Round 2 of the Junior Statewide Competitions get underway on Saturday with the teams that didn’t have success in the opening week looking to give their 2025 campaign jump starts before it’s too late.
Mal Meninga Cup presented by Ford
If you saw Finn Kendall’s try against Wynnum Manly you will be tuning in again this weekend when Souths look to upset the reigning premiers Tweed.
Souths started slowly against Wynnum Manly and the Seagulls scored three tries in the first 20 minutes of Round 1.
Souths allowed Wynnum to have 57 percent of the ball which is a dangerous game to play and it cost them in the end, as the Souths defence was unable to hold them out at the end of the game.
It was Kendall who took the ball, and the game, and gave it a good shake.
His run from the right-hand side appeared to be a standard get out of your end run by an outside back, but Kendall got between defenders and was suddenly upfield rounding the fullback and scoring 70 metres away from where the run started.
It was a try that announced Kendall’s arrival in the Mal Meninga Cup for 2025.
What Souths will have to fix is the missed tackles that mounted up and reached 52.
On the other side, Tweed started as you would expect the defending premiers to with a win over Redcliffe.
The Seagulls were so slick the message would have gone around the competition that the kings are still the kings.
25 missed tackles and a miserly five errors as the Seagulls pecked the Dolphins to shreds.
The Seagulls' 22-12 win was highlighted by Raymond Puru’s try and 163 running metres.
Harvey Norman U19s
The Tigers were the bright lights of the opening round of the competition with a performance that was more end of season form than start of season form.
Seven-tries-to-two is where you can start your analysis, but it quickly heads to defence and the work load that was thrust on the Devils, as Norths missed 40 tackles to the Tigers 21.
The Tigers made 40 tackle breaks - nearly 200 more metres and nine line breaks in attack.
India Seeto, the Tigers captain, led the defence with 15 tackles and Rosa Milan Lefono made 113 metres for the Tigers faithful to get around.
The Tigers' traditional rivals the Wynnum Manly Seagulls will be lining up to stop the Tigers form this week.
The Seagulls came away from a loss to the Magpies 34-18.
Wynnum showed plenty of fight against Souths Logan being down 20-10 they stayed in the contest with the first two tries after half time.
What will please the Seagulls is the 55 percent of the ball possession and they completed at 73 percent.
Allowing eight line breaks and 50 tackle breaks will not be as pleasing for Wynnum.
Tameka Barnes was one of the best for the Seagulls with 15 tackles and Charlotte Wells made 113 metres.
Harvey Norman U17s
The Ipswich Jets achieved the first shut-out of the season with a 48-nil win over the Wide Bay Bulls.
The nine-try clean sheet was a big win for the Ipswich girls who didn’t win a game in 2024 but have started this year with a win.
This week the Jets will be after back-to-back victories on the Sunshine Coast against the Falcons, as Ipswich look to repeat what happened in Round 1.
The Jets started well and led 22-nil at half time and were able to cash in on that momentum with 58 percent of the ball.
Ipswich produced a huge 752 metres more than the Bulls and 13-line breaks.
Jets' star Emilee George played a massive part in that with 13 tackles and 155 metres.
It was an attacking masterclass with each Jets' set going nearly 50 metres.
The Falcons had the Round 1 blues with a loss to the Western Clydesdales going down 18-6, but it wasn’t all gloom for the Sunshine Coast.
The Falcons kept the Clydesdales to four tries but were all able to score one themselves which presented a problem.
The Falcons defence will be an area of improvement in week two.
The best for the Falcons was Ayslinn Pollock who made 19 tackles and 134 metres.
Cyril Connell Cup presented by Ford
2024 Grand Finalists Townsville found themselves in an old school slugfest against the Central Queensland Capras in Round 1, as the Blackhawks secured an 8-6 win.
Two-tries-to-one is usually not the norm in U17s football but this was a real war with it only being 6-nil at half time to the Capras.
It took 31 minutes for the Blackhawks to score.
Every statistic was nearly even with both teams missing very few tackles.
This could be the type of win that sets the Blackhawks up for 2025 knowing their defence can hold out teams.
Bradley Pilchowski made 25 tackles for the Blackhawks and Trent Martin made ground when he got the ball with 155 metres.
The Blackhawks have won the last two games against their local rivals the Mackay Cutters with two wins in 2024.
Mackay is coming off a win over the Northern Pride 38-12.
The Cutters attack shone brightly with seven tries, as Norman Campbell contributed to that with 130 metres and Lachlan Brown made a line break.
It was Tom Mulherin in defence that kept it tight and didn’t allow the Pride any good ball with 18 tackles.
54 percent of the ball will win you plenty of games and that’s what Mackay were able to do and what they will be aiming to do this week again against the Blackhawks.
The six-line breaks and 21 missed tackles compared to 39 by the Pride allowed the Cutters to just pot around the field taking chances when it suited.
