Seagulls return to form with win over Magpies

Wynnum Manly Seagulls finally rediscovered their lost mojo and returned to the winner’s circle in style with a comprehensive 46-22 win over Souths Logan Magpies Saturday.

With the In Safe Hands Cup finals series just four weeks away, the defending champions were desperate not only to find some form, but to solidify their place and kill off the finals charge of the Dolphins and Magpies. 

The eight tries to four win for the Seagulls effectively ends the season for the Magpies and puts a six-point gap between Wynnum Manly in fourth and Redcliffe in fifth.

It was Souths Logan who put the first points on the board when Hayden O’Hara found a gap and sent Vesi Sa’u to the line untouched.

The Seagulls hit back as Corey Davis double pirouetted after a sharp flat pass from Tristan Hope.

Davis scored his second when he ran onto a Semisi Ahofi pass from ten metres out, smashing his way over to give his Seagulls a 10-6 lead.

The Magpies hit back when Phil Dennis put the pill on to the rampaging O’Hara who muscled his way across the chalk. O’Hara converted his own try to put the Maggies back in front by two.

Dennis was involved again when some slick passing put Brandon Roberts over for his second try in two weeks.

As halftime approached, the Magpies were in again after a cross-field kick found high flying left winger Jethro Tessman, who soared high and brought the ball down for a 22-10 halftime lead.

Staring down the barrel of another defeat, Seagulls coach Ron Troutman had to bring his motivational best to the sheds if his men were to get back into the match.

His words had an immediate effect, as the first set after the resumption resulted in Matt Milson going over near the posts.

The next points came from unusual circumstances, after a poor pass from dummy half was picked up by John Te Reo around his ankles. The Magpies paused in the defensive line waiting for a whistle that didn’t come, allowing Te Reo to skip through the line and lock up the scores at 22-22.

To add insult to injury, Souths’ kick-off went out on the full and the following set ended in Edwin Ipapi firing a long ball to the left wing to send Rashaun Denny over and put the Seagulls in front.

Suddenly the Seagulls had their tails up and were rediscovering their long-lost form. Tristan Hope charged onto a pass after Matt Milson eroded some metres off the journey to the try line for Hope to score his first try at BRL level for some time.

He didn’t have to wait long for his second, as he threw a big dummy from the play the ball and dove over to add to the scoreboard shortly after.

Hope was again involved in the Seagulls next four pointer. After breaking through the defence, Hope put the perfect kick into the in goal and Denny had enough pace to get to the ball and put it down for another try.

Wynnum were firing on all cylinders and scored 36-unanswered points as they secured a vital win in the context of their season.

Elsewhere the West Brisbane Panthers’ quest for their first In Safe Hands Cup minor premiership took a blow as the Diehards conjured a 14-12 win at Kev McKell Oval.

Redcliffe also suffered a major setback as they try to stay in touch with the top four, going down 16-8 to the Tigers at Langlands Park.

Now six-points adrift of the fourth-placed Seagulls, the Dolphins must win all four of their remaining games to be any chance of sneaking into the top four.

* Main image courtesy of Wynnum Manly Seagulls 

In Safe Hands Cup Round 16 Results

Easts Tigers 16 (Shane Neumann, Haydin Elsebach, Heath Wilson tries Brandon Downey 2 goals) def Redcliffe Dolphins 8 (Josh Rudolph try Oscar Carter 2 goals)

Wynnum Manly Seagulls 46 (Rashaun Denny 2, Corey Davis 2, Tristan Hope 2, Matt Milson, John Te Reo tries John Te Reo 2, Tristan Hope 5 goals) def Souths Logan Magpies 22 (Jethro Tessman, Vesi Sa’u, Brandon Roberts, Hayden O’Hara tries Hayden O’Hara 3 goals)

Valleys Diehards 14 (Fruean Easthope, Sam Collins, Joe McGuire tries Ethan Richards goal) def West Brisbane Panthers 12 (Kyle Van Klaveren, Campbell Mohr tries; James Olds 2 goals)

Ladder