After Brisbane picked up three wins in Round 2, in the third round of the SEQ Under 16s pre-season competition, it was the Gold Coast teams who stood out with both sides getting wins at Dolphin Stadium.
GAME 1: IPSWICH v GOLD COAST YELLOW 2pm
Ipswich crossed for an early try in their clash against Gold Coast Yellow to lead 6-0, however, a mistake soon after allowed Gold Coast to hit back with a try out wide.
A 20-metre dart from hooker Caleb Gould-Waiariki caught the defence napping and his try under the posts saw Gold Coast hit the front 10-6, a score line that held until halftime.
An exciting long-range try after the break to the Coast extended their lead to 14-6, which would become the final score as it was the only points in a somewhat dour second half.
Gold Coast Yellow 14 (Caleb Gould-Waiariki, Tuvalli-Afoa Khan-Pereira, Kaleb White tries Connor Te Kani goals) def Ipswich 6 (Zachery Alley tries Zachery Alley goals)
GAME 2: BRISBANE BLUE v GOLD COAST WHITE 3pm
Brisbane Blue got on the board first, but Gold Coast hit back immediately and levelled the score at 6-6 in what turned out to be a see-sawing game.
Brisbane hooker Gavin Sims slipped over from dummy half close to the line in a soft try, but Gold Coast again drew even at 12-12 after 20 minutes.
Another try on the half-time hooter handed White a narrow 16-12 advantage at the break.
A clever kick from Blue halfback Chambers Horua-Chase resulted in his second try of the day and an 18-16 lead for the Brisbane boys.
It was a Brisbane mistake from a kick that allowed Gold Coast to again edge ahead with 15 minutes remaining on the clock.
In a thrilling finish both teams tried to seal the win, but desperate defence prevented many attacking raids.
An adventurous kick from Brisbane right on fulltime was covered by White and they hung on to record an exciting 20-18 win.
Gold Coast White 20 (John-Thomas Manuofetoa, Syris Schmidt, Jordan Stewart-Lewis, Ezra Ubaldino tries Syris Schmidt, Jordan Stewart-Lewis goals) def Brisbane Blue 18 (Chambers Horua-Chase 2, Gavin Sims tries; Mustafa Kaya 3 goals)
GAME 3: BRISBANE RED v BRISBANE GREEN 4pm
The Brisbane showdown was kicked off by Red who posted an early try for a 6-0 lead.
Red had guns blazing early as they crossed for two more tries to take a commanding 16-0 lead before Green were able to fire a shot of their own.
A good attacking raid finally paid off for Green to score and close the margin to 16-4, which it remained at the break.
Ten minutes into the second half, Red added another try to extend the lead. Green missed several opportunities throughout the second half, including dropping the ball over the line twice.
A late try to Red sealed a convincing 26-4 victory. Brisbane Red centres Jodeci Tiraha and Jett Spence posted two tries a piece to play a big part in ensuring their team’s win.
Brisbane Red 26 (Jett Spence 2, Jodeci Tiraha 2, Jackson Chang tries Matthew Bennett 2, Hubert Elu goals) def Brisbane Green 4 (Alize Tanielu tries)
Round 4 at Brighton Roosters, Saturday, March 30
Ipswich v Gold Coast White, 2pm
Brisbane Green v Gold Coast Yellow, 3pm
Brisbane Blue v Brisbane Red, 4pm
