It was always going to take time, but coach Glen Dreger says his Sunshine Coast Falcons are finally starting to click following yesterday's 26-18 win over Souths Logan.
The Falcons were expected to be the Intrust Super Cup's big improvers this year after signing a three-year feeder deal with the Melbourne Storm, gifting them NRL players for the first time since 2010.
They collected the wooden spoon from 2013-14 due largely to their lack of access to NRL players as the only team in the competition without a feeder arrangement, and recorded just one win last year to end a 36-game losing streak.
So to have garnered six wins this season is a massive improvement and with four games remaining, Dreger is hoping his troops can notch up a few more victories starting with next Sunday's TV match against the Capras at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
"It is getting there for us and those combinations are coming together," he said.
"That is hard to do when you have six or seven (Melbourne) guys coming back every week, but that is not an excuse.
"We have a few games remaining now and we haven't notched up three wins in a row for a long time, so hopefully we can do that.
“I think this was the first time the club has actually won down here (at Souths).”
Souths started the game well and took an early six-point lead before the Falcons hit back through tries to Melbourne's Kurt Mann and Nelson Asofa-Solomona. Solomona provided a boost for the side as a late inclusion.
The 115kg-200cm man-mountain was originally selected in the Melbourne team that lost 34-16 to the Tigers on Friday night before dropping off the bench to make way for Mahe Fonua.
Dreger said Mann was particularly good for his team.
“Kurt played really well today and so was Billy Britain as well," he said.
“The whole backline was good, but I thought the forwards weren't as good as they had been
“I reckon I grew an extra 10 grey hairs today.
“It was a scrappy win but we stuck together and got the points which is the most important thing.”
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS 26 (Kurt Mann 2, Young Tonumaipea, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Johnny Vuetibau tries; David Oakes 3 goals) def SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES 18 (Daniel Tamou, Aotealofa Tuimavave, Sam Gardel tries; Scott Doyle 3 goals) at Davies Park.
Final Teams:
Souths Logan Magpies:
1. Jack Joass 2. Ihaka Watene 3. David Faamita 4. Scott Doyle 5. Dan Russell 6. Ben Thorburn 7. Rhys Jacks 8. Tikiko Noke 9. Travis Waddell 10. Andrew Edwards 11. Joe Boyce 12. Daniel Tamou 13. Phil Dennis (c) 18. Aotealofa Tuimavave 15. Ken Levu 16. Sam Gardel 17. Leon Panapa
Sunshine Coast Falcons:
1. Travis Robinson 2. Rowan Klein 3. Hymel Hunt 4. Young Tonumaipea 5. Suliasi Vunivalu 6. Kurt Mann 7. David Oakes 20. Jon Platt 9. Billy Brittain 10. Ryan Hansen 11. Paul Ivan 12. Jacob Samoa 13. Tom Murphy (c) 18. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 15. Johnny Vuetibau 16. Mboya Adams 14. Jye Ballinger
