Townsville Mendi Blackhawks coach Kristian Woolf has praised his team after a strong performance at Jack Manski Oval on Saturday, which saw his 6th-placed team defeat the 2nd-placed Sunshine Coast Falcons, 36-14.
The match was built up as the return of former Blackhawks Player of the Year, Jahrome Hughes, as opposition for the first time, but this was not to be, instead Hughes named as 18th man for the Melbourne Storm.
The home team didn’t have to wait long for points with Carlin Anderson crossing the line early off the back of a strong tackle from Jordan Kenworthy and Daniel Beasley forced an error.
The young fullback was again showing why he has already secured an NRL contract next year, bagging two tries in the first half and a try assist.
Ty Carucci was next to score from a well-rehearsed set play, giving the home team a 16-4 lead going into halftime.
The next try was the familiar sight of Jonathon Reuben sprinting up the side line to score right after the break.
Hard-working centre Temone Power was rewarded with a try in the 54th minute and the final two tries were to Samsen O’Neill, the last one just before fulltime after another strong defensive set.
Woolf said he was pleased with his team’s performance, especially with the strong defence.
“We set a good tone early in the game," he said
“I was really happy with our attitude, especially with how we set out to defend.
“It is very rewarding when you see your hard work in defence leading to tries being scored.”
The Mendi Blackhawks face a road trip to Piggabeen Sports Complex this Sunday to take on Tweed Heads, who are coming off wins against Redcliffe and the Hunters, one of a few teams to have beaten the PNG side at home.
See the full scoring details and final team line-up for this game at QRL Live
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS 36 (Carlin Anderson 2, Samsen O’Neill 2, Ty Carucci, Jonathon Reuben, Temone Power tries; Carlin Anderson 4 goals) def SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS 14 (Jeremy Hawkins 2, Nat McGavin tries; Guy Hamilton goal) at Jack Manski Oval.