Laybutt shows Cutters the way

Sports

PAPUA New Guinea Kumuls elligible Kyle Laybutt kicked the winning goal as the Mackay Cutters notched up their first win of the Intrust Super Cup season, downing fierce rivals CQ Capras 18-16 in a dour affair at BB Print Stadium Mackay on Saturday night.
In a tense and bruising encounter, it was the Cutters who dug deep and did just enough to topple the Capras in a come-from-behind victory.
The Capras, who had former NRL star Dave Taylor, got the better of the hosts in the opening exchanges of the contest and looked to strike an early blow when they landed a pinpoint 40/20 kick.
They capitalised straight away on the great field position, James Hill flying in under the posts to give the visitors the early lead.
However, the Cutters soon showed they were up for the fight and ready to grab any opportunities they were given, with Kurt Wiltshire taking advantage of the Capras’ lack of urgency on their own try-line when he slipped past some sluggish marker defence to reduce the deficit for the hosts.
Slick conditions proved frustrating for both sides as ball control became paramount, but it was the Capras who eventually found their rhythm, with Nathan Bassani shrugging off a tackle and scoring out wide off the back of an offload from NRL journeyman Taylor just before halftime to give the visitors a 12-4 lead heading into the sheds.
The Capras maintained their ascendancy over the hosts into the second half, with Billy Gilbert catching the Mackay marker defenders standing still as he sprinted from dummy-half and raced 40m to score untouched.
Playing with a renewed energy the Cutters continually harassed the tiring Capras defence, before North Queensland Cowboys import Laybutt, who is in line to be picked for PNG for the May test against Lebanon, picked his moment to stroll past some soft defence and dot down under the sticks to level the scores for the hosts inside the final quarter of the game. Ball control was again at a premium as desperation and poor conditions combined to hinder the attacking efforts of both teams.
But as the minutes wound down, the Capras made a critical error as the referee penalised them for a second effort in the tackle.
Laybutt stepped up from right in front of the posts to slot the penalty points and put the Cutters in front, a lead they wouldn’t surrender as they picked up their first competition points of 2018.
Mackay Cutters 18 (Kurt Wilshire, Jayden Hodges, Kyle Laybutt tries; Kyle Laybutt 2, con) CQ Capras 16 (James Hill, Nathan Bassani, Billy Gilbert tries; Connor Broadhurst 2 con).