Tigers keen to stop slide

Author: By Dion Haddad
Timestamp: Fri 8 Jul 2016, 12:01 PM

Round 8 of The Gold Coast–Tweed Gen Z Employment Cup, which was washed out, will be played this weekend, July 9-10.

Ormeau Shearers v Southport Tigers

The match of the round will see the Ormeau Shearers play the Southport Tigers at Brien Harris Oval on Sunday. Suffering two losses in a row, the Tigers will be eager to rebuild their confidence. Heading towards the pointy end of the competition, every game counts for Southport to maintain a top-five position on the ladder. The Tigers are working towards creating opportunities and completing sets. Defeated by the Burleigh Bears, the Ormeau Shearers are regrouping. Not completely playing their best football of the season, the Shearers have been training to re-establish their consistency on the field. Still losing players from injury with no returns, the Shearers will be relying heavily on the support from the Reserve-Grade team.

Bilambil Jets v Currumbin Eagles

The Bilambil Jets and Currumbin Eagles will come together to play for the Curtis Finn Shield. As Bilambil and Currumbin battle terrible losses, they will be eager to start strong as their last encounter was only separated by four points. Keeping the Tweed Heads Seagulls out for the majority of the first half, the Jets will be feeling positive leading into this week’s match-up. The Jets will see the return of Jackson Springer and Shannon Murphy, which will bring the squad back to full strength. Coach Troy McClean said: “This week will be interesting as we will both be fighting to stay out of the bottom of the ladder.” Captain and hardworking forward Mitch Spackman will be a player for Currumbin to keep an eye on. On equal points with the Jets on the ladder, the Eagles know it will be a tough match especially playing for the shield. Nursing a couple of injuries, the Eagles have trained hard this week to rectify the errors made on the weekend. Coach James Griffiths said: “We need to be more relaxed when we are in possession and it is something we worked on this week at training.” Standout players Brayden Evans and Scott Tuafa will be ones for Bilambil to watch.

Tugun Seahawks v Burleigh Bears

The Seahawks and Bears will go head to head once again for a memorial match, honouring player Chris Kitching. Tugun have improved in their conversion rates as they lead into a tough match against the Bears. Although battling injuries and a couple uncertainties the Tugun Seahawks are improving as the season progresses. Coach Martin Griese is pleased the boys are finally understanding the process and are being rewarded for it. Griese said: “I am happy the boys are getting the bigger picture and sticking to our game plan.” Dean Murphy, Ayden Lee and Shane Gray are players to look out for this weekend. The Seahawks know exactly what they are getting into this weekend against the smart, fit and physical Burleigh Bears. After a convincing 68-6 win over the Ormeau Shearers, the Bears are slowly becoming consistent in their matches. Although the Bears will see a couple players out from injury, coach Matt Foster is pleased with the approach the boys have on the game. Foster said: “The boys played with great mental professionalism and are almost at the desired level.” Standout players Josh Berkers and Rhys Duke will be ones for Tugun to watch.

Tweed Heads Seagulls v Runaway Bay Seagulls

The Tweed Heads Seagulls confidently defeated the Bilambil Jets and are in good preparation for the week ahead. Playing some of their best football for the past couple weeks, the Tweed Heads Seagulls are continuously improving. Honourable mention goes to player’s player Jayden Baker who scored a hat-trick at the weekend. Coach Clint Barends is pleased with the team’s continual improvement and increase in completions. Not taking teams lightly, Tweed Heads knows Runaway Bay will be tough especially in taking on their hard-hitting forward pack. Although only just getting beaten by the top teams, the Runaway Bay Seagulls will be eager to challenge the Seagulls. Defeating the Currumbin Eagles 36-4 last weekend, the Runaway Bay Seagulls are slowly gaining confidence after a tough match against the Bilambil Jets. Runaway Bay are looking into maintaining consistency on the field week in, week out.