To say Sunshine Coast Stadium was packed and the vibe was good would be a giant understatement.
Ryan Papenhuyzen made his much anticipated return to rugby league with the Sunshine Coast Falcons against Ipswich Jets in front of thousands.
It has been 384 days since he last played for Melbourne Storm - 1561 days since he last donned a Falcons jersey. And the smile on his face as he ran out showed how much it meant to him to be back.
Papenhuyzen played the first half and contributed six points to the Falcons' 24-point tally.
Match: Falcons v Jets
Round 20 -
home Team
Falcons
9th Position
away Team
Jets
15th Position
Venue: Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast
Falcons captain Luke Polselli said it was good to get the win as the Falcons fight for a finals berth.
"It was tough... probably not the way we wanted to play, but it's a win and heading into these finals we need a few wins to hopefully get us there," Polselli said.
"We're one step closer."
Polselli said the inclusion of Papenhuyzen - and the boisterous crowd - was a nice lift for the side.
"He's unreal... just his experience and he really got around the boys, which is good, especially at captain's run, and before we warmed up for this game, he was really good," Polselli said, as Papenhuyzen was swamped by hundreds of excited children on the field post-game.
"You can see what kind of player he is... how much of a difference he makes. Hopefully he's back with us next week.
"The crowd were all screaming out 'Papenhuyzen'. That was good... it just shows how much it means to the community. How much a player like Paps means to a small community like this. It's just incredible."
Polselli said moving forward, the Falcons needed to work on game control.
"I think we were in a good spot there just to really put them away, but we just couldn't... hopefully we can just learn and get better for next week," Polselli said.
"Across the whole park, I thought were quite good. Just a few defensive areas and a few penalties that we're probably not happy with. But, yeah, we'll look at the tape and see."
Northern Pride second rower Evan Moore scored a hat-trick in his side's win over Tweed Seagulls, keeping them in the race for finals.
Match: Seagulls v Pride
Round 20 -
home Team
Seagulls
7th Position
away Team
Pride
8th Position
Venue: Piggabeen Sports Complex, Tweed Heads
PNG Hunters winger Solo Wane scored a double in Port Moresby to help the Hunters get the win against an in-form Redcliffe Dolphins.
Match: Hunters v Dolphins
Round 20 -
home Team
Hunters
11th Position
away Team
Dolphins
6th Position
Venue: Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby
Western Clydesdales' Melino Fineanganofo and Jordan Lipp both scored doubles in their side's win against Norths Devils. The Clydesdales started strong and held on at the end to claim the two points.
Match: Clydesdales v Devils
Round 20 -
home Team
Clydesdales
13th Position
away Team
Devils
12th Position
Venue: Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba
Edrick Lee and Trey Brown both scored doubles in Central Queensland Capras' win over Townsville Blackhawks.
Match: Capras v Blackhawks
Round 20 -
home Team
Capras
5th Position
away Team
Blackhawks
10th Position
Venue: Browne Park, Rockhampton
Tom Rafter crossed the line twice to help Brisbane Tigers get the win over ladder leaders Souths Logan Magpies.
Match: Tigers v Magpies
Round 20 -
home Team
Tigers
3rd Position
away Team
Magpies
1st Position
Venue: Totally Workwear Stadium, Brisbane