Rugby League Coaching Manuals

Rookie Injects Vital Spark - Kevin Walters’ calculated punt on a 17-year-old rookie has reaped immediate rewards for the Ipswich Jets. The Jets coach elected to hand young forward Kurtis Lingwoodock his first Queensland Cup jersey against a Souths Logan team boasting NRL hardened forwards Tom Learoyd Lahrs, Ben Jones, Nigel Plum and Michael Weyman.

The big stage didn’t unsettle Lingwoodock, who made an impressive debut in Ipswich’s crucial 28-16 win over the Magpies at Brandon Park.

Lingwoodock, a Swifts junior and Queensland Under 18 representative, got through plenty of work in the first half after Walters handed him a surprise starting spot.

“He’s been going well in Colts and I thought we needed a bit of fresh blood there,” Walters said.

“He’s big enough and tough enough. I thought he handled it well.”

Lingwoodock has been close to winning a Queensland Cup berth on numerous other occasions this season but Walters bit the bullet and made an important change after Ipswich’s capitulation against Burleigh the previous week.

Walters put his players “on notice” after the loss to Burleigh and they responded with an impressive display against the Magpies.

Ipswich led 18-2 at one stage after tries from Brendan Marshall, Josh Lewis and Donald Malone.

Malone’s try will be a contender for ‘try of the year’.

The classy centre used his blistering speed and upper body strength to score a spectacular 60m try down the left flank shortly before half-time.

Malone swatted away numerous defenders to power his way over the try-line.

Souths Logan’s Nigel Plum must have taken note because he did a similar thing in the 36th minute to score a great solo try that lifted the Magpies’ spirits.

The Marc Herbert conversion narrowed the gap to 10 points.

But Ipswich’s 18-8 half-time lead blew out to 24-8 in the 50th minute when Lewis converted Scott Ireland’s try.

Ireland found space down the left-hand side of the field after a slick backline movement which featured that man Malone.

Souths Logan was barely clinging on at this stage but the big home crowd suddenly found their voice after quick-fire tries from Bronx Goodwin and Chad Grintell.

The Magpies appeared to be getting on top but their hopes were dashed when Ipswich playmaker Ian Lacey found Marshall with a long cut pass in the dying stages.

Marshall skipped around the defence with ease to plant the ball over the line for the final try of the match.

Although still without injured skipper Danny Coburn, the Jets received a boost with the timely return of classy hooker Michael Ryan.

The victory came at just the right time for the Jets, who now occupy top spot (on for and against) after the Northern Pride’s shock loss to the Central Comets.

The Jets have also pulled one win clear of Souths Logan.

The loss was the Magpies’ third-straight defeat. In a further blow, their injury crisis deepened when Weyman was assisted from the field in the 12th minute.

Weyman, who experienced pins and needles, was taken to hospital but was later cleared of serious injury.

Ipswich prop Aaron Sweeney was penalised and placed on report for his part in the tackle on Weyman.

Sweeney was also placed on report for a high tackle in the second half.

Bears Complete Job in Fog - BURLEIGH coach Jim Lenihan has spent most of his life around rugby league fields but the former St George centre was caught off guard in Mackay on Saturday night.

“Just after half-time a blanket of fog came across the ground,” Lenihan revealed.

“It got to the point where I couldn’t see the next kick off. I was a bit worried there for a while that they would call the game off.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

But Lenihan needn’t have worried.

The fog cleared and Burleigh went on with the job to record a crucial 22-16 victory against the Cutters at the Mackay Junior Fields.

The important win allowed the Bears to maintain their spot in the top five.

Lenihan was relieved to come away from Mackay with a victory.

“They (Mackay) never seem to lose by much,” Lenihan said.

“It was a tough game so it was good to get away with the win. It was probably just a good team effort.

“No one really stood out.”

The match was played in front of more than 4000 spectators, many of whom had come to watch Sarina product Wendell Sailor in full flight.

“I think he improved on last week a little,” Lenihan said.

“There was nothing to rave about but he’s not going to be super star Wendell after just two games back.”

Sailor is yet to cross for a try for the Bears, but he will no doubt be eyeing off the breakthrough touch down he craves if he takes the field for Burleigh in their round 19 clash against the Redcliffe Dolphins at Pizzey Park.

The bulk of the scoring in the match against Mackay was again left to Burleigh star Nick Parfitt.

The Queensland Residents representative scored a try and booted three important goals.

Parfitt’s four-pointer came in the opening minute of the second half after great lead up work from Brent McConnell.

The try came at just the right time for the Bears, who were under the pump at half-time.

Mackay took a 10-6 lead into the break after a bold showing in the opening exchanges.

“I think at half-time they (Mackay) had something like 20 out of 22 completed sets,” Lenihan said.

Lenihan’s team is now nicely placed to qualify for the finals for the first time since 2005.

Already with 22 competition points in the bank and a bye up their sleeve, a victory over the Dolphins next weekend may just be enough to confirm the Bears’ spot in the play-offs.

Comets Continue Late Rally - CAN the Central Comets take a place in this year’s final series? That is the main question Wizard Cup fans are asking after the Comets scorched ladder leading Northern Pride 28-16 in front of a parochial Browne Park crowd.

It is still more improbable than probable, but if they continue their form from last night, their odds will continue to shorten.

The Comets conceded the first try but struck back soon after and were never headed in what was a physical but scrappy affair.

Last time the two teams met, the Pride belted Central 40-10.

With revenge on their mind, Comets star halfback Nat Bowman said his side expected to win this week.

