Round 10
Easts Tigers 26 d. Norths Devils 18

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

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

Tigers Back From The Brink
Sun May 20, 2007
Source: www.qrl.com.au

FIVE tries in the final 20 minutes has scored Easts a miraculous 26-18 win against Norths, the Tigers' first win against the Devils at Langlands Park since season 2002.

Adding to a weekend of comebacks and thrillers, Easts trailed 12-0 at halftime and 18-0 on the hour before pulling a rabbit out of a hat to move to third on the ladder.

The afternoon of drama saw Tiger debutants Tom MacGougan and Luke Archer firmly in the spotlight, having earned their stripes after consistently strong form in the FOGS Cup.

Carpenter Archer almost had a try early when he flew to take a bomb on the run, only to be cut down just short of the line. His day then took a turn for the worse as a seemingly innocuous Norths kick took a wicked bounce and the Devils raced past him to grab their second try.

The visitors arrived coming on the back of a 26-18 win against Burleigh and, despite several call-ups by the Melbourne Storm, still boasted talent the likes of Adam Blair, Garret Crossman and Sam Tagataese.

Norths' advantage on the scoreboard was magnified by a leg injury to stalwart Tigers forward Scott Sipple, who played only a handful of minutes in the contest.

When the Devils were first to score after halftime, the challenge looked insurmountable for Easts. But then newbloods MacGougan and Archer threw themselves into the fray.

With only a quarter of the game left to play MacGougan ran a good line to hit the gap, setting up Archer in the corner. Having transferred from Burleigh this season looking for opportunities, the big centre followed up with a four-pointer of his own shortly after.

The spirited end to the game seemed little more than a morale booster for Tigers fans at first. Yet when hulking forward Damian Durnford crashed over for his side's third straight try, the score was a tentative 18-16 to Norths and the momentum had visibly shifted.

South Sydney-contracted Mark Cantoni helped complete the resurrection with seven minutes left on the clock. The strapping backrower squeezed a clever offload to Man of the Match Steve Beattie, who then found Isaac Kaufmann for the try that changed the lead.

With a minute remaining Cantoni again injected himself, pouncing on the fringes for another try and adding salt to Norths' wounds.

Tainting the Tigers' celebrations somewhat, forward Anthony Boyd - a former Norths captain - was placed on report for a high tackle.

Playing his 150th Cup game, utility Matt Lockyer kicked three goals for Easts.

Next Saturday Easts travels to Carrara Stadium to face Tweed Heads at 5.15pm. Norths has a guaranteed two points in Round 11, set to draw the bye.

EASTS 26 (Mark Cantoni, Tom MacGougan, Luke Archer, Damian Durnford, Isaac Kaufmann tries; Matt Lockyer 3 goals) d NORTHS 18 (Kieran Turner, Georg Kepa, Joel Thompson tries; Liam Foran 3 goals) at Langlands Park.

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