Magpies face sudden death with three games to go

The Souths Logan Magpies are playing to keep their season alive against the second-placed Easts Tigers in Round 12 of the SEQW Division 1 competition.

With just three rounds left before the 2019 finals series, the Magpies sit in fifth spot on the ladder, two points adrift of the top four.

A loss this week could potentially stretch that gap out to four points. In that scenario, the Magpies would have to win their last two games and hope that Brothers Ipswich lose their last two games.

Even then, the sides would finish on the same number of points and the last spot in the finals would be decided by for-and-against.

Simply put, the only way the Magpies can have control of their destiny this season is to win all three of their remaining games. Any loss from here could spell the end of their season.

Led by Origin stars Stephanie Hancock and Meg Ward, the Magpies will start favourites in their final two games against seventh placed Toowoomba and sixth placed Tweed Heads, but the crucial first hurdle is this Sunday when they host the Easts Tigers. 

After going unbeaten in five of their previous six games, they suffered a costly 38-0 loss to competition-leading Wests Brisbane Panthers last weekend. Captain Annette Brander also broke her nose in that match.

It was an outlier for the typically defensively sound Magpies, and they will be looking to get back to their defensive best at Davies Park.

They face a Tigers team fresh off the bye and full of confidence thanks to four consecutive wins, including wins over Brothers Ipswich and the defending premiers Burleigh.

Built on the competition’s best defence, the Tigers have been a consistent force all year and look extremely well-placed heading into the finals, but the Magpies will be confident given they won the last clash between these sides 22-10 back in Round 5.

Elsewhere in Round 12 of the SEQW Division 1 competition, the Burleigh Bears host competition leaders Wests Brisbane and Brothers Ipswich take on the Tweed Seagulls. Toowoomba have the bye.

SEQW Division 1 Round 12 fixtures

Burleigh Bears v Wests Brisbane Panthers – Sunday, July 7 at Pizzey Park, 10.45am. Livestream via Panthers TV

Souths Logan Magpies v Easts Tigers – Sunday, July 7 at Davies Park, 1.30pm

Brothers Ipswich v Tweed Heads Seagulls – Sunday July 7 at Blue Ribbon Motors Field, 4.30pm

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