Asked if his team was pumped about their victory, Bowman replied: “Not really”.

“We were very confident heading into the match. It was a good win, but the way we have been playing, we always felt we should win,” Bowman said.

“We are a real team at the moment. There is a lot of confidence in the team and we aren’t just individuals anymore.”

The fact the Comets see the historic win as merely another step, not a great achievement, is a positive for a club that has never reached the finals.

Indeed, the Comets, who currently sit on 18 points, will need to keep winning if they are to take one of the two finals spots still left.

The Comets inspiration was classy fullback Guy Williams.

Normally a five-eighth, Williams was bashed all game by the Pride’s kick-chase team, but kept returning the ball with vigour.

“He was great out there. He did heaps of work for us,” Bowman said.

“He looked pretty worn out in the sheds after the game. That’s my normal position so I felt a bit sorry for him that he had to work so much.”

While the Comets gained much from the match, the Pride are now back with the pack.

The Pride’s trip to Browne Park was supposed to see them place one hand on the minor premiership trophy.

 But after being outmuscled, the Pride is now level pegging with the Ipswich Jets.

Next week the Pride plays Tweed Heads, while the Comets face an in-form Wynnum Manly side at Kougari Oval.

When the teams last played in round eight, the Seagulls won a tight contest 34-24 and if the Comets can reverse that score line, the question of whether they can make the finals will become even more intriguing.

Gulls Clinch Bartons Cup - A SCINTALLING second-half burst from Wynnum Manly has propelled the Seagulls to a convincing 42-20 victory over the Easts Tigers at Langlands Park.

The Seagulls took a slender 12-10 lead into half-time in front of a bumper crowd.

Easts coach Darren Smith had barely settled into his regular viewing position upon the resumption of play when the rot set in.

Within the blink of an eye, the scoreboard went from12-10 to 36-10 in favour of a try-hungry Seagulls outfit which now has the inaugural Bartons Cup to display alongside the Herald Cup.

The visitors ran in four converted tries in a devastating 17 minute period against a shell shocked Easts team that probably had the better of the opening 40 minutes.

Wynnum’s rampage began in the 45th minute when Chris McQueen flung the ball back on the inside to Chris Currie, who darted over to score.

Chris Birch’s sideline conversion put the Gulls in front 18-10.

More pain was to come for the Tigers in the 50th minute when courageous Seagulls fullback David Seage sliced through from a kick return.

Seage used all his experience to find a flying Joel Moon in support.

The long-striding centre ran away from the chasing pack to score an eye-catching try that broke the Tigers’ back.

Already 14 points down, the Tigers needed to put in a big defensive set to get back into the contest.

But the Tigers refused to muscle up and veteran forward Adam Brideson made them pay when he barged over under the sticks.

Just two minutes later, the Seagulls were in again courtesy of speedy winger Ryan Brown.

The conversion put the Seagulls in front 36-10 and the red-faced Tigers were in very real danger of conceding a cricket score.

But to their credit, Easts lifted in the final 15 minutes to post tries through Kev Stephensen and Liam Campbell.

With their season on the line, Easts threw the ball around in a desperate attempt to reel in the massive deficit.

But the clock was always going to beat them, and in the end a late mistake resulted in a runaway try to Wynnum’s Chris McQueen.

The victorious Wynnum Manly team was presented with the Bartons Cup immediately after the entertaining game.

The Cup was on the line after the first match between the two fierce rivals finished in a 22-22 draw.

While Easts are now no hope of qualifying for the finals, the Seagulls’ campaign has gathered enormous momentum.

The Shane McNally-coached side sits in fourth position and with two more home matches and the bye up their sleeve, Seagulls supporters have every right to be excited about their title prospects.

Dolphins Keep Heat on Pack - AFTER registering a comfortable but unspectacular victory over the Norths Devils today, the Redcliffe Dolphins turned their focus to next weekend’s season-defining clash with the Burleigh Bears.

The 28-8 victory over the Devils at Dolphin Oval ensured Redcliffe (21) remained hot on the heels of both Burleigh (22) and Wynnum Manly (22).

“We can only control who we play next week and the beauty of next week is we play Burleigh,” Redcliffe coach Gary O’Brien said.

The Dolphins hammered Burleigh 62-28 in their round one clash this year but only a brave betting man would tip a similar scoreline this time around.

With the finals only weeks away, Sunday’s Pizzey Park clash is likely to be hard-fought battle with all the bruising forward exchanges of a sudden-death final.

Having won three matches on the trot, Burleigh carries the superior form into the round 19 clash.

But Redcliffe is slowly warming to the task after following up their win over Mackay (round 16) with a comfortable victory against the Devils.

Redcliffe led 12-8 at half-time and kept the young Devils scoreless in the second half.

“We weren’t terrific with the footy but our defence was fairly good,” O’Brien said.

Playing at five-eighth, the highly talented Palmer Wapau showcased his vast array of skills with some nice touches.

The ultra consistent Mick Roberts and robust back-rower Derrick Watkins were also impressive for the Dolphins.

Playing only his second game in the top grade, young gun Andrew Rickertt showed why he is a player of the future by crossing for one of Redcliffe’s five tries.

Apart from a few “bumps and bruises”, O’Brien said the Dolphins suffered no major injury concerns.

After a forgettable season which has so far netted just two victories, the young Devils will welcome the bye next weekend.

Norths will have to win all three of their remaining games and hope Mackay fails to pick up another competition point if they are to avoid the wooden-spoon. 
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