The Blackhawks launched out of the blocks yesterday against the Souths Logan Magpies, scoring 18 unanswered points in the first 16 minutes.
On a warm day at Davies Park, the Blackhawks lined up for only their second game down south in Round 6 of the Intrust Super Cup. It was a clinical first 40 minutes from the visitors during which the home side barely troubled the Blackhawks defensive line.
Souths launched a valiant fightback in the second half when both centres crossed for tries four minutes apart in the opening of the second stanza before scoring two more tries towards the end of the game. The Blackhawks first half lead and late points in the second half proved too much of a hurdle for the Magpies and the Blackhawks took out the match 46-20.
There were a few green shirts visible in the crowd as fullback Jahrome Hughes slipped through a hole in Souths line to score the first points of the game. It took only five minutes for the next try to come, this time to a hard running Neville Costigan who showed surprising speed and footwork on his way to the line.
The home side didn’t appear to have an answer to containing the relentless roll of the Blackhawks forwards and Souths defensive line was again broken at the 16th minute mark when Rob Lui slipped over near the posts to score a cheeky try, much to the delight of this teammates.
Possession began to even out towards the end of the half as Souths started to see more of the ball, but the Blackhawks defence proved too solid and the Magpies were unable to convert their opportunities.
Blackhawks halfback Michael Parker-Walshe put back rower and the competition’s leading try scorer Rhyse Martin through a gap to score just before the 30th minute. Kyle Feldt followed this effort by leaping high in the next set to pluck a Rob Lui kick out the air and delivered it to Glenn Hall who scored out wide. Finally Parker-Walshe rounded out the half by slipping through Souths line to score his own try taking the score to 34-0 at the break.
Momentum in the second half was certainly on Souths side as they scored two quick-fire tries through Dallas Anderson and Tim Brooks. The Blackhawks then hit back through speedster Jonathon Reuben who appears to only be able to score tries in twos or threes. This week proved no different as Reuben backed up his first try with another just four minutes later after some nice lead-up work from Parker-Walshe.
The Blackhawks appeared to lose focus at times in the second half which allowed Souths continue to chip away at the deficit with tries to Anderson and Herschel Gideon late in the half reducing the deficit to 22 points with 10 minutes left to play.
The final points of the game came from an unlikely source with hardworking interchange forward Lorenzo Ma’afu bursting through the defence before running 40m and beating several defenders to score an impressive final try.
Complacency didn’t hurt the visitors as much as it could have due to their significant first half lead but coach Kristian Woolf wasn’t pleased with his side’s drop in intensity.
“It was always going to be a game that presented some challenges for us with Souths coming off a big loss and wanting to rebound,” he said.
“I was very happy with the way we approached the game and applied pressure in the first half.
“Although disappointed with our drop in attitude and intensity in the second half, I’m positive that it won’t be an issue leading into a very tough encounter against Redcliffe at Dolphin Oval.”
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS 46 (Jonathan Reuben 2, Jahrome Hughes, Robert Lui, Michael Parker-Walshe, Glenn Hall, Rhyse Martin, Neville Costigan, Lorenzo Ma’afu tries; Kyle Feldt 4, Robert Lui goals) def SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES 20 (Dallas Anderson 2, Tim Brooks, Herschel Gideon tries; Jack Joass 2 goals) at Davies Park
Final teams:
Souths Logan Magpies: 1. Dylan Taikato-Simpson 2. Samisoni Vaioleti 3. Dallas Anderson 4. Tim Brooks 5. Matt Trnka 6. Josh Damen 7. Phil Dennis (c) 8. Sam Gardel 9. Jack Joass 11. Scott Doyle 12. Andrew Edwards 13. Daniel Tamou 14. Herschel Gideon 15. Joe Boyce 16. Simanu Crichton 17. Aotealofa Tuimavave 18. Graham Levu
Townsville Blackhawks: 1. Jahrome Hughes2. Zac Santo 3. Tom Humble 18. Mosese Pangai 5. Kyle Feldt 6. Robert Lui 7. Michael Parker-Walshe 8. Ricky Thorby 9. Ray Thompson 10. Daniel Beasley (c) 11. Glenn Hall 12. Rhyse Martin 13. Neville Costigan 14. Anthony Mitchell 15. Lorenzo Ma'afu 16. Noel Underwood 20. Jonathan Rueben
