Gatton 35 def Brothers 28
Gatton got their season back on track with a clever win over Brothers at Glenholme Park on Saturday night. Gatton raced to a 30-4 halftime lead after a few tries that were absolute gems. Dom Haak scored a pearler of a try, while Callum Woolacott swooped of two loose balls to score two tries in identical fashion. Brothers just did not complete their sets where in contrast the Hawks only failed to complete two sets in the whole match. The Cochrane cousins and Ricky Davies inspired a Leprechauns comeback in the second half and got back into the game at 30-22, but an inspirational try by Hawks centre Alex Ambia late in the game sealed the match.
Both coaches agreed that the first half of footy was the difference with the Hawks hanging onto the ball better than their opposition. Veteran Steve Franciscus was the man of the match for the Hawks while prop Allan Morris wasn’t far behind. Michael Witt tried everything in his bag of tricks to try and ignite his side. Ricky Davies was Brothers best, while Benny Raralevu tried hard.
Franciscus was superb when Brothers look liked getting back into the match. He slowed the game down in the latter part of the match. He also scored a wonderful from dummy half from 40m out. This win by the Hawks will give them the confidence they need going into next weekend’s clash against an undefeated Souths Tigers team.
Gatton 35 (Callum Woolacott 2, Allan Morris, Dom Haak, Steve Franciscus, Cameron Nicholls, Alex Ambia tries; Callum Woolacott 3 goals 1 field goal) def Brothers 28 (Zachery Rubb 2, Jake Head, Michael Cochrane, Steven Rach tries Michael Witt 4 goals)
Souths 30 def Dalby 28
In the closest match of the round, Souths continued their unbeaten run with another nail-biting win, this time against Dalby. Souths have played some close matches this season and were down 16-6 at halftime. Corey Blades and Aaron Hooper again starred for the Tigers, but Coach Daniel Holmes thought Luke Nolan and Karl Schemioneck were his best. Representative centre Sam Cocker injured his knee and ribs in the game. He will have tests during the week to find out the extent of the injury.
After half time, Souths scored the next 22 points and were 28-16 in front when Dalby resurged and got within two points. Dalby played well given their bench was badly affected by injury. They have now lost their past three matches by small margins. Coach Kerry Carmichael said that his side just didn’t perform at crucial stages. He said Michael Fletcher, Tom Boland and Mitchell Taylor were his best.
Souths 30 (Aaron Hooper 2, Corey Blades, Connor Pyke, Luke Nolan tries Luke Nolan 5 goals) def Dalby 28 (Tom Boland 2, Michael Fletcher, Chris Wilkes, Sam Thomasson tries Zac Morris 4 goals)
Pittsworth 52 def Oakey 16
Pittsworth fullback Jeffrey Weber was everywhere on the weekend. He turned out to be the difference in a one-sided affair against Oakey. Weber was supported by Thomas O’Sullivan and Mitchell Carpenter who scored a double in an all-round team effort.
Oakey do not travel well and were disappointing after some encouraging games in the past few weeks. Pittsworth remain on the top of the table and rightly so with their no nonsense brand of footy.
Pittsworth 52 (Mitchell Carpenter 2, Dean Twidale, Conor Derksen, Thomas O’Sullivan, James Demsey, Braydon Gibbs, Daniel York, Patrick MacDonald, Luke Hellyer tries Jake Johnston 6 goals) def Oakey 16 (Massey Collins-Wharton, Emmanuel Thornley, Ezzard Beard tries; Brendan Cubby, Jason Boney goals)
Valleys 50 def Goondiwindi 24
Valleys Roosters registered their first two premiership points on the weekend when they soundly defeated Goondiwindi in the Hutchie’s match of the round. Valleys scored nine tries to four in a dominant performance at Pillar Street. Man of the Match Ryan Stevens (pictured above) scored a double and set up a few others in a good display. A 26-0 lead at half time won it for Valleys until Goondiwindi woke up to make a game of it in the second half. Stevens was closely followed by Dexter Buchanan and Sam Marshall whilst Hnaloan Budden were also good for the Roosters.
Coach Wayne Barnett was happy to get the monkey off his back, but said his team didn’t play well. Although they played well in patches, they were a long way off where they need to be to beat the top sides.
Goondiwindi Coach Matt Galvin was also disappointed and said their first half was terrible and they just didn’t hang onto the ball. It was encouraging the second half, but it was try-for-try. Ronnie David, Adan Tribe and Timothy Tribe were their best.
Both teams will need to improve if they are to be a force in this competition.
Valleys 50 (Dylan Chown 2, Ryan Stevens 2, Sam Marshall, Jacob Croker, Dexter Buchanan, Hnaloan Budden, Mitchell Sargent tries Josh Hancock 7 goals) def Goondiwindi 24 (Timothy Tribe 2, Joshua Sullivan, Levi Wilson tries Adam Tribe 4 goals)
Warwick 50 def Wattles 28
Probably the most all-round team in the competition is Warwick and they did not disappoint when they convincingly beat Wattles on the weekend. Cowboys coach Craig Mullaly agreed it was a good team effort and said it took a while to get the better of Wattles.
Warwick led narrowly at half time 18-16 until they turned up the pressure in the second half. Wattles have been competitive all season and seem to be in matches until late lapses let them down.
Warwick’s Matt Marshall and Dylan Galloway played well whilst Wattles captain Dale Perkins showed courage by taking field after dislocating his shoulder the previous week.
Warwick 50 (Matt Marshall 2, Ryan McIvor 2, Dylan Galloway 2, Jack Breen, Mick Bloomfield, Carl Gale, Brodie Quirk tries Morgan Taylor 5 goals) def Wattles 28 (Brendan Wilson 2, James Johnson, Michael Duggan, Jarred Bradfield tries; Jason Wilmott 4 goals)
Second Division
Souths 28 Dalby 24
Gatton 46 Brothers 16
Under 18
South Burnett Blue 40 def Highfields 20
Dalby 32 def Souths 20
Valleys 18 def Goondiwindi 8
Warwick 32 def Wattles 12
Pittsworth 22 Border 6
Reserve Grade
Gatton 32 def Brothers 14
Souths 18 def Dalby 14
Warwick 46 def Wattles 8
Pittsworth 58 def Oakey 16
Valleys 28 def Goondiwindi 26
