The semi-finals of the QTOP Cup are here, featuring two do-or-die blockbusters against the top four teams of the Gold Coast competition.
It will be an epic affair to kick things off on Saturday when the second-placed Burleigh Bears take on the third-placed Southport Tigers at Pizzey Park.
When these two sides last met in finals football, it was Burleigh taking out last year’s grand final, so Southport will be desperate to turn the tables and get one back on the side that saw them fall just short of glory last season.
Southport assistant coach Ron Brown said his team will need to come prepared for a tough and gruelling match against some quality opposition.
“It’ll be a tough game,” Brown said.
"They’ll come at us and won’t stop, but we won’t stop either.
“We need to show effort and work hard defensively, and we have a few measures to counteract their game plan, so if we get our defence in order, our attack will come.”
Brown said for the team’s goal of playing at Cbus Super Stadium to come true, they’ll have to bring their best.
“The boys are excited and really want to play there, so if we put in the effort this weekend, we will get there,” the Tigers assistant coach said.
Desperate to defend last year’s title, Burleigh head coach Matt Foster said his team must first enjoy the occasion and all do their roles to get the win.
ICYMI: Burleigh v Southport
“We need to play relaxed and stick to that grind-football mentality,” Foster said.
“We’ve got to understand what we have been working on so far, which is the patience and mentality of grind-football.”
Foster said his side can expect a fired-up Southport outfit to run out this Saturday.
“They’re a very dedicated team who have a lot of reasons and desire to have a crack at us,” the Bears coach said.
“Southport have been nearly there the last few years and there is probably a lot of pressure on them to find something.
“We are coming up against a team that is running seriously hot.”
On Sunday, minor premiers Runaway Bay Seagulls will go head-to-head against the fourth-placed Mudgeeraba Redbacks at Bycroft Oval.
In the shortened 10-round season, the Seagulls were able to finish the year without registering a loss to claim top spot, while the Redbacks snagged a finals berth in what is their first year in the competition.
Runaway Bay coach Nick Gleeson said it was a proud moment for the club to claim its first minor premiership.
“It’s been a real challenge getting the boys back on the park this year and full credit to the committee, volunteers and sponsors for getting us there,” Gleeson said.
“The boys worked really hard, not only the players, but the staff and committee; so this is now our chance to repay them.”
Despite the pressures sudden-death footy may bring, Gleeson said he wants to see his side enjoy themselves and not let the pressure get to them.
“It's something I hammer on about, whether it’s at training or on game day, the minute it becomes a chore, that’s when the players lose interest,” the Seagulls coach said.
“We’ve done a lot of hard work to make the semis, so we need to be prepared, have fun and look after each other.”
After last coming up against Mudgeeraba all the way back in Round 1, the Runaway Bay coach said his team needs to be ready for a hungry and energetic Redbacks side come Sunday.
“We will come up against a hungry and enthused Mudgeeraba side with a lot of supporters, so it will make for a really good game,” Gleeson said.
“They’re a good club who have won grand finals in Reserve Grade, so as a core group and coaching staff, they’ll know what to expect when playing finals.”
After last week’s loss to defending premiers Burleigh saw his team drop to fourth, Mudgeeraba coach Wayne Forbes said the setback of last weekend won’t affect their performance come Sunday.
“Leading into last weekend’s game, we knew the consequences of a win or a loss, so that hasn’t played on our mind because we are still here playing finals footy,” Forbes said.
In their first year in the A Grade competition, the Redbacks coach said he hopes his side can continue to build on what has already been a year of success for the club.
“The year has certainly been a success so far… despite a couple of blow outs, our games have been close and to play finals football is a massive achievement,” the Mudgeeraba coach said.
While they will start the game as underdogs against a strong Seagulls outfit, Forbes knows his team has the strike power to get the victory.
“Runaway Bay will be strong at home, but it’s finals footy and anything can happen,” Forbes said.
“We aren’t overwhelmed by Bay’s success.
"We’ve done our homework and have come up with a game plan.
“We will definitely be turning up on Sunday to give it a red-hot crack.”
Both matches will be broadcast live on the Rugby League Gold Coast Facebook page.
Semi-finals fixtures
| Time | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 4pm Saturday, October 10 | Burleigh Bears v Southport Tigers | Pizzey Park, Burleigh |
| 3pm Sunday, October 11 | Runaway Bay Seagulls v Mudgeeraba Redbacks | Bycroft Oval, Runaway Bay |
Semi-finals team lists
Burleigh Bears v Southport Tigers
Burleigh Bears
1. Jayden Campbell 2. Taine Tuaupiki 3. Allan Lockwood 4. Regan Ogle 5. William Evans 6. Shallin Fuller 7. Joshua Rogers 8. Tyler Szepanowski 9. Jordan Scott 10. Lochlyn Sheldon 11. Brett Stratton 20. Tristan Powell 13. Reece Summer 14. George House 15. Andrew Scougall 16. Sami Sauiluma 17. Ben Valeni
Southport Tigers
1. Kobi Annand 2. Curtis Dansey-Smaller 3. Ethan O'Neill 4. Lee Turner 5. Callum Burgess-Boomer 6. Blake Scott 7. Jack Cook 8. Jarrod Morfett 9. Liam Hampson 10. Daniel Shannon 11. Lamar Manuel-Liolevave 12. Jaleel Seve Derbas 13. Brock Hamill 14. Campbell Pirihi 15. Harley Wood 16. Benjamin Thomas 17. Nathan Young
Runaway Bay Seagullls v Mudgeeraba Redbacks
Runaway Bay Seagulls
1. John Mackin 2. Jaylan To'o 3. Jamie Anderson 4. Jordan Menzies 5. Jake Powell 6. Guy Hamilton 7. Alex Bishop 22. Sione Kupa 9. Jenan Wedderburn-Parrish 15. Vinncent Takataka 11. Darcy Sims 12. Luke Burton 13. William Samuel 14. Ediq Ambrosyev 16. Mitchell Whitton 19. Doryaan Hape Apiata 20. Harrison Muller
Mudgeeraba Redbacks
1. Kyle Williams 2. Joshua Bukowski 3. Ricardo Parata 4. Dylan Pelo 5. Henry Garrett 6. Steven Rooney 7. Jakob Schimke 8. Daymeric Pelo 9. Brent Woolf 10. Jesse Malcolm 11. Parahi Wilson 12. James Hill 13. Kobe Tararo 14. Kane Kelleher 15. Nathan Schwass 16. Joshua Willcocks
