Round 11 in review: Mal Meninga Cup
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The six teams for the 2024 Mal Meninga Cup finals have been decided, as it all came down to the wire in Round 11.
The Tweed Seagulls finished as minor premiers and the Wynnum Manly Seagulls managed to overcome the Northern Pride to lock in their finals berth from sixth place, with the Redcliffe Dolphins, Burleigh Bears, Ipswich Jets and Mackay Cutters all also qualifying for finals.
Tweed wrapped up season 2024 undefeated, clocking up a 26-14 victory over the Brisbane Tigers in Round 11.
They finished the regular season with eight wins and one draw.
Second-placed Redcliffe meanwhile flexed their muscle with a big pre-finals statement, claiming the scalps of the Townsville Blackhawks with a 48-14 scoreline.
Tweed and Redcliffe will now enjoy a break before returning on Saturday, May 11, for the week two qualifying finals.
Elsewhere, Burleigh moved into third place to lock in a week one home elimination final with a jaw-dropping 130-0 win over the Wide Bay Bulls.
The Jets will also have a week one home elimination final after sitting out Round 11 with a bye.
Match: Magpies v Cutters
Round 11 -
home Team
Magpies
away Team
Cutters
Venue: Logan Metro Football Fields, Logan
The Jets will take on the fifth-placed Mackay Cutters, who are coming into the finals race off the back of a 20-16 loss to the Souths Logan Magpies.
And Wynnum Manly complete the six - and will play Burleigh this Saturday - after claiming a thrilling 24-14 Round 11 victory over the Northern Pride.
The two teams were on the same points heading into Round 11 and it was the Seagulls on home turf who managed to do enough to guarantee their place in the finals.
It was a gutsy performance and one that captain Harry Armstrong believes should be taken seriously by Wynnum Manly's fellow finals contenders.
While they placed sixth, Armstrong said they are not there to make up numbers and are ready to thrive on being the underdogs.
"We knew all year it was going to come down to a close finish so we had to just fight for the two points and we were lucky enough to do that today," he said.
"We are the underdog team. With a start to the comp that wasn't too flashy, we've definitely started to play some good footy in the last two months so we're definitely a team to watch out for.
"Each week we've had a few new boys in the squad so it wasn't just the 17 players who helped us make it through the whole year. We used the whole squad.
"We just have to keep it simple (moving forward), do the things that we do well and keep being disciplined and not doing silly errors.
"We have to use what we value to our best potential."
Round 11 results
Burleigh Bears 130 def Wide Bay Bulls 0
Tweed Seagulls 26 def Brisbane Tigers 14
Western Clydesdales 24 def Norths Devils 20
Central Queensland Capras 20 def Sunshine Coast Falcons 18
Souths Logan Magpies 20 def Mackay Cutters 16
Wynnum Manly Seagulls 24 def Northern Pride 14
Redcliffe Dolphins 48 def Townsville Blackhawks 14
Bye: Ipswich Jets
Mal Meninga Cup finals
Week one
Elimination final one: Burleigh Bears v Wynnum Manly Seagulls at UAA Park, Saturday, May 4 at 12.30pm
Elimination final two: Ipswich Jets v Mackay Cutters at North Ipswich Reserve, Sunday, May 5 at 12.15pm
Week two
Qualifying final one: Tweed Seagulls v lowest ranked winner at Piggabeen Sports Complex, Saturday, May 11 at 11am
Qualifying final two: Redcliffe Dolphins v highest ranked winner at Kayo Stadium, Saturday, May 11 at 2.15pm
Catch all the Round 11 replays and the finals action by subscribing to Qplus.tv.
