Round 11
Tweed Heads 18 d. Easts Tigers 12

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

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

Barnes two tries leads Tweed to victory
Mon May 28, 2007
Source: www.qrl.com.au

TWEED Heads and Easts look set to go neck-and-neck just as they did in 2006, after the Seagulls toppled the Tigers 18-12 at Carrara on Saturday to further press their claims for the top five.

Despite Tweed leading 10-0 at halftime in the curtain-raiser to the Gold Coast v South Sydney NRL match, the clash between the two combatants unsurprisingly went down to the wire.

Last season the Seagulls beat the Tigers 26-24 and 24-16 in the fixture rounds, only to fall 12-4 in heartbreaking fashion in the elimination semi final.

The latest installment to the sequence of thrillers featured two tries to prolific flyer Nathanael Barnes, including the most decisive play of the match.

With Easts on the attack just before halftime, Barnes latched onto an intercept and raced the length of the field, last year's top try-scorer making it a 12-point turnaround for the luckless Tigers.

Barnes' try came with Mark Cantoni in the sin bin for a professional foul, as did David Myles' opening four-pointer in the 31st minute from a scrum move.

The sudden flurry of points followed a scoreless first half-hour where both teams struggled to execute with precision.

When Cantoni returned to the contest he had a sudden impact, crossing for Easts' first try of the day in the 42nd minute.

Now less than a converted try behind, the Tigers fought tooth and nail to keep their line intact and press for an opportunity at the other end of the paddock.

Yet after almost 20 minutes of resilience Easts opened up once more, with Barnes streaking over for his second try of the game.

Progressing his Wizard Cup record to 64 tries in just 78 appearances, Barnes inched closer to the competition's all-time top 10 try-scorers.

Easts was not about to roll over and concede defeat however, with the Tigers fighting back in the 68th minute via a converted try to club debutant Luke Capewell.

After playing five-eighth for Queensland Under 19 on the undercard to State of Origin I, Capewell helped take the score to a precarious 16-12.

While supporters from both sides cheered for a try to win the game, the hard-fought final 10 minutes saw the result sealed by a penalty goal to Brad Davis in the 76th minute.

Tweed is now unbeaten in the last month, while Easts has just one win in the past five weeks. The result has been a marked movement on the ladder for both teams.

From the cellar in the opening rounds Tweed has risen to sixth on a congested ladder, while Easts has slipped from a share of the lead to be in fourth place.

Tweed Heads tackles North in ABC match of the round next Saturday at 2pm at Bishop Park, while Easts clashes with old rival Wynnum Manly at BMD Kougari Oval at 3pm on Sunday.

TWEED HEADS 18 (Nathanael Barnes 2, David Myles try; Brad Davis 3 goals) d EASTS 12 (Mark Cantoni, Luke Capewell tries; Matt Lockyer 2 goals) at Carrara Stadium.

News sent by: www.qrl.com.au

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