ROUND 10 PREVIEW - INDIGENOUS APPRECIATION ROUND
Townsville Blackhawks v CQ Capras
Jack Manski Oval on Saturday, May 14 - 4pm
Referee: Tyson Brough
Head-to-Head: Townsville 2 Central 0
Twitter: #intrustsupercup #TVSBvCQC
The CQ Capras are heading to Townsville armed with a positive attitude and according to coach Kim Williams – are ready to spring an upset against the ladder leaders. The Blackhawks are coming off an exciting 28-28 Round 9 draw with Burleigh and will be keen to get back on the front foot with a victory against the visitors – who – although have improved markedly this season – were disappointing in their last loss to Tweed Heads. Despite not being named initially – reports are that Ray Thompson will make his long-awaited return from an ankle injury for Townsville and the timing could not be better, with interchange forward Willie Minoga expected to be out for a few weeks with a knee injury sustained in last weekend’s Pacific Test which saw the Kumuls claim a thrilling victory over Fiji. Lorenzo Ma’afu will take his place on the bench after serving a three-week suspension. As part of the Indigenous Appreciation Round celebrations, there will be Welcome to Country Ceremony with representatives from the Bindal and Wulgurukaba people held prior to the match. Following the game, fans will get the chance to bid on the Blackhawks playing jerseys worn in the game. These special edition Indigenous jerseys have been designed by Emu Sportswear and will be individually signed. Find out how you can bid at the Townsville Blackhawks website.
Head to QRL Live for the full scoring details of all Round 10 games this weekend
Ipswich Jets v Burleigh Bears
North Ipswich Reserve on Saturday, May 14 – 4.15pm
Referee: Liam Kennedy
Head-to-Head: Burleigh 20 Ipswich 14 Drawn 2
Twitter: #intrustsupercup #JETSvBEARS
Burleigh come to town this weekend with an impressive recent record against the Jets, having won the past three games; two of those have been at their home ground. This season, the Bears found success plying their brand of football where they run their big forwards at the opposition and have proven dangerous close to the line. However, it is their halves that have been the major driver of their good form with Cameron Cullen and Jamal Fogarty directing traffic. Fogarty has been a stand out for the Bears with 94 points this year, scoring seven tries so far this season. He is the Intrust Super Cup’s current leading points scorer and will celebrate his 50th Cup game (having previously played for Tweed Heads). For this game, the Jets will welcome back 110 gamer Sam Martin which will improve a lot of the Jets’ attack and defence. The Jets are about to start a three-game stretch at home; which is a boost for a side that’s lacking confidence – however, they will want to kick-start this period with a win as they next host the unpredictable Tigers and the in-form Hunters. The Jets are hosting a Ladies in League function in conjunction with this weekend’ Indigenous Appreciation Round and will honour and pay tribute to the contribution of Aboriginal women to Ipswich Rugby League. The club have been saddened by the recent passing Leeann Hogarth, who was a passionate Jets fan and a tireless contributor to Ipswich rugby league in particular the Karalee Tornadoes.
– with Michael Nunn
Northern Pride v Redcliffe Dolphins
Barlow Park on Sunday, May 15 – 1.40pm* (Live on Channel 9)
Referee: Chris Anderson
Assistant Referee: Nick Pelgrave
Head-to-Head: Pride 14 Redcliffe 2
Twitter: #intrustsupercup #PRIDEvPHINS
Redcliffe's win in Round 23 in Innisfail last year was their first over the Pride since 2008 – which surprisingly was their only other win given the sides have met a total of 16 times. Both sides have set high expectations for themselves this season and will be disappointed with some of their results so far – with the Pride being outperformed 34-6 by Wynnum Manly side on the rise last weekend. That loss was their second biggest ever loss at Barlow Park and their first at the venue in nine games. The still on the road due to the ongoing redevelopment of their home ground – the Dolphins will take to Barlow Park confident they can turn their fortunes around against their northern opponents in this week’s televised match, with coach Adam Mogg telling local media that his squad had gone up a notch at training in preparation for the Cairns humidity. However, they will be boarding the plane without representative centre Aaron Whitchurch who has been ruled out with a knee injury suffered while playing for the XXXX Queensland Residents last weekend. Jack Ahearn has named in his place. Another Residents representative Jack Svendsen (who earned the Coach’s Award for his efforts in camp and during the game), will lace on the boots for his 50th game for the Pride. Both clubs will wear special Indigenous jerseys for this game.
