The Gatton Hawks juggernaut continued their march towards the Madsen-Rasmussen trophy mid-season final when they overwhelmed the Oakey Bears 49-28 on Sunday May 17, keeping their unbeaten record in 2015 intact.
Hawks teenage flyer Billy Jackwitz continued his purple patch of form blazing across his home turf at Cahill Park, adding three tries to his season total while Central Division Crows team mate Nick Boney pocketed a double.
Gatton’s forward pack are stamping their authority on the ‘Hutchies Cup’ TRL premiership as they dominate up front, with halves Callum Woolacott and Jeff Nielsen igniting a classy set of backs.
While the Hawks are steady at the top of the ladder, the Highfields Eagles came home with a wet sail in the second half of their clash with the Pittsworth Danes to win 40-18.
The initial forty minutes resulted in Highfields leading 10-8 on the scoreboard.
The Eagles touched down for five tries in the final stanza, Terry Elara and Nick Bainbridge adding two each.
Both Highfields and Pittsworth sit in equal second place on the ‘Hutchies Cup’ ladder, the Eagles emerging winners, now a win behind competition leaders Gatton.
The Warwick Cowboys breezed into top five on the back of 40-16 success over the Dalby Diehards after both sides were locked at 6-6 at halftime.
In front of local rugby league royalty in Brisbane Broncos legendary coach Wayne Bennett, the Matt Gainey coached Cowboys racked up an impressive 34 second half points to bowl the Diehards out of fifth place. Talented lock forward Tyson Skyring was named Man of the Match, collecting the TRL ‘Hutchies Mug’ as the player of the round.
Bennett and former Queensland representative winger Paul Coote were among nineteen members of the former Collegians Rugby League Club’s Under 18 premiership winning sides of 1965 and 1966 who were celebrating a reunion at Father Ranger Oval.
Desperate for their first win of the season, Souths Tigers players and supporters were on the edge of their seats at Clive Berghofer Stadium with the scoreboard showing the combatant teams locked at 10-10.
Some solid Valleys Roosters defence and a lone try saw the Tigers denied and Valleys advance to sit one premiership point shy of the top five.
The annual Souths verses Valleys ‘Old Boys’ game was an exciting curtain raiser to the A Grade clash with Souths’ past heroes running out 14-4 winners.
Defending premiers Wattles Warriors shook off the demons of last weeks barrelling by the Oakey Bears to wallop the Goondiwindi Boars at Clifton’s Platz Oval 52-22 on Saturday evening.
The Warriors returned to the winner’s circle, stacking on ten tries to four, seven accounted for by Wattles slick backs. Fullback and Toowoomba representative Corey Blades scoring a double.
The Warriors took a fifteen minute breather early in the second half and the Boars pounced, finding room up the right side and running in three tries to trail 36-22 at the sixty minute mark.
As part of the Warriors 50th Year celebrations the evening included the cutting of an anniversary cake at halftime in the A Grade match. This was done by members of the Wattles 1970s playing fraternity including home-grown Australian representative Greg Platz and former Queensland player John Cowley.
In Berghofer Cup, Second Division leaders the Millmerran Rams were too slick for Goondiwindi winning 50-12 with another off-the-scale performance. The Rams statisticians are working overtime to keep up with the club records of late, another nine tries scored at Clifton’s Platz Oval. They have now accumulated 178 points in just three games, conceding just sixteen points.
Hutchinson Builders’ A Grade Premiership Ladder (after Round 8)
Gatton 14, Highfields 12, Wattles 10, Pittsworth 10, Warwick 8, Valleys 7, Dalby 7, Oakey 4, Goondiwindi 4, Brothers 3, Souths 1.
