The Romano Group Seagulls A-grade may have gone down to third placed Tugun 28-18 yesterday but the circumstance behind the match shows what character and resilience Darryl Fisher’s fourth-placed side has.
With a long injury toll in the senior ranks affecting the Intrust Super Cup side and Gold Coast A-graders, the Gulls were still able to measure up for most of the match despite losing four players to injury during the 80 minutes.
Four players from the previous weekend’s victory over ladder-leader Burleigh Bears had been elevated to the ISC side – Jack Cook, Kurt McDonald, Sam Carson and Jayden Baker, while Sam Meskell and Pheonix Hunapo dropped back.
Dane Clarke (concussion), Kurt Murphy (medial ligament), Shem Vaoa (cut hand from a work accident) and Sione Alofi (sternum) plus ISC halfback Michael Burgess joined the casualty ward that already included James Toole (ACL), Sam Saville (sternum), Ethan Price (back), Shane Gilham (ACL), Jackson Clarke (knee) and Brayden McGrady (ribs).
The Seagulls led 18-12 at half-time, but further injury conspired against them as the side already had to adjust to new combinations.
Just eight minutes into the match centre Zac Bainbridge was carted off with concussion and did not return, forcing Josh Ralph out to the wing and Regan Muir to centre.
Then Ralph was forced off at half-time after hurting his sternum minutes earlier after scoring a classy try.
Starting hooker Mackenzie Reid was the next to be lost after rolling his ankle, but there was good cover with Meskell – the long-time ISC hooker and skipper who started at lock – heading into dummy-half.
With 10 minutes remaining the interchange bench was deserted when prop Shaun Hinton dislocated his finger and was unable to finish the game despite trying to battle on.
“We’re used to having changes during the week with the injuries we’ve had and players going up to Cup, but to lose four players during the match proved difficult for us,” said Fisher.
“But we really competed and soldiered on, showing a real lot of character.
“It was only in the last 15 minutes when Tugun scored three tries did they get ahead of us. We didn’t get a lot of time in their end and lacked a bit of precision which was expected.
“We’re going to have a few more players get a chance in ISC over the next few weeks, so there will be more changes, but at least we’ve had enough players now who have had a fair bit of game time to know the structure.
“We know if we can get some time with our best line-up available leading into the semi-finals we can compete with anyone and we just have to keep going until then.”
The Seagulls tries were scored by Ralph, Hinton and Meskell.
Tweed Heads clash with last-placed Ormeau this Saturday night (7.30pm) at Beaudesert.
THE LADDER
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | B | FOR | AGST | PD | PTS |
| 1 | Burleigh | 13 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 528 | 166 | 362 | 37 |
| 2 | Runaway Bay | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 428 | 250 | 178 | 31 |
| 3 | Tugun | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 360 | 221 | 139 | 30 |
| 4 | Tweed Heads | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 293 | 216 | 77 | 29 |
| 5 | Bilambil | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 286 | 297 | -11 | 25 |
| 6 | Currumbin | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 281 | 378 | -97 | 25 |
| 7 | Southport | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 232 | 341 | -109 | 18 |
| 8 | Ormeau | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 128 | 667 | -539 | 13 |
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