Tweed Heads Seagulls v Sunshine Coast Falcons
Piggabeen Sports on Sunday, May 15 – 2pm
Referee: Michael Gordon
Head-to-Head: Tweed 10 Sunshine Coast 4
Twitter: #intrustsupercup #THSvMC
The Sunshine Coast will be aiming for their 50th win when they head down the road to Piggabeen this Sunday and they will come with plenty of optimism with a good Round 9 win and impressive team line-up packed ready to go. New Storm recruit Ryan Morgan will line up in the centres for the Falcons, while Junior Kangaroos representative Curtis Scott was originally named to fill the number 4 jersey – but was reportedly injured in training late today. The side will in fact have a number of players returning from rep duty last weekend with half Ryley Jacks (Queensland Residents 18th Man), Nafe Seluini (Tonga) and Tui Kamikamica (Fiji) all named to play. Home side the Seagulls are also coming into this game with winning momentum – putting on a show against the Capras in their last game to record a 38-4 victory. Young Titan John Olive’s training mishap in Junior Kangaroos training where he fractured his collarbone has seen coach Aaron Zimmerle move Matt Hundy from the bench to replace him at centre, while other team changes include the return to Karl Lawton and Ryan Simpkins to the line-up. While Tweed Heads have the superior record, the Falcons won both games played between these two sides last year.
*XXXX Rivalry Match of the Round
Norths Devils v Souths Logan Magpies
Bishop Park on Sunday, May 15 – 3pm
Referee: Peter Gough
Head-to-Head: Norths 23 Souths Logan 15 Drawn 1
Twitter: #intrustsupercup #DEVILSvSLM
The Devils will face off against cross-town rivals Souths without one of their key performers this season, with forward Jai Arrow earning a highly-deserved NRL debut with the Brisbane Broncos. A standout performer in a losing side for the XXXX Queensland Residents last week, his workload will be sorely missed – but it does give Norths coach Mark Gliddon the chance to give another young player at his club a taste of Cup football. Another young forward in Brett Greinke will also be missing for the Devils this week, having signed with the Rabbitohs in an effort to pursue his NRL dream. The Devils and Magpies are both coming into this game following Round 9 losses, however, Souths loss to Easts was a much closer affair and the team would be frustrated for having let the chance to record their fourth win of the season slip away thanks to a poor second half showing. The visitors will be looking to maintain their recent record against Norths which has seen them win three of their past four games (with the fourth result being a draw). In a positional shuffle, skipper Phil Dennis moves to five-eighth from lock, while centre Scott Doyle and lock Joe Boyce’s return to the line-up will boost the team.
**Bishop Park will also be hosting the National Finals for the Under 18 and Under 16 titles earlier in the day with the Townsville Stingers gunning for twin titles against Penrith and Parramatta. Full match details including kick-off times and livestream details can be found here: National Junior Finals team lists
Wynnum Manly Seagulls v Mackay Cutters
BMD Kougari Oval on Sunday, May 15 – 3pm
Referee: Tim Rutherford
Head-to-Head: Wynnum 8 Mackay 8
Twitter: #intrustsupercup #WYNvSLM
Live Stream: Seagulls TV
After weeks of effort – the Cutters got their first win under their belt in Round 9, defeating the Ipswich Jets with a Liam Taylor penalty goal handing them a drought-breaking win. The Seagulls were only just recently in a similar predicament having started their season with a 6-0 record; however, they have now won two games in succession and will be fighting hard in front of their home fames to make that three. While both sides are sitting with eight wins apiece in the head-to-head records, Mackay have the better of the recent records with Wynnum's win in Mackay last season their first in five games against the Cutters. For this game, Taylor returns to his favoured position of fullback for the Cutters with Mick Pearsall slotting onto the wing. Jacob Pottinger is another new face in the side, called into the side after some good local league form. The Seagulls have big day planned to help celebrate the Indigenous Appreciation Round and will specifically be recognising and acknowledging the Quandamooka People. The team will wear Special Indigenous Jersey sponsored by Deadly Choices and Yulu-Burri-Ba. There will be Traditional Dancers, a Welcome to Country, a number of Health and Awareness Stalls, Deadly Choices merchandise giveaways.
Easts Tigers – Bye
PNG Hunters – Bye
*Each week, the XXXX Rivalry Match of the Round will highlight a match that showcases a traditional rugby league rivalry. The storied histories of club battles, local derbies and bitter grand final combatants will take centre stage in this new promotion by XXXX that helps celebrate the heritage of the “greatest game of all”.
Statistics by Brad Tallon