Defending premiers Valleys have dropped out of the top four with just one round remaining in the regular season of the Brisbane Rugby LeagueIn Safe Hands Cup.
The Bayside Seagulls got the job done at Emerson Park, defeating Valleys 20-16, as the premiers slumped to their sixth loss on the trot.
Valleys were first to score with the rangy Paul Ivan reaching over to score early in the match after a simple backline move giving the home side a six-point lead.
They extended the lead to 10 when they went down the left-hand side of the field. After spreading the ball through six sets of hands, they were eventually brought down, but a quick dart from dummy-half by Dalton Phillips resulted in the afternoon's second try.
Bayside got on the scoreboard with quick hands to left winger Harlan Collins, who put the ball down with just centimetres to work with, cutting the lead to six.
That lead would be reduced by a further two points in the final minutes of the first half after a professional foul ruling against Valleys meant that not only would the Seagulls secure two points, but the Diehards would be reduced to 12 men for the start of the second half.
Bayside took the lead for the first time when Jacob Paulo smashed his way to the line, bouncing off Diehards defenders and the left upright to plant the ball down for a remarkable try.
Shortly after, Seagulls halfback Mitch Moore journeyed across the field looking for a gap, eventually finding space out wide and scoring himself.
Valleys' discipline was again costly later on, as another sin-binning led to the Seagulls adding two more and taking the lead out to 20-10.
The Diehards, with their season possibly on the line, threw everything they had at the Seagulls and were rewarded with a Callum Klein try out wide, giving them a sniff. From the restart, Valleys had one set of six to travel the length of Emerson Park to force a draw or snatch victory.
But it was too late, as a cross field kick missed its target and found the sideline, with the Seagulls holding on to win 20-16.
The loss for Valleys pushes them out of the top four as the Tigers have taken their place thanks to 28-8 win over the Magpies. Another consequence of that Tigers victory is that the Magpies are now out of the finals race.
Finally, the Redcliffe Dolphins put an end to West Brisbane's minor premiership hopes with a 30-20 victory.
The Dolphins are in the box seat to finish on top of the ladder for the second year in a row, but will need to win again next week to fend off the Seagulls.
| In Safe Hands Cup Ladder | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dolphins | 97 | 45 |
| 2. Seagulls | 86 | 43 |
| 3. Panthers | 37 | 42 |
| 4. Tigers | 77 | 34 |
| 5. Diehards | -100 | 33 |
| 6. Magpies | -197 | 31 |
In Safe Hands Cup Round 19 Results
Tigers 28 (Connor Jones 2, Jack Anderson, Jesse Uhlmann, Haydin Elsebach tries; Brandon Downey 4 goals) defeated Magpies 8 (Luke Archer, Shaiquan Terekia tries).
Seagulls 20 (Harlan Collins, Mitchell Moore, Jacob Paulo tries; John Te Reo 4 goals) defeated with Diehards 16 (Callum Klein, Dalton Phillips, Paul Ivan tries; Brett Doherty 2 goals).
Dolphins 30 (Tristan Hope 2, Taylor Brown 2, Justice Utatao tries; Will Partridge 5 goals defeated Panthers 20 (James Olds 2, Josh Afoa tries; Mikaere Beattie 4 goals).
* John Devine is a QRL correspondent covering the BRL A Grade competition
