Round four of the Toowoomba Rugby League saw the high flying Wattles Warriors cement their spot at the top of the competition when they defeated the Brothers Leprechauns 40-20 at Platts Oval on Sunday.
The Warriors continued their unbeaten run, in what most described as a pass mark performance.
Coach Luke Duggan, although not pleased with his side’s execution and enthusiasm will be content to bank the two points from the victory.
The replay of last year’s grand final between Valleys and Gatton looked hard to pick on paper but in reality the premiers blew their opposition off the park, especially in the second half.
The game was transferred to Valleys home ground and with this advantage most thought they could bounce back from successive losses and reverse the result of last year’s decider.
The 2013 premiers, Gatton, put to rest local supporters premature concerns for their title defence, with a convincing 32-6 rout of the opposition. The most pleasing part for new coach Tom Friend was the completion rate and execution of plays by his side.
The Hawks had nearly double the amount of ball in the second stanza, but unlike previous efforts they were able to convert this into points, mainly with good ball control and precise plays. This should send out warning bells to all other sides as the reigning premiers get back on track in season 2014.
In other matches Souths defeated a gallant Warwick Cowboys 14-6 in a lacklustre match played at Clive Berghofer stadium on Saturday night.
The local clash between Highfields and Oakey resulted in a two point victory to the Eagles 30-28 but not without some heart palpations for the local supporters.
The unpredictable Bears staged a great fight back in the second half and narrowly failed to upstage their more fancied opponents. The Dalby Diehards continued to remain a force in the top five with a 34-26 win over country cousins the Pittsworth Danes.
The Toowoomba Rugby League will have a well-earned rest over the Easter period. The Toowoomba Clydesdales A grade selectors and managers will be busy organising the schedule for players in the upcoming 47th Battalion trophy to be held in Gladstone on May 10-11.
