Goodna and Districts Eagles remain in the hunt for a top-two finish thanks to a 34-20 win over Swifts Bluebirds in Round 16 of the Rugby League Ipswich A Grade Competition.
XXXX Queensand Rangers representative Ono So’oailo crossed for four of the Eagles’ six tries in a win that saw them move into third place.
Fellow Ranger Brett Kelly also got on the scoreboard, as did Siulongus Fotofili in a win that saw the Eagles move within two points of second place.
A top-two finish is vital as it provides a second chance in the finals, while third and fourth play elimination football from Week 1.
The Eagles flew out of the gates with six wins in their first seven games, before being hit hard during the representative season and winning just one of their five games between Round 9 and Round 13.
Wins over Fassifern and Swifts in the past two weeks have steadied the ship and back at full strength the Eagles are still close enough to reel in a top-two finish.
They’ll start heavy favourites against the West End Bulldogs this weekend with games against Norths, Brothers and Redbank to finish the season.
The team currently in second place is the Redbank Plains Bears who are unbeaten in their last nine games and accounted for West End 44-12 last weekend.
Redbank take on fifth placed Norths this weekend with games against Brothers, Goodna and Fassifern to come.
Round 17’s final game features the Swifts Bluebirds taking on the Fassifern Bombers in a must-win game for the Bluebirds.
Swifts have dropped from second to fourth after consecutive losses to each of their top four rivals in the last three weeks.
The Bluebirds have an opportunity to play themselves into form with games against Fassifern, West End and Norths before a Round 21 clash with Brothers Ipswich.
* Main image courtesy of Goodna Senior RLFC
Rugby League Ipswich A Grade Round 17 fixtures
West End Bulldogs v Goodna & Districts Eagles – Saturday July 20 at Daniel’s Park, 5pm
Northern Suburbs Ipswich Tigers v Redbank Plains Bears – Sunday July 21 at Keith Sternberg Oval, 3pm
Swifts Bluebirds v Fassifern Bombers – Sunday July 21 at Swifts Rugby League Football Club, 3pm
Brothers Ipswich, bye
Ladder
| Pos | Team | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brothers Ipswich | 287 | 44 |
| 2 | Redbank Plains Bears | 116 | 41 |
| 3 | Goodna & Districts Eagles | 291 | 39 |
| 4 | Swifts Bluebirds | 82 | 37 |
| 5 | Northern Suburbs Ipswich Tigers | -86 | 32 |
| 6 | Fassifern Bombers | -318 | 24 |
| 7 | West End Bulldogs | -372 | 23 |
Round 16 results
Goodna & Districts Eagles 34 def Swifts Bluebirds 20
Brothers Ipswich 38 def Northern Suburbs Ipswich Tigers 34
Redbank Plains Bears 44 def West End Bulldogs 12
Fassifern Bombers, bye
