Magpies hold out Cutters for much-needed win

“He is a natural freak, you can just tell at training that he’s got a pretty bright future; he’s just trying to learn the game a bit more and learn about the one percenters that you need to know,” Magpies captain Guy Hamilton said of Vudogo after the win.

His first try came after forward Shaun Fensom was held up over the line and the Magpies were able to reset and launch their centre to the line to follow a kick; while his second was off the back of a clever scrum play.

He scored his third with four minutes left until the halftime break when Linc Port produced a good run before offloading to Vudogo who went in under the posts.

Between his tries however, Mackay had themselves found the try line with firstly Emry Pere proving too strong on his way to a four-pointer after crafty halfback Sam Cook made a huge break downfield from a quick tap.

Former Magpie Dan Russell scored four minutes later after the Cutters marched downfield before finding their man who slammed the ball down to see the Cutters move to 10 points.

The home side headed to the sheds with a healthy 24-10 lead; but Mackay had the perfect start to the second half with Yamba Bowie latching onto the ball after a "two-kick trick' from the Cutters.

They were over again through Tyler Gardiner in the 54th minute to cause the feathers of Souths Logan fans to flutter, but their nerves were settled when firstly Rory Ferguson and then George Fai crossed to seal the win.

Hamilton said he was happy with the way his side were able to “stick in the grind” and hold out Mackay when they were threatening a comeback.

“They are a tough team, we knew we were going to be in a fight, a bit of adversity came our way and we sort of lost our way a bit, but it was good to get out, find our feet again and get back into the grind and get a tough win.”

Next weekend, the Magpies will travel to Pizzey Park to take on the Burleigh Bears.

The Mackay Cutters will have a home game against the Townsville Blackhawks with the northern derby to take place on Friday night.