The Logan City Hawks remain undefeated in the Rugby League Brisbane Southside 2 competition after defeating Bulimba Bulldogs 40-20 at Allan Innes Field on Saturday, taking home the Ted Beaumont Trophy in the process.
Annually at the mid-point of the season, the top two teams from all six RLB senior competitions face off for the trophy named after Ted Beaumont, the former Chairman of Brisbane Second Division Rugby League from 1982-1999.
In the Southside 2 competition, it was an opportunity for the Hawks to firmly establish themselves as the current competition favourites, an opportunity they seized with both hands.
A try to Hawks fullback Cecil Smith after only two minutes ensured they got off to a rapid-fire start, but Bulimba returned serve two minutes later with a superb try of their own to level up the scores at 4-4.
Hawks centre Errol Palmer made the Bulldogs pay dearly for some flimsy defence by going back-to-back with two sensational tries of his own to push the Hawks out to a 14-4 lead.
The ladder leaders were in again in the 27th minute, as hooker Josh Shadford stepped through the line to lunge over and score beside the sticks.
Despite momentum being against them, the Bulldogs got back in the game by scoring right on the halftime bell to go into the break trailing 18-10.
Shortly into the second half, the Bulldogs pegged the score back to 18-14 as a no-look pass from five-eighth Jarrod Joinbee found second rower Owen Gilmour looming in support to race away unopposed and score beside the sticks.
Bulimba were being best served by Luke Hay and Trent Henrick who was superb with the boot in a losing side.
But just as a Bulldogs comeback was on the cards, the Hawks unleashed replacement player Tyson Rapana who crashed through the Bulldogs defence like a human wrecking ball to score under the posts.
At this stage of the game, both sides were still pushing hard, but it was the Hawks who were getting the upper hand.
The Hawks kept the scoreboard ticking over and further increased their lead as Kaputanga Rubena tip toed his way down the sideline to score in the corner.
From the restart, the Bulldogs capitalised on some poor ball handling by the Hawks. From this, Gerard Andersen dashed away brushing aside some tired defence to score a late opportunist try.
The Hawks would further extend the lead in with nine minutes of play remaining, when centre Joe Burchell shoved off his opposite number to score beside the posts.
A late try near fulltime for the Hawks would seal the win, ensuring the Hawks remain undefeated at the top of the ladder in a clinical display of rugby league.
Ted Beaumont Trophy results
Northside 1 – Pine Central Holy Spirit 24 def Dayboro 12
Northside 2 – Brighton 30 def Normanby 16
Northside 3 – Samford 28 def North Lakes 4
Southside 1 – Bulimba Valleys 20 def Logan Brothers 18
Southside 2 – Logan City Hawks 40 def Bulimba Valleys 20
Southside 3 – Souths Inala 28 def Mt Gravatt 24
Full results, standings and fixtures for Rugby League Brisbane senior competitions available here
