With only two weeks of the regular QTOP Cup season remaining and Runaway Bay enjoying a bye next week, the club will be looking to secure their first minor premiership when they face the Tugun Seahawks today.
In what has been a shortened season this year, the Seagulls have certainly made the most of the changes, with the high-flying side heading into this week’s matchup currently undefeated with six wins and one draw.
They’ll be taking on a Tugun side that has had a mixed bag of results this year, registering four wins along with four losses thus far.
Tugun Seahawks coach Clint Barends said his team needed to focus on improving their completion rate, otherwise good sides like the ladder-leaders will put them to the sword.
“It has been hard with players coming back at different times, plus the injuries we have had but we need to improve it, otherwise they’ll make us pay,” Barends said.
“Our concentration and combinations need to be better but we got a lesson out of last week’s win, so hopefully we come in switched on and ready to go."
After going down 28-18 in their last encounter against Runaway Bay in Round 5, Barends said his team will need to prepare themselves for a physical contest if they want to grind out a victory.
“They’re a quality team this year and they’ve had no losses so they’re certainly the team to beat," the Seahawks coach said.
"They were in more control last time, but all the battles we’ve had with them in previous years have gone down to the wire so it’s going to be close."
Runaway Bay coach Nick Gleeson said while the club’s goal is to remain undefeated this season, they will face a tough test against Tugun and will have to come prepared.
“We have a few injuries this week, so we will be throwing a young side against them," Gleeson said.
"They can be a danger to us because while they have some experienced older players, they’ve had to change their team a lot due to injuries, so we don’t know what they’ve got."
With the grand final being played at Cbus Super Stadium this year, Gleeson said he hopes his team can wrap up the minor premiership this week and prepare themselves for a finals series with plenty at stake.
“I know it’s a shortened season, but it has been one of the hardest competitions, so wrapping up the minor premiership is certainly something the club can be proud of,” Gleeson said.
“We wanted to beat every side this year and want to finish with Tugun this week, have the bye and then focus on the semi.
"If we come out of the semis with the result we are after, it will all be very exciting.”
The match will be broadcast live on the Rugby League Gold Coast Facebook page.
Round 9 fixtures
| Time | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 3pm Saturday, September 26 | Tugun Seahawks v Runaway Bay Seagulls | Boyd Street, Tugun |
| 4pm Saturday, September 26 | Burleigh Bears v Currumbin Eagles | Pizzey Park, Burleigh |
| 3pm Sunday, September 27 | Mudgeeraba Redbacks v Southport Tigers | Firth Park, Mudgeeraba |
Round 9 teams
Tugun Seahawks v Runaway Bay Seagulls
Tugun Seahawks
1. Juwaan Terekia 2. Nathanael Barnes 3. Kurtis McDonald 4. James Toole 5. Didymus Blankett 6. Samuel Meskell 7. Jacob Grant 8. Joshua Harvey 9. William Johnstone 10. Joshua Bainbridge 11. James Torrens 12. Solomon Torrens 13. Levi Norton 14. Mitchell Backler 15. Ethan Roberts 16. Timothy Cassidy 17. Matthew King
Runaway Bay Seagulls
1. John Mackin 2. Jaylan To'o 3. Jamie Anderson 4. Jordan Menzies 5. Jacob Garland 6. Guy Hamilton 7. James Poland 8. Carsil Vaikai 9. Jenan Wedderburn-Parrish 10. Nicholas Ritter 11. Vinncent Takataka 12. Luke Burton 13. Darcy Sims 14. Alex Bishop 15. Codey McLaughlin 16. Sione Kupa 17. Jordan Champion
Burleigh Bears v Currumbin Eagles
Burleigh Bears
1. Jayden Campbell 2. Shawn Anderson 3. Allan Lockwood 4. Regan Ogle 5. William Evans 6. Shallin Fuller 7. George House 8. Tyler Szepanowski 9. Jordan Scott 10. Lochlyn Sheldon 11. Brett Stratton 16. Tristan Powell 13. Reece Summer 14. Bailey Court 15. Sami Sauiluma 18. Joshua Ailaomai 17. Ben Valeni
Currumbin Eagles
1. Joshua Walker 2. Bayley Desmond 3. Ken Allison 4. Matthew Geyer 5. Benjamin Willetts 6. Jake Gleeson 7. Luke Jurd 8. Denzal Ngati 9. Cole Geyer 10. Stuart Mason 11. Rory Lillis 12. Samuel Saville 13. Ayden Lee 15. Ji Van Heerwaarden 16. Ben Liyou 18. Jarrod Gill
Burleigh Bears v Currumbin Eagles
Mudgeeraba Redbacks
1. Steven Rooney 2. Joshua Bukowski 3. Nathan Schwass 4. Dylan Pelo 5. Henry Garrett 6. Marino Allen 9. Brent Woolf 10. Jesse Malcolm 11. James Hill 12. Jerome Veve 13. Parahi Wilson 14. Jakob Schimke 15. Kane Kelleher 20. Daymeric Pelo
Southport Tigers
1. Kobi Annand 2. Harley Wood 3. Curtis Dansey-Smaller 4. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave 5. Callum Burgess-Boomer 6. Blake Scott 7. Jack Cook 8. Jarrod Morfett 9. Liam Hampson 10. Daniel Shannon 11. Benjamin Thomas 12. Jaleel Seve Derbas 13. Brock Hamill 14. Samuel Shannon 15. Brayden Young 16. Shaquille Gafa 19. Nathan Young
