The Universities Rugby League Queensland ladder tightened up this week as the then-undefeated competition leaders went down, while the last-placed team had their first victory.
>> Queensland Universities rep applications close Monday.
QUT Trouts' fullback Richard Kay handed his coach – former teammate Blake Trace (both pictured above) – his first win with the clipboard when he kicked a conversion after the siren to down Australian Catholic University.
ACU had led 14-10 into the final minute before Kay hit some space out wide and jetted across the line, crossing near the posts to make his winning goal easier.
The conversion lifted the Trouts to a 16-14 victory, their first win in the opening four rounds of the URLQ.
Meanwhile down on the Gold Coast the Griffith Panthers got a shock as the Griffith Dragons ran over them.
The Panthers had won three straight to start the year but got a reality check as the Dragons led 20-0 at halftime.
Winger Jake Kearnan crossed twice as the Dragons went on to notch up a 32-0 victory and race to the top of the URLQ ladder on points differential.
At Logan, defending premiers - The University of Queensland Hounds - flexed their muscle, over-running an under-manned Griffith Logan Redbacks 42-6.
The Redbacks have had a spate of injuries, but showed some mettle to hang on to be down just 12-6 at halftime.
However, Hounds' five-eighth Aaron Werth dotted down twice in the second half as his team went on a scoring spree.
In next week's final round before the semester break, ACU travel to Logan to meet the Redbacks, the Hounds host the Gold Coast at St Lucia, and QUT will go to Nathan to play the Dragons.
URLQ ROUND 4 RESULTS
QUT TROUTS 16 (Richard Kay, Lachlan Platter, Taite Clark tries; Kay 2 goals) defeated ACU 14 (Kaika Fa'aso, Rowan Fittock, Stuart Kunjip tries; Fa'aso goal) at ACU Campus, Banyo.
UQ HOUNDS 42 (Aaron Werth 2, Chris Hansen, Mitch Wells, Ben Baldry, Braydon Lamb, Griffin Freeman tries; Wells 7 goals) defeated GRIFFITH LOGAN REDBACKS 6 (Daniel Lane try; Brent Gesch goal) at Griffith Logan campus, Meadowbrook.
GRIFFITH DRAGONS 32 (Jake Kearnan 2, Allen Rau, Clayton Bohan, Matthew Butler, Ty McGuren, Joshua Ryan tries; Dean Sheppard 2 goals) defeated GRIFFITH GC PANTHERS nil at Owen Park, Southport.
URLQ LADDER
10 Points: Griffith Dragons (+60), Griffith Gold Coast Panthers (+14)
8 Points: UQ Hounds (+40), ACU Brisbane (-4)
6 Points: Griffith Logan Redbacks (-44), QUT Trouts (-66)
>> Queensland Universities rep applications close Monday.
