The Southport Tigers have continued their impressive start to the Bycroft Cup season with a 34-0 win over the Currumbin Eagles at Owen Park.
Currumbin was valiant, especially in the first half, in the face of a mounting injury toll but the Tigers looked better and better as the game went on.
The Eagles started the game with just one man named on the bench, with players from lower grades asked to pull double duty to fill the numbers.
It didn’t get any easier for them as three Currumbin players went down injured inside the opening ten minutes.
Southport had all the possession and field position but the Eagles showed plenty of pride in their line and turned the Tigers away time and again in the early exchanges.
Eventually Tigers hooker Mick Esdale broke the deadlock in the 20th minute when he scored under the posts.
The lead was 12 when ten minutes later Tu Whakatihi crossed, but despite trailing at the break the courageous defensive effort of Currumbin was the story of the first half.
However it couldn’t last and Southport were far too good in the second stanza.
It took just three minutes for Kimi Pakipaki-Hemopo to muscle over in the corner with another try to Jesse Richardson following just five minutes later.
The Tigers got a roll and Currumbin’s discipline started to degenerate as tries to Ben O’Connor, Patrick Hunt and Tyrone Studder rounded out the win for Southport.
Elsewhere in the second round of the Coast-2-Coast Bycroft Cup Burleigh made it two from two with a 36-10 win over the Bilambil Jets at Bilambil Sports.
Tweed Heads showed that they are a team on the up with an impressive 36-18 home win over Runaway Bay while at Ned Byrne Oval the Tugun Seahawks got their first win of the season edging Cudgen 28-26.
Cudgen are now winless after two games, but their impressive performances in those two defeats will have plenty of people on notice.
BURLEIGH 36 (Tries: C. Keirnan 3, F. Veukiso, C. Perkins, Z. Mackay, Goals: D. Kerr 6 defeated BILAMBIL 10 Tries: B. Hicks, J. Armstrong Goals: T. Canning)
TWEED HEADS 36 (Tries: C. Lawton 2, C. Fleming, N. Friend, J. McDonald, T Dawney Goals: C. Fleming 5, N. Friend defeated RUNAWAY BAY 18 Tries: S. Akaloui, J. Mariner, P. Simmons Goals: C. Chapman 3)
TUGUN 28 (Tries : J. Byrnes, D. Nash, J. Sykes, B. Thomas, R. Clarke, J. Fuimaono Goals: V. Buatava 2 defeated CUDGEN 26 Tries: S. Green 2, R. Sleba, T. Johnson Goals: J. Sands 5)
SOUTHPORT 34 (Tries: B. O’Connor, Tu, Whakatihi, J. Richardson, K, Hemop, T. Studder, M Esdale, P. Hunt Goals: M. Davis 2, C. Thomas defeated CURRUMBIN 0
