Neil Cadigan
The Campbell Construction Co. Tweed Seagulls showed enormous character to overcome adversity and break a second long-standing hoodoo in successive weeks with their 28-16 victory at Redcliffe on Saturday night.
Displaying all the ANZAC characteristics that were being celebrated nationwide over the weekend, the Seagulls dug in defensively and refused to surrender against a disciplined and aggressive Dolphins side, only securing the victory with a Herman Ese’ese try in the 73rd minute.
Tweed had not won at Redcliffe since 2015 and had not got within 20 points of the Dolphins in their previous four visits, copping some hammerings along the way (74-6, 30-4, 42-16 and 26-6).
They lost experienced winger Talor Walters, who was bedridden with illness, the day before the game with Ethan O’Neill a worthy replacement. Already they were without their best player of recent weeks, Sam McIntyre, who played superbly in his NRL return with the Titans on Friday night.
Then chief playmaker, halfback Toby Sexton, surrendered to a sternum injury in the 55th minute, meaning hookers Liam Hampson and Brent Woolf had to cover the No. 7 role despite obvious fatigue in a match where Tweed did most of the defending.
“It was a really gutsy effort,” said a delighted coach Ben Woolf, a week after his side broke an eight-game losing streak against Burleigh Bears.
“Redcliffe completed 18 from 20 sets in the second half and threw everything at us all game, so we really had to hang in there.
“And we overcame some adversity too.
“First, Joe Vuna had to come off with a shoulder injury after 25 minutes but then went back on for the last 15.
“We had to keep both our starting props, Jai Whitbread and JJ Collins, on the field for nearly 50 minutes (Whitbread returned for the last nine) in a really tough game but they just keep going.
“Then Toby Sexton finally bowed to the sternum injury that was troubling him and that obviously threw our attack out. But Liam Hampson and Brent Woolf really stood up for us, swapping between half and hooker and overcoming fatigue from their workload.
“It was a tremendous team effort again and the way we defended our line when Redcliffe threw some good shape at us for long periods and we were able to dig in and ward them off. And Redcliffe’s line speed and physicality was top class too; it was a really tough 80 minutes.”
Dylan Parker Photography: Will Brimson on the run
Amid the grit was also some brilliance, again coming from slightly built fullback Jayden Campbell who scored the try of the match in the 30th minute to give the Seagulls a 10-4 lead.
Campbell fielded a bomb on his own line but weaved his way past several Dolphins defenders through outstanding footwork and speed before getting to fullback Trai Fuller, who he stepped and then beat for pace. It was no fluke from the son of Dally M Medal winner Preston Campbell – he scored a similar try in round three against the Magpies.
After Redcliffe had opened the scoring with a try out wide to centre Jeremy Hawkins after just three minutes before Vuna responded the set after a Lindon McGrady 40-20, Campbell’s try broke a relentless grinding deadlock between the two sides.
A try to winger O’Neill just over a minute before the break gave Tweed an 18-4 half-time lead but Sexton’s injury and Redcliffe’s consistent high-quality attack under the direction of skipper Cameron Cullen ensured the match was far from over.
A converted try to Dolphins lock Jackson Frei made it 18-10 before Lindon McGrady broke Redcliffe’s stride against the run of play, a la Campbell, when he charged down a kick and ran 80 metres to just make the line before the cover converged.
That took the score 22-10 but the Dolphins kept piling on the pressure and were rewarded when Brayden Dee crossed in the 63rd minute with Justin Worley’s conversion taking Redcliffe to within six points of the Gulls.
But it was the brave Seagulls who iced the result. Hampson floated from dummy half close to the line and Ese-ese pushed up into the space Hampton created and crashed over.
Campbell was outstanding for the Seagulls, positioning himself well to smother Cullen’s accurate short kicking game and withstanding some heavy defence while Woolf (who played the final 57 minutes) was first-class, tackling himself to a standstill yet still finding energy to shine in attack with great support from Hampson who played 58 minutes in two stints.
The Seagulls, who have won four of their first five games and 10 of their past 13, face their third game on the road next weekend when they travel to North Ipswich to take on the Jets.
TWEED SEAGULLS 28 (E O’Neill, J Vuna, B Campbell, L McGrady, H Ese’ese tries: L McGrady 4 goals) def.
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS 16 (J Hawkins, J Frei, B Dee tries; J Worley 2 goals) at Moreton Daily Stadium.
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