Tweed Seagulls RLFC, proudly backed by the Seagulls Club, hosts the Western Clydesdales at the Piggabeen Sports Complex in Round 8.
The Seagulls come into this one on the back of a thriller up in Townsville two weeks ago. Down by 10 with 13 minutes to play, Tweed scored back-to-back tries to level the scores at 26-26. Setting up for a shot to win it late, Tom Weaver was caught high earning his side a penalty and providing Lindon McGrady with a chance to win it. Having just knocked one over from the sideline to go level, McGrady split the posts for a 28-26 Tweed win.
“I was really proud of our defensive effort and the comeback,” coach Dave Penna said after the match.
It has been a little stop-start for the Seagulls in recent weeks as the Easter break and Round 7 bye added extra time between games. The added time to rest and recover has allowed Penna to name much of the same side from Round 6 this week.
Jacob McCudden is a notable absence due to suspension. In his place, Daniel Ross comes into the backrow after starting at prop and playing in the middle off the bench throughout the season so far. In strong form and capable of big minutes, Penna is confident Ross can do the job in McCudden’s place.
“Dan has been a versatile player for us that can play a number of positions,” Penna said.
“He’s a good player and can play big minutes. I didn’t hesitate to put Dan there.”
Earning a start and running for 96 metres in 35 minutes in Round 6, Luke Burton is back in the #8 jersey for this one alongside Brent Woolf and Lamar Manuel-Liolevave in the middle. Ioane Seiuli’s versatility continues to earn him a place in the starting side, too. Having featured in the centres, on the wing and off the bench so far this year, the 23-year-old will run out on the edge on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams have met once already this season with the Seagulls taking the two points away from Toowoomba with a 26-22 win. While the scoreline suggests a relatively close game, Tweed did appear to have the match won 26-12 in front with 20 minutes to play. However, the Clydesdales came home with a wet sail to add some respectability to the scoreboard and will take confidence in how they finished despite the result.
The Clydesdales will take further confidence from their recent run of form. Winners of two of their last three games, they thumped the Jets 46-10 in Toowoomba last week. Also of note: Of their four losses this season, three have come by a total of 18 points. They play the full 80 minutes and as Tweed knows already, are capable of mounting a late comeback.
Mitchell Watson is one to watch for the visitors. He leads the Hostplus Cup in tries scored with nine for the season. On the other wing, Esom Ioka is playing in this third game for the club. Training with the New Zealand Warriors NSW Cup side, he’s an exciting new addition to the Clydesdales in recent weeks.
Four points separate the two teams on the ladder with the Seagulls climbing to 5th over the weekend. However, as one of only two bottom eight teams with a positive points differential, the Clydesdales are performing better than their 12th spot on the ladder suggests. After playing out a thriller in Round 2, expect more of the same this Saturday afternoon.
Player to Watch
Treymain Spry returned to footy last season and displayed steady improvement throughout his six games for the club. With five so far this season, we’re starting to see the best of the 23-year-old.
He’s a key feature of the Seagulls attack all the way up the field. Spry is an option in yardage for a tough carry or, when the halves see the defence too tight, can be passed into space and allowed to roam.
A tackle breaker, Spry has broken 19 tackles in his five games while averaging 95 running metres per game. While he hasn’t scored since Round 3, the centre has handed out three try assists in that time and is a constant threat in good ball.
He’s somebody the defence will be talking about during the week. The gravity he holds on a defence creates opportunities for those around him with Tom Weaver, in particular, finding ways to use Spry either as a ball carrier or decoy.
Similarly, the ball playing of Sam McIntyre. He appeared to move the ball a little bit more in Round 6 than he had done in the game prior. Those early shifts are perfect for getting Spry isolated onto his opposite.
The Seagulls left edge has done a lot of the damage with Ryland Jacobs and Lee Turner in fine form, but Spry is looking better every week and is one to watch on the right side in Round 8.
Coach’s Comments
The Seagulls have had the extra week to recover following their trip to Townsville and coach Dave Penna has welcomed the two little breaks over the last month.
“The week off was good to freshen a few of the boys up,” said Penna.
“We had a good session last night, will have another one tomorrow and hopefully play well on Saturday.
“The breaks worked out well. We played four games and had a bit of a break which is always good, then we had another couple of weeks to focus on.
“It’s given us a good schedule to focus on leading into what’s now going to be ten weeks of footy. Now we’re just focusing on week in and week out, keeping an eye on what the boys are doing and making sure that everybody is keen and hungry.”
The Seagulls mounted a late comeback themselves to win in Round 6 and will be mindful of how the Clydesdales finished in Round 2. Penna expects another close game this week.
“It will be a tough game,” Penna said.
“It was a tough game when we played them earlier. They’ll keep playing for 80 minutes. They’re getting better every week and the combinations are good. They’re going to throw plenty at us.
“They’ve won two of their last three games so will be full of confidence. We’ve just got to make sure we do all of the simple things well.”
Written by Rugby League Writers for Tweed Seagulls Media
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