Hunters end season with Tweed Heads scalp

TWO veterans sealed a season of hope with for the SP Hunters with a try to end a quality 30-18 Intrust Super Cup victory over finals-bound Tweed Seagulls at Bycroft Oval on Saturday.
Prop Stanton Albert had three Tweed tacklers hanging off him in the 71st minute when he freed his arm to pass to playmaker Ase Boas for a try that pushed the Hunters clear of the Seagulls.
The visitors gained a late try but this was a game that belonged to the Hunters.
Gilmo Paul and Emmanuel Waine scored in the opening 15 minutes to lay the foundation for the Hunters.
The Hunters brought the strong crowd to their feet with some classic moments of flair.
Boas chipped and regathered in the 60th minute when Tweed expected him to drive a clearing kick down the field. He found a flying Wane for a try that will be among the season’s highlights.
Boas also landed a rare 20-40 kick that caught Tweed by surprise while another raid through the centre of the field, including two regathered chip kicks, almost resulted in a try.
This was the Women in League round and Hunters coach Matt Church paid tribute to the wives and partners of his players who had remained at home while the Hunters had been based for almost seven months in Queensland.
“There has been a lot of sacrifice this season from everyone involved with this campaign, including those who remained at home,” he said.
The Hunters applied pressure through a kicking game highlighted by Boas’ 20-40 kick which was believed to be the first of the season. The ball rolled to the Seagulls’ 20m line such was the length of the kick.
The Hunters also caught the Seagulls by surprise on the stroke of halftime with a clearing kick that would have put them in prime attacking position if not for the siren.
“We wanted to apply that pressure and we managed to do that at important times,” Church said.
“And there were also some great moments of attack that helped us.”
The Seagulls trailed 20-4 at halftime but clawed back the margin with a try in the 53rd minute.
But Wane’s try from Boas’ chip-kick gave the Hunters a handy margin and a chance to take a deep breath as their season wound to a close. Results: Sat, Sept 11 – Blackhawks 24 Wynnum Manly 30, Hunters 30 Tweed Heads 18, Pride 20 Bears 24, Tigers 44 Cutters 14, Jets 30 Devils 22; Sun, Sept 12 – Falcons 24 Capras 22, Magpies 33 Dolphins 22.