Round 4
North Qld Young Guns 38 d. Easts Tigers 18

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

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

Young Guns Rope in Tigers
Sun April 8, 2007
Source: www.qrl.com.au

North Queensland brought Easts back to earth with a thud on Saturday, handing the previously undefeated Tigers a 38-18 loss at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

Fresh from a humbling televised loss to Burleigh, the Young Guns led Easts from start to finish, scoring two early tries to begin the match on the front foot.

North Queensland was ahead just 20-12 at halftime, but again started the second half with a bang, posting a timely four-pointer to seal the direction of the contest.

"We were slow out of the blocks against Burleigh and that was one thing we wanted to avoid this time around," noted Guns coach Matt Parish.

"That was rectified with our enthusiasm and commitment and I thought we played very well in patches.

"We spoke in the sheds about not letting Easts back into the game. A try to them after halftime would have made it 20-18, but full credit to the boys for shutting them out."

As far as objectives were concerned, the home side ticked all boxes, leap-frogging the Tigers on the table and guaranteeing themselves at least second spot going into Round Five.

Before the match skipper Shane Muspratt revealed the club's priorities were to avoid back-to-back losses, maintain an unbeaten run on home soil and starve form winger John Tamanika of the ball. Again all boxes were ticked.

Furthermore centres Ty Williams and Brett Anderson both made returns from long-term injuries, the former playing 40 minutes and the latter lasting the whole game.

"Ty was very good in the time he was on the field and I can't imagine we'll have him for too long. Maybe he'll play with us another week, but I couldn't see him being kept out of the NRL much longer," Parish said.

"And while a lot has been made of Ty, Brett came back from two years on the sideline and I can't say enough about the way he has rehabilitated himself. He's a young guy and a lot of things must have been going through his head when he couldn't play."

From being short on outside backs at the beginning of last season, the Cowboys now have a glut of three-quarters. Mark Henry was named man of the match against Easts, playing from fullback, while Ben Farrar has been the Young Guns' most consistent through the opening month. Add to that, Jamie Frizzo is expected back from injury within a fortnight.

In comparison, Easts will be looking for a confidence-boosting win next week, despite sitting comfortably in the top five. Initial pacesetters in the Spotless Club Championship, the Tigers lost in all three grades on Saturday, including defeats by the Western Districts Panthers in FOGS Cup (20-16) and the Colts Challenge (20-12)

Next weekend Easts is drawn to host Redcliffe at Langlands Park in the 2pm Saturday match, the latest chapter in the brewing rivalry between the two powerful Brisbane clubs. North Queensland will also have its work cut out, travelling to face fellow top five side Norths at Bishop Park on Sunday at 3pm.

NORTH QUEENSLAND 38 (Mark Henry, Brett Anderson, Ben Farrar, Scott Minto, Jackson Nicolau, Rod Jensen, Ben Vaeau tries; Ben Farrar 5 goals) d EASTS 18 (Justin McKay, Trent Young, Marcus Jensen tries; Justin McKay 3 goals) at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

Report sent by: www.qrl.com.au

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