ISIS Devils used their home ground to full advantage, finally turning up the heat at "The Furnace" at Childers Showgrounds to end a three-game losing streak in the Bundaberg Broadcasters A Grade Premiership with a 52-12 drubbing of co-cellar dwellers Waves Tigers in their round 15 showdown last Saturday night.
At Salter Oval last Sunday, Hervey Bay Seagulls maintained their iron grip on second position with a hard-fought 34-22 victory at the expense of Maryborough's Wallaroos, before Past Brothers powered on at the head of affairs with a 58-4 thrashing of joint-last seed Easts Magpies.
The Devils were still without their rampaging lock Jake Thompson, but they regained a bit of lost confidence against a brave but outclassed Tigers with barnstorming captain and front rower Peter Grant leading the charge and every other player following.
Also ultra-consistent Lock Robert O'Donnell featured strongly with 24 points from two tries and eight conversions in a signature performance, while fullback Zac Dann also chipped in with a double.
Other scorers included flashy centre Faavesi Lilo, emerging young winger Jacon Klaasen, who marked his selection in the Bundaberg team for the Central Division Under 20 Carnival in Yeppoon this weekend and workaholic dynamo hooker Tim Cole and prop Peter Sipple.
By the win, Isis moved two points in front of fifth placed Wallaroos and they are now just two behind champions of the past two seasons, Wests Panthers, who had the bye, but the Devils will have to still improve greatly when they come up against the Seagulls at Salter Oval this Saturday night.
The Seagulls were forced to dig deep to maintain their winning streak last Sunday after having led 20-4 at the break and despite Roos playing with 11 men for eight minutes after having second rower Ashley Rainbow sin binned on the stroke of half-time and centre Josh Pope joining him two minutes after the restart.
Bay captain/coach Tye Ingebrigtsen missed out on points on a rare occasion, but it was business as usual for red-hot wing flyer Billy Stefaniuk with two tries, while former long-serving Wallaroos champion and Brothers premiership winning veteran forward Brad Jung, who has missed a big chunk of this season with his new club, picked up his first try in Seagulls' colours.
Roos captain courageous second rower Mark Berkery also crossed twice as Roos out pointed their Fraser Coast counterparts in the second stanza, but they too will need something special if they are to halt the Past Brothers juggernaut when they host them at Stafford Park this Saturday night.
Brothers led Easts 24-4 at oranges and never relented even in the absence of their champion hooker and playmaker Brent Kuskey.
Three players chalked up two tries each, Kuskey's elder brother Aaron at five-eighth, centre Matt Martin, the Bundaberg representative soccer captain and captain of the all-conquering Across The Waves team in that code in his A Grade debut after just two games in Reserves, and non-stop team veteran lock Bryce Holdsworth.
Prolific point scoring fullback Jake Carl had another field day with 22 with one try and nine goals. Winger Danyon Lister scored a consolation try for Easts, backing up from a morale boosting 42-10 win over Hervey Bay in under-18.
In the women's division, Gladstone guns Wallabies maintained a share of the lead at the top of the table with star fullback Chelsea Baker bagging a hat-trick and kicking two goals in a 20-0 shut-out of Easts.
Results:
Isis 52 (Zac Dann 2, Robert O'Donnell 2, Faavesi Lilo, Jacob Klaasen, Tim Cole, Peter Sipple, Jack Rowan tries; Robert O'Donnell 8 goals) d Waves 12 (Patrick Robinson, Joel Tanna tries; Dan McLennan 2 goals).
Hervey Bay 34 (Billy Stefaniuk 2, Brock Eldridge, Alex Braun, Brad Jung, Chris Ford tries; Joel Denduck 5 goals) d Wallaroos 22 (Mark Berkery 2, Damien OTTO, Kane Rowleson, Mark Saltner tries; Kieth Gadd goal).
Brothers 58 (Matthew Martin 2, Aaron Kuskey 2, Bryce Holdsworth 2, Jake Carl, Mat Templeman, Vahiti Hopoi, Nathan Webster tries; Carl 9 goals) d Easts 4 (Danyon Lister try).
The BRL Under 20 Rep team to play in the Central Division Under 20 Carnival at Yeppoon this weekend:
1 Baidon Cooper – Easts
2 Connor Jones - Waves Tigers
3 Trent Seeds - Wests
4 Jayden Alberts - Brothers
5 John Akers - Brothers
6 Taylor Barritt - Isis (c)
7 Daniel McLennan - Waves Tigers
8 Ross Larsen - Easts
9 Jackson Paulson - Waves Tigers
10 Lachlan Jones - Waves Tigers
11 Tyrone Ward - Easts
12 Alusa Nasio – Isis
13 Jacob Klassen - Isis
14 Jacob O'Shea - Waves Tigers
15 Zac Blanke - M'Boro Brothers
16 Warwick Fay - Isis
17 Samuel McKey - Hervey Bay
18 Joe Byrne - Wallaroos
19 Ben Schader - Easts
Coach: Warren Hess
