Round 9
Tweed Heads 16 l. Souths Logan Magpies 18

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

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

Nail-Biter At Davies Sees Seagulls Triumph
Sun May 13, 2007
Source: www.qrl.com.au

Tweed Heads has ended Souths Logan's winning form, but only after being made to work for the points as the Seagulls survived a tough 18-16 encounter with the Magpies at Davies Park.

Continuing a history of close matched between the two clubs, the Seagulls and Magpies were tied 10-all at halftime, with the three-tries-apiece contest decided by the sharp-shooting boot of Brad Davis.

Tweed twice had to fend off the resilient Magpies, who first came from 10-0 behind and then 18-10 in arrears. Back in hot try-scoring form, Tyrone Coppedge notched a four-pointer at the death for Souths Logan to heighten the tense affair.

Seagulls coach Troy McCarthy was left biting his nails until the Magpies turned over the ball in the closing seconds, effectively ending the threat.

"We knew coming here that it was going to be an unpredictable type of game," McCarthy said.

"They're the type of side that's never beaten. I thought we were pretty comfortable leaders at some stages there, but it shows you if you drop off, Souths will find a way to claw back.

"The Magpies like to win pretty and the way to play a side like that is to get to the advantage line, finish your sets with a good kick and turn it into an arm wrestle. It was probably more of a contest than I wanted in the end."

The win was Tweed Heads' first in over a month, but followed an encouraging draw the week before against the Aspley Broncos. Now just three points out of the top five, the Seagulls look like the team with the most improvement left in them heading towards the halfway point of the season.

"I think in patches we're definitely a great team," said McCarthy.

"Consistency-wise we're not there yet though. We're probably performing at the level our position indicated on the ladder right now.

"I believe we are two or three games away from playing the type of football I know we're capable of. Our goal is to improve each game in the fundamentals and our ball control.

"We haven't taken a backward step since the season started, but we've still got a little way to go."

McCarthy nominated Roy Friend and Selasi Berdie as his team's best, with Berdie scoring the first two tries of the game and both forwards muscling up in defence. For Souths Logan Coppedge scored his third try in two games, the Willagee flyer returning from a stint in FOGS Cup to refind the type of form that had him among the leading Wizard Cup try scorers in 2006.

Next week Tweed will be without Chris Sandow (QLD Under 19 duty) when it takes on arch rival Burleigh at 2pm Saturday at Pizzey Park. Souths Logan hosts Wynnum Manly in the only Sunday game of Round 10, 3pm at Davies Park.

TWEED HEADS 18 (Selasi Berdie 2, James Wood tries; Brad Davis 3 goals) d SOUTHS LOGAN 16 (Tyrone Coppedge 2, Darren Glase tries; Paul Rolls 2 goals) at Davies Park.

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