The final round of the QTOP Cup has arrived and there will be a home final on the line when the Mudgeeraba Redbacks meet the Burleigh Bears at Pizzey Park today.
With both teams qualifying for finals, a win would see either team finish second, giving them a home ground advantage in next week’s semi-final.
Burleigh will be looking for revenge this weekend, after their last encounter in Round 5 saw the Redbacks come away with a narrow two-point victory thanks to a late penalty goal on the buzzer.
Mudgeeraba head coach Wayne Forbes said that regardless of what Burleigh may throw at his team, they need to remain focused on their own game and winning the battle.
“Burleigh may be out for revenge, so regardless of what they throw at us, our focus is on ourselves and fine-tuning the areas where we are struggling,” Forbes said.
With so much at stake, the Mudgeeraba coach said he hopes to see his team rise to the occasion and put in a focused and convincing performance.
“It’s certainly a big match... it would mean we finish second and get the home final, which is massive," Forbes said.
“We are looking towards the future, regardless of who or where we play, we simply have to win the game."
With this year’s final to be held at Cbus Super Stadium, Forbes said the opportunity to play at such a ground will only give his team more motivation to go all the way in what is their first year in the competition.
“It would mean the world to the club, to not only make the final in their first year but to be playing at Cbus would be amazing,” the Redbacks coach said.
Burleigh coach Matt Foster said his team needs to improve their ability to finish off games rather than focus too much on the significance of the upcoming finals series.
“While finishing second is important to the club, firstly we need to improve our mental capacity to play for 80 minutes, rather than just bits of a game," Foster said.
“We have to stop doing just what we think we need to do and then ease off but instead put in an 80 minute performance rather than just a 40 to 50 minute one."
The defending title-winning coach said his team can expect a tough encounter against Mudgeeraba and wants to see his players stand up and stay in the fight.
“We can expect a lot of what they gave us last time," Foster said.
"There’ll be a lot of physicality and they will try to get inside the heads of our younger players with plenty of rough and tumble.
“They will certainly try to imprint their dominance over us, so it’ll be a close match.”
The match will be broadcast live on the Rugby League Gold Coast Facebook page.
Round 10 fixtures
| Time | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 3pm Saturday, October 3 | Ormeau Shearers v Currumbin Eagles | Brien Harris Oval, Ormeau |
| 4pm Saturday, October 3 | Burleigh Bears v Mudgeeraba Redbacks | Pizzey Park, Burleigh |
| 3pm Sunday, October 4 | Tugun Seahawks v Southport Tigers | Boyd Street, Tugun |
Round 10 teams
Ormeau Shearers v Currumbin Eagles
Ormeau Shearers
1. Kurtis Rowe 2. Ono So'oialo 3. Izayah Nuku 4. Liam Hori-Clark 5. Shay Stevens 6. Haydyn O'Hara 7. Conner Toia 8. Coen Rankmore 9. Craig Chapman 10. Andrew Petaia 11. Lorenzo Leapai 12. Graham Hohapata 13. Albert Junior Ma Chong 14. Leighmon Hohaia Katene 15. Lazeryth Sua 16. Jason Ioane 17. Jaymz Douglas-Webb
Currumbin Eagles
1. Joshua Walker 2. Bayley Desmond 3. Matthew Geyer 4. Jakob Smith 5. Benjamin Willetts 6. Jake Gleeson 7. Luke Jurd 8. Stuart Mason 10. Jarrod Gill 11. Rory Lillis 12. Samuel Saville 13. Ayden Lee 16. Juwan Compain 17. Denzal Ngati
Burleigh Bears v Mudgeeraba Redbacks
Burleigh Bears
1. Jayden Campbell 2. Shawn Anderson 3. Allan Lockwood 4. Regan Ogle 5. William Evans 6. Shallin Fuller 7. George House 8. Lochlyn Sheldon 9. Jordan Scott 11. Brett Stratton 20. Tristan Powell 13. Reece Summer 14. Bailey Court 15. Sami Sauiluma 18. Joshua Ailaomai 17. Ben Valeni
Mudgeeraba Redbacks
Not submitted at time of publish.
Tugun Seahawks v Southport Tigers
Tugun Seahawks
1. Mitchell Backler 2. Nathanael Barnes 3. Kurtis McDonald 4. Timothy Cassidy 5. Didymus Blankett 6. James Toole 7. Jacob Grant 8. Joshua Harvey 9. William Johnstone 10. Joshua Bainbridge 11. James Torrens 12. Solomon Torrens 13. Ethan Roberts
Southport Tigers
1. Kobi Annand 2. Curtis Dansey-Smaller 3. Ethan O'Neill 4. Lee Turner 5. Callum Burgess-Boomer 6. Blake Scott 7. Jack Cook 8. Jarrod Morfett 9. Liam Hampson 10. Daniel Shannon 11. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave 12. Jaleel Seve Derbas 13. Brock Hamill 14. Campbell Pirihi 15. Samuel Shannon 16. Benjamin Thomas 17. Nathan Young
