With the Bycroft Shield on the line, the battle between the Southport Tigers and Runaway Bay Seagulls on Saturday at Owen Park will be the highlighted match of Round 6 of the Rugby League Gold Coast QTOP A Grade Competition.
As a handful of players were out due to injury and representative commitments, the Tigers struggled to field a side last week with only 13 players left at fulltime as they fell short to the Tweed Head Seagulls in a 40-6 loss.
"We lacked numbers against Tweed, however we always look forward and never back," Tigers coach Mark Ross said.
Commending the team for their commitment during a tough week, Ross is confident the team will be competitive against Runaway Bay.
Beau Cordtz, Denzal Ngati, Jaleel Seve, Nathan Young and Tevita Folau will return this week following their selection to play in last weekend's Alpha Sports Chairman's Challenge.
Excited for the clash against the Runaway Bay Seagulls, the Tigers are eager to regain their momentum from earlier in the season.
As injury takes its toll on the Runaway Bay Seagulls, the team has seen a slight shift in their playing roster.
Regular A Grade players Andrew Vela and Keanu Rimene are both out of action for 5-8 weeks following the physical clash against top of the ladder Currumbin two weeks ago.
The Seagulls are working on discipline and aim to gel more as a side following the recent changes.
"We have had to rely on the assistance from our reserve grade side and focus on combinations to get the new boys up to speed," Runaway Bay Seagulls coach Nick Gleeson said.
The elevation of Runaway Bay junior Darcy Sims and Ross Afoa is a great motivator for all those playing in the reserve grade side.
At other grounds, the Tugun Seahawks will battle it out with local rival the Currumbin Eagles, the Burleigh Bears will host the Bilambil Jets and up north Ormeau will play Tweed.
Rugby League Gold Coast QTOP A Grade Round 9
Tugun Seahawks v Currumbin Eagles - Saturday May 26, Boyd Street at 2.30pm
Southport Tigers v Runaway Bay Seagulls - Saturday May 26, Owen Park at 6.20pm
Burleigh Bears v Ormeau Shearers - Sunday May 27, Pizzey Park at 2pm
