The Tweed Seagulls have inched closer to the top eight, closing this year's Country Week with a victory over the Western Clydesdales.
The final match of Country Week, presented by Ford, was a high-scoring clash but one that saw the Seagulls strengthen their finals hopes as they leapfrogged Mackay Cutters and Brisbane Tigers on the Hostplus Cup ladder.
Posting a 34-20 win at Dalby's Rugby League Football Ground, Tweed were buoyed by the presence of former Wallabies playmaker and Gold Coast Titans affiliate Carter Gordon, who scored a try on debut.
But it wasn't an easy victory, as the Seagulls overcame a 12-all halftime deadlock to secure the two points.
Coach David Penna said after the game that the focus for Tweed is not on finals at this stage, but it was promising to see how his side stood up in the second half.
Match: Clydesdales v Seagulls
Round 19 -
home Team
Clydesdales
15th Position
away Team
Seagulls
11th Position
Venue: Dalby Rugby League Football Ground, Dalby
"Both teams turned up to play some footy," Penna said.
"It was difficult conditions with the wind. But for us, I was just pleased we didn't panic and kept going back to what we did well.
"We're not worrying about the eight (at this stage). We had a six week period there where we had nine starting players out for about five or six weeks and we still have four or five out.
"We just want to finish well. The boys deserve to finish well. That's all we're focusing on."
Alongside Gordon, six other Tweed players crossed the line on Sunday afternoon, including Tom Weaver, Malakhi Donovan, Jacob McCudden, Tony Francis, Tom Steadman and Kaleb Ngamanu.
Takai Mokohar, Esom Ioka, Corey Fenning and Levi Helleur-Atiga were the tryscorers for the Clydesdales.
Penna said he tried to limit the attention on Gordon throughout the week ahead of the 23-year-old's first game of rugby league.
He said he was impressed by what he produced on Sunday and knows there's plenty more to come from the young gun, whether that's in Cup or in the NRL.
"I tried to keep Carter out of everything all week," Penna said.
"He's a quality athlete and played at the highest level for his country.
"For us, it was about him getting an understanding of how it is and I thought he handled it really, really well.
"He's strong, he was brave in carrying the ball... once he gets used to the rules and gets around it, he's going to be a quality player for the Titans."
For a recap of Saturday's matches, click here.
To watch any of the Round 19 action, subscribe to Qplus.tv.
