A second half let down has seen the Tweed Heads Seagulls suffer a second successive defeat to start the season, going down to Cowboys’ feeder club Mackay Cutters 38-6 at BB Print Stadium in Mackay.
Behind only 14-6 at half-time after back-rower Sam Saville crossed in the 36th minute to send the Gulls to the sheds in a positive mood.
However, the Cutters scored three of their four second half tries in the first 10 minutes after the break, all converted, to take the score to 32-6 before the Seagulls had had a chance to mount any pressure with the ball.
“We were disappointed … they’re just keen to get to training and work and that’s the most pleasing aspect,” coach Aaron Zimmerle told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“For a young squad, sometimes it doesn’t appear like it hurts teams when they lose and that hurts me as a coach if it didn’t matter to them. But my chats with the players and the way they were (on Saturday) night, they’re all hurting by us being none and two.
“The only thing we can do is work hard, try to take out those errors and then we give ourselves a chance to win the game.”
The Gulls had plenty of early ball and momentum but couldn’t convert that to points as the Cutters’ defence held out. The home side scored the first three tries of the match to go to 14-0 after 24 minutes before the Seagulls got into the arm-wrestle with Saville’s try, a determined effort from close range, and Michael Burgess’ conversion in his 50th ISC game, putting the Gulls in the match with an eight-point deficit at the break.
The Cutters has all the ball and momentum early in the second half, scoring from a bomb for a second time then a second time from a sweeping movement to the corner.
The Gulls showed character to keep the home side scoreless for the next 29 minutes before they crossed 90 seconds from the end but the damage had been done at the start of the half from which Tweed Heads could not recover.
Tweed went into the match with no Titans representatives after forwards Morgan Boyle (concussion), Kurt Bernard (shoulder) and Ben Nakubuwai (knee) were all ruled out with injury and Eddy Pettybourne was called into the Titans’ side to take on the Knights in Newcastle.
Co-captain Damian Sironen, in his first match back from a shoulder injury, toiled well for 55 minutes and will benefit from the hit-out.
MACKAY CUTTERS 38 (Yamba Bowie 2, Nathan Saumalu, Aaron Booth, Jordan Pereira, Cooper Bambling, Braden Uele tries; Nicholas Hynes 5 goals) def TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS 6 (Samuel Saville try; Michael Burgess goal) at BB Print Stadium, Mackay.
CLICK HERE for team line-ups and full match details.
CLICK HERE for match video highlights
Competition ladder after two rounds:
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Bye | For | Agnst | Total |
| Redcliffe Dolphins | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 28 | 4 |
| PNG Hunters | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 36 | 4 |
| Townsville Blackhawks | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 42 | 4 |
| Wynnum Manly Seagulls | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 22 | 4 |
| Northern Pride | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 24 | 2 |
| Ipswich Jets | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 45 | 2 |
| Mackay Cutters | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 30 | 2 |
| Norths Devils | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 32 | 2 |
| Souths Logan Magpies | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 29 | 2 |
| Easts Tigers | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 37 | 1 |
| Sunshine Coast Falcons | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 29 | 1 |
| CQ Capras | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 63 | 0 |
| Burleigh Bears | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 52 | 0 |
| Tweed Heads Seagulls | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 72 | 0 |
NEXT WEEK’S GAMES
Saturday 18 March
Townsville Blackhawks v Mackay Cutters at Jack Manski Oval 4:00pm
CQ Capras v Burleigh Bears at Browne Park 5:00pm
Northern Pride v Sunshine Coast Falcons at Barlow Park 5:30pm
Easts Tigers v Redcliffe Dolphins at Suzuki Stadium, Langlands Park 6:00pm
Sunday 19 March
Tweed Heads Seagulls v Wynnum Manly Seagulls at Ron Stark Oval, Stradbroke Island 12:40pm (Channel 9)
Souths Logan Magpies v PNG Hunters at Davies Park 2:05pm
Norths Devils v Ipswich Jets at Bishop Park 3:00pm
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