Strong win has Magpies keen to improve ahead of Dolphins clash

In their Round 5 match against Burleigh Bears last weekend, the Magpies showed the class and resilience, starting the match on fire, scoring four tries in the first 36 minutes to blow the Bears away.

Speaking about the match, Magpies coach Lincoln McLeod said he was pleased with the result and the effort of his players and knew what he wanted from his team moving forward. 

“I value our completion rates and staying around the contest until the end,” McLeod said.

“That’s the sort of football we want to play. We haven’t had any stars, just a solid team performance."

McLeod knows the trip to Moreton Daily Stadium won’t be an easy one this weekend.

“The Dolphins are in third place for a reason... they’re always a strong club and hard to beat," McLeod said. 

To beat the Dolphins, McLeod will be counting on his key players to stand up. 

Cruise Ten must be as close to a star performer as you can be. In the win against the Bears, the Magpies backrower made 192 run metres, while Rhys Sparey made two line breaks. In defence, Jett Trembath made 24 tackles.

Their opponents the Dolphins last played in Round 4, just getting pipped 13-12 by Townsville Blackhawks, and will be nice and rested up after a week off and ready to fire against the Magpies on Saturday afternoon.

The round will kick off with Tweed Seagulls at home to Northern Pride, with the game moved to Tugun due to recent poor weather.

The Pride will be super keen to get to the Gold Coast and take on the Tweed after a tough loss last week where they came up against a rampant Central Queensland Capras side who couldn’t be stopped.

The Pride couldn’t hold out the Capras who put on an attacking show in scoring 80 points and running in 14 tries. The Pride defence will need to work overtime this week to correct the 62 missed tackles.

Tweed will have used the week off for reflection after a last round loss to Wynnum Manly Seagulls where they went down 42-20. The loss has burned the Tweed for little longer and they will be keen to correct their mistakes on the field this weekend.

At BMD Kougari Oval on Saturday, Wynnum Manly will play host to Ipswich Jets, with both sides posting last-start wins. 

Wynnum Manly had a great win over Tweed, while Ipswich scored an impressive upset win over the high-flying Sunshine Coast Falcons to silence their home crowd. 

Ipswich were outstanding in the game, but come up against another big test against the Seagulls who have plenty of impressive players in their side.

Two in-form teams in Norths Devils and Central Queensland Capras come head-to-head in what might be the game of the round.

The Capras are as yet undefeated in their their last game, secured an 80-10 win against the Pride, putting in a five-star performance. 

Thallon Peters was a major part of the win with 181 metres and Jye Marriott with two-line breaks was also great for Central Queensland.

Norths had their own big day out in their last start, scoring 58-12 against the Clydesdales in an outstanding effort. Hayden Rowbottom scored three tries in the win. 

Saturday's final game will see the Burleigh Bears at home to the Mackay Cutters.

The Bears played the Magpies last weekend and took a while to get started, ultimately suffering a loss as a result. The Bears took until the 28th minute to score and that was too little, too late.

Holding 46 per cent of the ball wasn’t enough to beat the Magpies and 54 missed tackles will need correction this week.

The Cutters last game was a disappointing 36-14 loss to Brisbane Tigers before the bye weekend.

On Sunday, the Sunshine Coast Falcons will host Brisbane Tigers to complete the round.

The Tigers bring some form into this round with a strong win over the Cutters before the bye. The side would have enjoyed their weekend off, knowing they were going to face the Falcons with a win behind them.

The Falcons however would have been feeling the opposite way and were not doubt stewing on their surprise loss to the Jets for the past two weeks. Given the Falcons were the top of the table and the Jets winless, it was a huge upset.

However, there is plenty of class in the side and they will be keen to get back onto the field and show the Tigers what they have got.

Due to the extreme weather preventing safe travel for some players in the Western Clydesdales side to join with their team, their match against Townsville Blackhawks has been postponed.

The match will now take place on Saturday, May 28, with a time to be determined. Keep an eye on QRL.com.au for more details. 

You can watch all Hastings Deering Colts matches live at QPlus.tv.  

QRL Match Review charges results - Hastings Deering Colts Round 5