The Ipswich Jets have put the competition on notice with their third consecutive victory.
Spurred on by the brilliant play of star hooker Oliver Pascoe, his hat-trick headlined a great day out for the North Ipswich Reserve faithful.
Allan Fitzgibbon was also ever deadly on the wing, with fellow Titan Arama Hau proving dangerous on the edge throughout his stint.
For the losing team, centre Stanford Talita continues to show great consistency, once again being the bright spark in a struggling Clydesdales side.
The Wynnum Manly Seagulls gave their wings a rest as they ferried over to North Stradbroke Island, defeating the Central Queensland Capras 28-nil.
Spoiling the return of star NRL fullback Trai Fuller, the plaudits instead went to Seagulls’ fullback, Ben Farr.
Ben ran very Farr in this match, notching up an eye-watering 264 metres in addition to his try and six tackle breaks.
Hooker Chaz Jarvis also stood out for the Seagulls, making two-line breaks, grabbing a try and completing 38 tackles.
Impressive stats could be found across the Seagulls side, with Kalolo Saitaua breaking ten tackles and Luke Gale completing 39 tackles.
The blowout win has seen the Seagulls launch into third place, tied with the Burleigh Bears and Ipswich Jets on competition points.
Four points above the aforementioned sides sit the Norths Devils, who sit tied on 20 competition points with the Townsville Blackhawks after their win over the Tweed Seagulls.
The Devils flexed their premiership muscle early into the battle, with Blake Paskins and Sam Elliott crossing over within the opening ten minutes.
The Seagulls would mount a valiant comeback after Elliott’s try, scoring three times from the 20th minute to the 33rd.
However, a late double from Sean O’Sullivan would put any thoughts of a Tweed victory to rest, as the Devils secured pole position on the ladder.
Further South at UAA Park, the Burleigh Bears also made it three wins on the trot, defeating the Magpies 21-8 in a game which was much closer than the scoreboard indicated.
Missed chances plagued the Magpies, who scored first through Kienan Tempest.
The Bears, however, were much more clinical in attack, scoring four unanswered.
Though he didn’t appear on the scoresheet, lock Sam Coster was crucial for Burleigh, getting through 143 metres and 46 tackles on the day, in a gutsy yet expected performance from the Burleigh workhorse.
Up the coast at Sunshine Coast Stadium, a Zion Johnson day out propelled the Sunshine Coast Falcons to a mammoth win over the Mackay Cutters.
Johnson scored a staggering four tries in only 45 minutes, on top of his 182 run metres.
His inside man Mason Peut contributed three try assists at centre.
It was a much-needed win for the Falcons, who now sit in eighth position, one point ahead of the 9th placed Brisbane Tigers.
The final match of the round took place in Port Moresby, as Hunters fans left Santos National Football Stadium overjoyed as their side managed a nail-biting victory over the Northern Pride.
The Hunters outside backs once again stood up for their side, contributing 732 run metres across their back five.
Elijah Roltinga was the pick of a brilliant bunch, with the centre picking up two tries, 103 metres and breaking six tackles in a great performance.
His final try though was the most important of the day.
With scores levelled 16 a piece, fullback Sanny Wabo received the ball ten metres out from the Pride tryline.
Keeping the Steeden in two hands, Wabo meandered rightwards across the pitch, drawing in two defenders and creating space for the hard-running Roltinga.
With space in front of him, he entered fifth gear, careening towards the tryline and sending Santos National Football Stadium into a frenzy.
Despite the loss, Kenneth Fonoti of the Northern Pride can leave Port Moresby with his head held high, as in 32 minutes the bench forward scored a try, made two linebreaks and completed 15 tackles with none missed.
HOSTPLUS CUP ROUND 12 RESULTS
SATURDAY MAY 31
Wynnum Manly Seagulls 28 def Central Queensland Capras nil at Ron Stark Oval, Dunwich
Norths Devils 28 def Tweed Seagulls 14 at Bishop Park, Brisbane
Burleigh Bears 21 def Souths Logan Magpies 8 at UAA Park, Gold Coast
Sunshine Coast Falcons 32 def Mackay Cutters 8 at Sunshine Coast Stadium
SUNDAY JUNE 1
Ipswich Jets 42 def Western Clydesdales 12 at North Ipswich Reserve, Ipswich
PNG Hunters 20 def Northern Pride 16 at National Football Stadium, Port Moresby
