It was another week of high scores in the Hastings Deering Colts competition, as reigning premiers Townsville made a statement against Norths and Tweed continued their dominance to stay on top of the ladder.
Here is a wrap of Round 5 of the Colts competition.
Game of the week
The Burleigh Bears nearly let a Round 5 win slip through their fingers in their battle with the Western Clydesdales on Saturday, after the Toowoomba-based team mounted a stunning comeback in the second half of their clash at UAA Park.
The eighth-placed Bears raced out to a 22-8 halftime lead at their home ground, with tries to Kedan Chan-Tung, Xavier Stowers, Jesse Tu’inukuafe and Boston Tagg. Both of the Clydesdales’ first half tries came through winger Jakeen Thompson.
It looked like a similar story was going to be written in the second stanza, with Burleigh second rower Seth Nikotemo barging through to extend the lead to 28-6 in the 49th minute.
However, from here the Clydesdales capitalised on their opportunities and fought back against the Bears, with their first second half try once again coming from Thompson, who kicked and regathered for himself to score.
Four minutes later, second rower Bud Smith hit the gap to bring the Western Clydesdales within 10 points, before prop Flynn Kaiser Capewell continued the momentum, sneaking across to go 28-24 with five minutes left on the clock.
However, it wasn’t enough for the Clydesdales to pull off a victory, and the Bears ended up sealing the game with a penalty goal right on fulltime.
Other scores
Tweed Seagulls 42 def Ipswich Jets 22
Redcliffe Dolphins 32 def Mackay Cutters 10
Sunshine Coast Falcons 56 def Central Queensland Capras 12
Souths Logan Magpies 54 def Northern Pride 12
Townsville Blackhawks 52 def Norths Devils 6
Byes: Brisbane Tigers, Wynnum Manly Seagulls
Mover of the week
The Wynnum Manly Seagulls snuck into the top four this week off the back of a bye, after the Redcliffe Dolphins handed the Mackay Cutters their first loss of the season.
The second-placed Dolphins notched up the 32-10 victory at Brighton’s Jim Lawrie Oval. Redcliffe are now one of three teams that remain undefeated, including the Brisbane Tigers who enjoyed their first bye of the season in Round 5, and the Tweed Seagulls.
Tweed held onto top spot on the ladder with a strong 42-22 win over the Ipswich Jets at North Ipswich Reserve on Saturday.
Shout outs
The Souths Logan Magpies registered their second win of the season in Round 5, toppling the Northern Pride 54-12 on Saturday.
Five-eighth Jaxon Yow – the Round 5 Heavy Lifter – was one of many strong performers from the Magpies, with the young playmaker scoring a hat-trick and making five tackle breaks, two line breaks and two line break assists.
Heavy lifter: Jaxen Yow
Fullback Byron Johnson was a standout once again with one try, 171 run metres, three try assists, one line break assist, two line breaks and 11 tackle busts, while centre Denzel Samoa notched up 203 run metres and two tries.
Lock Max Pakai was huge for the Magpies in defence, making 40 tackles and not missing one. He also scored a try, ran for 166 metres and made three tackle busts.
Elsewhere in Round 5, Sunshine Coast centre Mason Peut nabbed a double, ran for 224 metres and had five tackle breaks, while second rower Jett Elich made 179 run metres and four tackle busts.
For the Redcliffe Dolphins, their forwards shone once again with prop Tevita Toloi scoring a try, running for 134 metres and making six tackle breaks in 45 minutes. Second rower Braith Major had 38 tackles while Elijah Rasmussen and Michael Waqa packed a punch coming off the bench, running for 164 metres and 158 metres respectively.
For Tweed, centre Logan Radzievic ran for 175 metres, assisted in two tries, had three tackle breaks and two line break assists, while Burleigh halfback Boston Tagg scored a try, set up another, and had 11 kicks for 323 kick metres.
In Townsville’s massive win over Norths, fullback Ragarive Wavik nabbed a double, as did lock Tyreice Baira-Gela.
Finally, Western Clydesdales winger Jakeem Thompson impressed with a hat-trick, two line breaks and two tackle busts.