Round 9 Saturday wrap: Wynnum Manly withstand physical Jets test
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Wynnum Manly Seagulls are on their own on top of the Hostplus Cup ladder after being made to fight against a physical Ipswich Jets side at BMD Kougari Oval on Saturday.
Matthew Milson was at his electric best in the first half as the Seagulls took a 16-4 lead into the break, producing a moment of brilliance with a remarkable flick pass to put Kurt Falls over for a four-pointer.
The Jets failed to capitalise on a number of chances on the Wynnum Manly line in the opening stanza until the dying seconds when Aaron Schoupp gave the side some hope.
The home side stayed in the grind longer than Ipswich in the second half and pulled away with three tries in 12 minutes to put the result beyond doubt.
Humble Seagulls fullback Matthew Milson said he was lucky have good players around him and praised his forwards for laying the platform for the backs.
"We train really hard through the week and the expectations at training, I think that laid the platform for us to come here today (and win)," he said.
"I think it's just getting our reps in at training. These boys make my job a lot easier, talking to me, a bit of small talk, and that's what gets us around the park."
Milson said there was still plenty to work on despite the 32-point win.
"I think we did put ourselves under a bit of pressure in that second half, not sticking to what we know, just a little bit of drop ball and getting them back in the game, but it's always something to build on, something to work on," he said.
Match: WM Seagulls v Jets
Round 9 -
home Team
WM Seagulls
4th Position
away Team
Jets
14th Position
Venue: BMD Kougari Oval, Brisbane
And on that flick pass: "That's just blackfulla footy, I guess. Just playing eyes up, not really doing anything just backing my ability."
Wynnum Manly coach Mat Head said it was pleasing to see Milson thriving with confidence once again after a hamstring injury caused him to miss part of the preseason.
"He's probably started the season slower than he would've liked but he was good today and is starting to build nicely and it's very pleasing to see," he said.
"I thought Sefa (Roache-Faimalo) out in the centres was extremely strong and Luke Gale was very good for the 80 minutes, so we had some good contributors out there. Today we probably weren't all over the park like we were last week, but we had some people who stood up and that was pleasing to see."
Head said the scoreline didn't reflect the physical challenge Ipswich laid down and was proud to see his side stick at it in the hard times.
"I thought Ipswich came out flying, 'Crossy' (Ipswich Jets coach Ben Cross) and his players came with the right attitude and mentality and from the balcony it looked very physical and the players mentioned that," he said.
"Full credit to Ipswich the way they turned up and they're going to win footy games if they play that way, so I'm just proud of my boys with how they withheld what they threw at us and we were able to go 'bang, bang' on them a few times, which was very good."
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Match: Hunters v Pride
Round 9 -
home Team
Hunters
9th Position
away Team
Pride
3rd Position
Venue: Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby
Braidon Burns scored two tries in the first seven minutes for his new side before the Hunters went to work and overpowered the visitors.
Match: Seagulls v Blackhawks
Round 9 -
home Team
Seagulls
12th Position
away Team
Blackhawks
13th Position
Venue: Tugun RLFC, Tugun
It was a thriller at Tugun as Matthew Wright kicked a field goal to put his side ahead by seven in the 75th minute, before a Tony Francis try gave the home side some hope.
Match: Cutters v Bears
Round 9 -
home Team
Cutters
8th Position
away Team
Bears
2nd Position
Venue: Whitsundays Sports Park, Airlie Beach
Josiah Karapani and Kea Pere scored doubles as Burleigh marched to victory.
Match: Dolphins v Capras
Round 9 -
home Team
Dolphins
6th Position
away Team
Capras
11th Position
Venue: Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe
The Capras got back into the winner's circle at the expense of the Dolphins, who have now lost three straight games.
Match: Magpies v Clydesdales
Round 9 -
home Team
Magpies
10th Position
away Team
Clydesdales
15th Position
Venue: Logan Metro Football Fields, Logan
Luke Jurd scored a double to give the visitors a sniff before Joseph Tomane sealed the win with a late try.
Main image: Sefa Roache-Faimalo was one of the standouts for Wynnum Manly. Photo: Jacob Grams/QRL
