QLD Wizard Cup Preview - Round 21

CAN anyone catch John Tamanika in the leading tryscorer race? Will the fairy godmother answer the finals dreams of Aspley and Burleigh? Which club has players recently signed by Cronulla and Canberra? Full previews for all games enclosed.

ASPLEY v IPSWICH                        *Live on ABC TV
Bishop Park, Saturday August 11, 2pm.                                                       
Referee: Justin DAVIS
THE last throw of the dice for Brisbane Broncos feeder team Aspley comes in a tough week where the side has lost several players to NRL duty. Indeed, 11 of the 18 Brisbane players named this weekend have played Wizard Cup in 2007. The task is not completely beyond Aspley however, as shown earlier this year when a depleted outfit beat Ipswich 24-18 at QLD Group Stadium. To make the finals Aspley must beat both the Jets and the Central Comets, hoping that either Ipswich, Tweed Heads or Easts loses all remaining games. Two former Ipswich boys looking to strike a blow will be Rodney Davies and Gideon Mzembe, manning the wings for the Broncos. Ipswich has lost noted defender Matt McPhee for the remainder of the season with a badly broken arm that will require surgery, but again benefits from the inclusion of Kris Kahler. This will be Ipswich’s 250^th match in the Wizard Cup.



NORTHS v EASTS                                      
Bishop Park, Sunday August 12, 3pm.
Referee: Michael WISE
NORTHS fullback Kieran Turner has been signed to the Cronulla Sharks, while centre Joel Thompson has ignored overtures from the Melbourne Storm to sign with the Canberra Raiders. A host of players from Norths could be making their last-ever appearance in the Wizard Cup, with all Storm-contracted players to move south in 2008. The Devils have the bye in the final round and will use Round 21 as their swansong. Finals contender Easts will be wary, being the team most in danger of dropping out of the top five. Norths beat Burleigh 54-36 last week, while the Tigers lost to Burleigh 42-22 a fortnight ago. Currently Easts is fifth, while Norths is ninth on the ladder. The fewest number of games won by a Norths team in a season since the Wizard Cup began is eight. The Devils have seven wins at present. Tiger John Tamanika has two weeks left to protect his lead in the competition’s tryscoring chart.



WYNNUM MANLY v SOUTHS LOGAN              *Live on BAY FM 100.3 (bayfm.org.au)
BMD Kougari Oval, Sunday August 12, 3pm
Referee: Justin EASTWOOD
FAN favourite Ron Troutman will make his 100^th appearance in Wynnum Manly colours after a prolonged wait. Troutman left the club at the end of the 2005 season on 99 games to play with Souths Logan, this weekend’s opponent. The diminutive playmaker from Goondiwindi then retired at the end of 2006, before fishing out the boots again for another stint on the bayside. He has been a major drive behind the club’s sparkling form in the FOGS Cup. Wynnum Manly will hope to build on recent upsets over NRL feeder teams Aspley and the Young Guns, while Souths Logan hopes to end a run of four straight losses. The Magpies have named Matthew Burnham, nephew of coach Jason Burnham, as well as youngster Jack Reed from sister club the Western Districts Panthers.



REDCLIFFE v CENTRAL
Dolphin Oval, Sunday August 12, 3pm
Referee: Gavin MORRIS
CENTRAL may be last on the ladder, but they can still have a massive impact on the competition. Should the Comets defeat Redcliffe, the minor premiership will automatically go to North Queensland. However if Redcliffe wins, the stage will be set for a final round head-to-head showdown between the Dolphins and Young Guns at Dairy Farmers Stadium for top spot. Depleted by injuries and NRL call-ups, Redcliffe will start with veteran Jamie Tomlinson at hooker. Not too soon, fullback Ryan Cullen returns from a broken arm to take his place. Central appears set to concede fewer points than any other last-placed team since the season extended beyond 15 games. Comets coach Steve Anderson has named captain and forwards hitman Wayne Barnett at five-eighth, with Nat Bowman at fullback.



TWEED HEADS v BURLEIGH
Piggabeen Complex, Sunday August 12, 3pm
Referee: Clayton SHARPE
THE most fierce derby in the Wizard Cup provides Burleigh with the thinnest sliver of hope for the finals. The Bears need to beat the Seagulls and then Wynnum Manly, while hoping Easts loses its remaining games and that Aspley wins a maximum of one game. As four matches are held concurrently on Sunday, Burleigh’s players will not know if their prayers are answered until fulltime. Interestingly, if the Bears can somehow execute a miracle and sneak through to the finals, their likely opponent in the first week of semis is Tweed Heads. The Seagulls are presently setting their sights higher up the ladder though and could still finish as high as second. Many of the competition’s leading tryscorers will contest this match – James Wood (14 tries), Nick Parfitt (13), Nat Barnes (13), Shannon Walker (13) and Trent Purdon (12). All of them are chasing John Tamanika of Easts, who currently has 16 tries.