BMD Premiership: Round 7 Wrap
Brisbane Tigers (22) def Western Clydesdales (14) at Totally Workwear Stadium.
The Brisbane Tigers climbed to the top of the BMD Premiership ladder with a sixth win of the season, extending their winning streak to six matches.
Rosa-Millan Lefono crossed for a double, while Pauline Piilae-Rasabale was almost flawless from the tee, landing three from four conversion attempts. The victory, coupled with Burleigh's second straight draw, sees the Tigers leapfrog the Bears into first place ahead of a Round 8 clash with Northern Pride.
Norths Devils (28) def Northern Pride (18) at Premiers' Park.
The Devils continued their red-hot form with a fifth straight victory, moving level on competition points with the Tigers and into second on the ladder courtesy of their superior points differential over Burleigh.
Natalie Wright enjoyed another outstanding afternoon with four conversions from five attempts. Despite a double from Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly for the Pride, it was the consistent attack of Roimata Amosa-Tiro, Tayla Sykes, Tiana Teo, Ema Masi and Jessica Nugent to prove Norths were just too strong. The Devils now turn their attention to a Round 8 meeting with the Central Queensland Capras.
Central Queensland Capras (22) def Tweed Seagulls (12) at Aurizon Stadium.
The Capras snapped a four-match losing streak with a composed home victory, producing their strongest performance in over a month.
They raced to an 18-0 half-time advantage and never surrendered control, with Ihndara McLeod, Sarah Field and Maycee Brown all crossing after Tahnee-lea Holt opened the scoring inside two minutes. The Seagulls did find their momentum after the break, however it was too little too late and a hard afternoon off the boot for Kaliyah Browning meant the Seagulls just fell short of a comeback.
Souths Logan Magpies (32) def Sunshine Coast Falcons (8) at Noffke Park.
Souths Logan bounced back in emphatic fashion, running in seven tries to two to stun a startled Falcons.
Kiarah Siauane and Chante Bates each bagged doubles as the Magpies raced to an 18-4 half-time lead before piling on the points after the break. The result lifts Souths Logan into the seventh on the ladder and provides valuable momentum ahead of their matchup against the Tweed Seagulls next week.
Mackay Cutters (16) def Wynnum Manly Seagulls (14) at BMD Kougari Oval.
The Cutters produced a determined first-half effort to edge Wynnum Manly in one of the closest contests of the round.
Trailing 16-0 at half-time, the Seagulls stormed back with three unanswered tries through Sheteyah Han, Emily Whittaker and Charlotte Wells to set up a grandstand finish. Mackay's fast start ultimately proved enough, with Casey Manzelmann grabbing a first-half double and Zoe Cook doing enough by kicking two goals.
Ipswich Jets (10) drew with Burleigh Bears (10) at Richardson Park - Woogaroo Field.
For the second consecutive week, Burleigh were forced to settle for a share of the points, with Ipswich digging deep to deny the previously ladder-leading Bears.
The Bears led twice through Chelsea Cooper and Memory Paitai. However, a last breath offensive onslaught from the Jets saw Jhana Magele surge over the line in the 69th minute of the game, followed by a crucial and successful kick from Cortez Te Pou to bring the game level at the final whistle. While Burleigh remains unbeaten, back-to-back draws have seen the Bears surrender top spot to both the Tigers and Devils after leading the competition for much of the opening seven rounds.
