Tweed secure first victory since joining SEQW

Fresh off their maiden victory last weekend, the Tweed Seagulls will look to make it two in a row against the Wests Brisbane Panthers in Round 3 of the SEQW Division 1 competition.

The Seagulls are the new kids on the block this season and their win over the Toowoomba Valleys Roosters was a big moment for the club and the players.

After leading 12-4 at the break, the Seagulls impressed in the second half, posting a further 22-points to claim a 34-8 victory, their first since joining the competition.

Seagulls coach Kelvin Wright said the win was important for his team’s confidence and gave them belief they have the ability to win games in this competition.

“I have always had confidence in them, but it helped give them some understanding themselves of what they are capable of,” he said.

“We’ve had a few up-and-down weeks through the trials and the first round, but I think we’ve finally been able to put together a consistent team and our combinations and just their understanding of the game is getting a lot better.

“(Against Toowoomba) they took their opportunities a lot better. I think we have quite skilled players and we play a good style.

"They pushed up well in support and defensively I thought they worked really hard to defend their try line and overall did a really good job.”

Wright praised the work of halfback Tarryn Aiken for being “vital” to the team’s attack as well as hooker Abbie Beecher who capitalised on opportunities when presented.

Tweed were beaten handily by Easts in Round 1, but their bounce back against Toowoomba was exactly what they needed ahead of two tough games coming up against last year’s grand finalists in the next two week.

This Sunday they hit the road to take on the Wests Brisbane Panthers, who were runners up last season.

The Panthers will be fresh off a Round 2 bye, with a big win over Toowoomba their only appearance so far this season.

Wright said while they respect their opposition, they are not in position to be worrying too much about what other sides will do, choosing rather to focus on achieving their own goals week-to-week.

“To me, I’ve always said the results will come,” he said.

“If we fully focus on ourselves and don’t worry about any other teams and look for improvement in certain areas each week - if we do that, and we are competitive and give ourselves a chance of winning each week then I’ll be happy.

“Defensively, it’s about working together, getting some good contact and trying to control the speed of the tackle. In attack, it’s just trying to continue to improve, have a reasonably low error rate and keep pushing up in support.”

Kick-off between the Seagulls and the Magpies is this Sunday afternoon at Frank Lind Oval from 1.30pm.

Elsewhere in the third round of the SEQW Division 1 competition, Easts Tigers host Brothers Ipswich, Toowoomba head to Pizzey Park to take on the Burleigh Bears and the Souths Logan Magpies have the bye.

SEQW Division 1 Round 3

Easts v Brothers Ipswich - Saturday, April 13 at Langlands Park, 5pm

Burleigh Bears v Toowoomba Valleys - Saturday, April 13 at Pizzey Park, 5.45pm

Wests Brisbane Panthers v Tweed Heads Seagulls - Sunday, April 14 at Frank Lind Oval, 1.30pm

Souths Logan - bye

Ladder

Round 2 results

Tweed Heads 34 def Toowoomba Valleys 8

Burleigh 12 def Easts 10

Brothers Ipswich 16 def Souths Logan 4

Wests Brisbane, bye

* Photos courtesy of 'SMP Images'