Season snapshot - some great football so far with more yet to come

The Intrust Super Cup returns this weekend for Round 12, with the competition poised to produce an exciting second half to the season.

Last weekend, all teams had a bye round for the representative weekend and now, there are only eight rounds left to go before the finals which kick off on the weekend of September 4-5.

To get everyone back up to speed on the competition, here are some of the highlights of the season to date.

Burleigh Bears coach Rick Stone reclaimed the title as the coach in charge of the most games in the Intrust Super Cup, coaching his 220th Intrust Super Cup game in Round 10, passing the previous record held by former Ipswich Jets co-coaches Ben Walker and Shane Walker. 

Ipswich Jets forward Tyson Lofipo became only the 19th player to have played 200 games and the ninth to have been able to do it for a single club, following his appearance against the Burleigh Bears in Round 7.

Norths Devils flyer Jon Reuben scored his 100th try in the Intrust Super Cup in just his 98th game in his side's Round 11 win against Northern Pride. The previous record for 100 tries was held by Nat Barnes who took 121 games to reach the mark.

The ladder-leading Wynnum Manly Seagulls lost their first, and so far only game, of the season in a cracking encounter against Souths Logan Magpies, with a Corey Oates try in the final moment securing the inaugural Mitch Cronin Memorial Trophy for the Magpies in Round 10 with a 32-29 victory.

In Round 9, the Redcliffe Dolphins were able able to claim the James Ackerman Cup for 2021 after they proved too strong for Sunshine Coast Falcons, posting a 34-24 win at Sunshine Coast Stadium. It is a special match for both clubs, with the Falcons hosting a touching pre-game ceremony to commemorate the life of the popular prop forward.

Right back at the start of the year, the home base of the PNG Hunters moved to Runaway Bay, with the club setting up camp on the Gold Coast this year to to take part in the full season of competition. It was a huge undertaking by the club's players and staff, as well as the Queensland Rugby League, who worked closely with PacificAus Sports, Australian High Commission in PNG, Queensland Health and Queensland Police Service to facilitate the relocation.

So far this year, there have also been plenty of Intrust Super Cup debuts to savour - including hat-tricks by Souths Logan Magpies half Ezra Mam in Round 8, Wynnum Manly Seagulls fullback Ben Farr, also in Round 8 - and Townsville Blackhawks winger Luke Geary in Round 9 in their first appearance in the competition.

A number of players and match officials have also gone on to make their NRL debuts this year following some standout performances in Cup, including Reece Walsh, Selwyn Cobbo, TC Robati, Jayden Campbell and Dean Ieremia. 

When the voting went behind closed doors at the conclusion of Round 10, the race for the 2021 Petero Civoniceva Medal was a tight one, with Wynnum Manly Seagulls rake Jayden Berrell sitting level on the top of the table with Dolphins skipper Cam Cullen on 14 points. The winner of this year's award to be unveiled at this year’s end-of-season QRL Civoniceva Awards event on Friday, September 24, at Brisbane City Hall.