Round 10
Burleigh Bears 38 l. Tweed Heads 44

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

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

Wrighty Says Tweed Are 'Contenders'
Sun May 20, 2007
Source: www.qrl.com.au

A 36-point opening half has set Tweed Heads up for a thrilling 44-38 win against Burleigh in yet another heated Gold Coast derby at Pizzey Park.

Leaving former Australian forward and ABC commentator David Wright to label them "contenders", the Seagulls raced in six tries before the break to shatter the renowned Burleigh defence.

Troy McCarthy's men had such control over the first 40 minutes that they executed just 51 tackles, while the Bears completed a meager six sets in possession.

When Tweed was first to score in the second half and the score jumped to 40-16, it looked like a record beating was on the cards. Yet in keeping with the spirit of the fierce coastal rivalry, Burleigh fought to the end and almost snatched an unlikely draw.

The Seagulls survived a few nervous moments before the fulltime siren finally sounded, forced to kick off to the Bears with 13 seconds left on the clock.

Whether it was tries, big hits or dust-ups, the action came thick and fast from start to finish.

Burleigh started without stalwarts Adam Hayden (broken hand) and Shane O'Flanagan (torn hamstring), but skipper Ryan Gundry let his team's intentions be known, collaring rival captain Andrew Moroney less than two minutes into the contest.

A sense of edginess and aggravation was evident from the body language of all players and it was unsurprising when a scuffle between Matt King and John Flint brought all-comers from across the park.

By that stage Tweed led 10-0 and it seemed certain Burleigh, for the second week in a row, would suffer through poor discipline, conceding penalties and failing to hold the ball.

When dummy-half King scored his second try for the Seagulls just before halftime, Bears halfback Ben Black even saw fit to berate his teammates.

Mind you it could be argued Black had good cause, playing Robinson Crusoe in attack at times and growing frustrated at flimsy defence on the try line.

Thankfully for spectators and coach Jimmy Lenihan's heart, the Bears emerged from the sheds a different side for the second half. Though Tweed posted a fantastic try to James Wood almost straight away, from there on it was a more than even contest.

The game-breaking play came 12 minutes from fulltime, after Burleigh had scored back-to-back tries to close to 40-26 behind. Bears winger Trent Purdon flashed away for what looked like a length-of-the-field try, but as the cover converged he threw an intercept pass back inside.

Burleigh scored twice again afterwards, but not until it was too late to alter the result.

Only one point now separates the fifth-placed Bears from seventh-placed Tweed. Next Saturday Tweed Heads hosts Easts at Carrara Stadium at 5.15pm. On Sunday Burleigh travels away to BMD Kougari Oval to face Wynnum Manly at 3pm.

TWEED HEADS 44 (James Wood 2, Matthew King 2, Shannon Walker, Nathanael Barnes, Josh Vaughan,Selasi Berdie tries; Brad Davis 6 goals) d BURLEIGH 38 (Alex Glenn 2, Nick Parfitt, Trent Purdon, Liam Capewell, Ben Black, Ryan Gundry tries; Nick Parfitt 5 goals) at Pizzey Park.

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