Easts Tigers v Tweed Heads

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

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

Tweed Heads 26 def Easts 16
Sun August 19, 2007
Source: www.qrl.com.au

The match-winning pace and street smarts of Shannon Walker were again in the spotlight as Tweed Heads clinched third spot in the Wizard Cup with a 26-16 win over Easts at Langlands Park.

The result means next Saturday's elimination final will be contested between Ipswich and Easts at QLD Group Stadium, kicking off at 2pm.

To clinch the match Tweed had to come from 16-0 behind, with Walker showing amazing speed in scoring the game-turning try in the 65th minute. More importantly however the diminutive fullback produced two crucial plays in defence, denying Wade Liddell and Steve Beattie scoring opportunities with eye-catching cover tackles.

Then at the death, with Easts attacking Tweed's line and the margin just 20-16, the Palm Beach Currumbin graduate performed an audacious strip to steal possession. To rub salt into the wound, the Seagulls scored a 90m try on the final play of the game, right winger Nat Barnes roaming across field before linking with left centre James Wood.

Easts had earlier pulled a selection surprise, omitting five-eighth Wallace Solomona and running with seven forwards to start the game. But the tactic did not initially stifle the Tigers' attacking edge and they posted three tries in just 21 minutes.

The scoring opened rather fortuitously when half Justin McKay caught a rebound from his own kick, spun and planted the ball.

Four minutes later captain Trent Young sliced through bizarrely straight from a tap, motioning to the referee and then taking off when the Tweed defence held back. From there the ball went wide to John Tamanika and the Otahuhu junior collected his 17th try of the season to make it 10-0.

But there was more than luck to the quickfire opening, confirmed when Young sent Mark Cantoni over for the club's third straight try. Tweed's defence looked uncharacteristically brittle at that point in time, perhaps excused through the sheer volume of their workload. The Seagulls had completed 15 sets in defence to Easts' four at one stage.

The deficit could have been even greater had Walker not executed a terrific chase and tackle on Liddell, who intercepted the ball and ran 80m for what looked like a certain try. Coming from the clouds, giving a 20m headstart and the angle, Walker took the Scottish international by the scruff of the neck and flung him to the turf 10m short of the line.

By halftime Tweed had made 161 tackles to 87, but they at least broke their duck on the scoreboard; replacement Daniel Evans pouncing on a kick by David Myles in the 32nd minute.

Myles had arguably his most notable game for the Seagulls and featured prominently in their second-half comeback, as did his outside man Barnes. After backrower Selasi Berdie posted the first try of the second half with an 'in-and-away' to make it 16-10, Myles followed up by soaring onto a Brad Davis cross-field kick to put the Seagulls within two. Minutes later the NRL journeyman was in again, though this time the try was disallowed after Barnes was found to have batted the ball from outside the field of play.

It was left for Walker to post the try that finally put his side ahead, again turning on the afterburners to electrify the crowd. From the base of a scrum 70m out, half Tim Maccan kicked over the top. Walker sliced through like lightning, leaving Tamanika looking almost pedestrian. He grubbered the ball again off the ground again, diving on it jubilantly in the in-goal.

Though there was 15 minutes left in the game, Tweed never looked like being headed from that point on. While Easts is now headed for sudden death against Ipswich, Tweed Heads will meet Redcliffe in the qualifying final at Dolphin Oval on Sunday.

TWEED HEADS 26 (Selasi Berdie, Shannon Walker, David Myles, James Wood, Daniel Evans tries; Brad Davis 3 goals) d EASTS 16 (John Tamanika, Mark Cantoni, Justin McKay tries; Matt Lockyer 2 goals) at Langlands Park.

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