuring several youngsters. Over time there is little doubt that coach Shane McNally will meld the squad into a competitive unit.

Yet there was also the nagging feeling that Wynnum should have done more with a pack that, on paper, stacks up against any in the competition.

While NRL signing Ben Czislowski pulled off a bone-rattling hit on Damian Durnford in the first half, the most impressive forwards were Easts trio Mark Cantoni, Sinave Faitala and Marcus Jensen.

Tigers hooker Trent Young also showed the benefits of his time with South Sydney and his slickness and tightness around the ruck was telling. In the shades of halftime the Roma junior beat three men from dummy-half on the last tackle to make it 20-6 at the break.

Fullback Kev Stephensen then went on a run two minutes into the second half, setting up Cantoni for a try the next play and extending the lead to 24-6.

There were brief thoughts of a Wynnum revival when impressive centre Paoa Faamita plunged across in the 47th minute, running a perfect line.

The former Queensland Under 19s player then cut a swathe through four defenders on the next set, but dropped the ball over the line when hit solidly by a diving Lockyer. Effectively that signalled the end of the game.

Over the closing stages Easts started to play more liberally and the multi-faceted attack would have created some unease amongst this year's other title contenders.

Returning to the Tigers for the first time since the 2004 extra time grand final were Kaufmann, Young and half Dane Campbell, with the latter named Man of the Match by ABC. Campbell set up arguably the try of the game, chipping, ragathering, then curving the ball off the outside of the boot and between two defenders for David Tyrrell to score in the 69th minute.

Next Sunday the Tigers play Ipswich at North Ipswich Reserve at 3pm. Wynnum Manly travels to Bishop Park in Round 2 for another 3pm game on Sunday.

EASTS 40 (John Tamanika 3, David Tyrrell 2, Trent Young, Mark Cantoni, Sinave Faitala tries; Justin McKay 4 goals) d WYNNUM MANLY 18 (Paoa Faamita, Chris McQueen, Matt Smith tries; Matt Smith 3 goals) at Langlands Park.

Report sent by: www.qrl.com.au

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