This time in two weeks, we’ll be getting ready for the first round of finals. Time certainly flies!Β Round 17 showed some close results and another reshuffle of the ladder has taken place.
First of all, the Gold Coast and Norths had a high-scoring showdown but it was the Gold Coast who took the 54-51 win.
Following on from last week, Wests had a big 43-12 win against the Sunshine Coast.
Uni had a highly-convincing 46-25 win over GPS in their Annual Halley Appleby Memorial game. In the same game two years ago, much-loved player Halley Appleby tragically died. Uni’s convincing win over GPS was a great tribute to the legacy of Halley and all that he achieved.
Sunnybank defeated Souths 35-24 but despite this, they’re still unable to make the finals after Uni and Easts’ wins yesterday.
Brothers‘ spot in the Top Two is under threat after going down 44-12 against an in-form Easts side.
Easts v Brothers
Easts have cemented their spot in the Top Four after a thrilling, highly-convincing 44-12 win over Brothers at Bottomley Park on Saturday.
The home side certainly didnβt disappoint the large crowd at the Annual Old Boys Day, scoring a total of six tries and presenting a solid and consistent playing style.
Eastsβ attack was dominant especially in the first half, after leaving Brothers with four unanswered tries in the first thirty minutes.
Aidan Toua proved to be a stand out player, scoring the Tigersβ first try and utilising his speed and footwork throughout the game to gain territory.
Despite their efforts, the Brethren found it difficult to capture the ball into their own half in the opening forty minutes due to Eastsβ solid defence.
Eastsβ bonus-point try came when Australian under 20βs youngster Jonah Placid made a 50-metre break against the run-of-play to touch down under the posts.
Just as the Brethrenβs confidence looked damaged, Queensland Reds winger Dom Shipperley scored a five-pointer just before halftime. This put Brothers back in the game in time for a tense second half.
The frustration continued for the Brethren in the second half, with a combination of minor handling errors and Eastsβ defence preventing them from making it into their half.
Eastsβ alert and effective defence ensured that the Brethrenβs possession of the ball was often short-lived.
The game looked to be out of reach for the Brethren in the 50th minute when Reds lock Blake Enever stole the ball and made a runaway try.
Brothersβ Nathanuel Gendle reciprocated by scoring a similar try minutes later but it was all too late for the visitors to stage a turnaround.
Easts sealed the deal and further proved their capabilities with a try just before the final whistle.
Brothers will be fighting to remain in the Top Two in their Heritage Round clash against University next week while Easts head to Wests to finish their regular season on a high.
For a full look at the ladder, head to Reds Rugby for all the details
P W L D F A Df BP <7p BP 4t Pts
GPS 17Β 13Β 3Β 1Β 507Β 303Β 204Β 2Β 12Β 68Β
Brothers 17Β 13Β 4Β 0Β 581Β 294Β 287Β 1Β 12Β 65Β
Easts 17Β 12Β 4Β 1Β 647Β 348Β 299Β 2Β 11Β 63Β
University of Queensland 17Β 12Β 3Β 2Β 649Β 407Β 242Β 0Β 11Β 63Β
Sunnybank 17Β 10Β 7Β 0Β 618Β 354Β 264Β 5Β 10Β 55Β
Souths 17Β 9Β 8Β 0Β 523Β 412Β 111Β 2Β 10Β 48Β
Wests 17Β 8Β 9Β 0Β 449Β 481Β -32Β 1Β 7Β 40Β
Gold Coast Breakers 17Β 3Β 14Β 0Β 379Β 771Β -392Β 3Β 6Β 21Β
Norths 17Β 2Β 15Β 0Β 442Β 826Β -384Β 2Β 8Β 18Β
Sunshine Coast Rugby Union 17Β 1Β 16Β 0Β 211Β 810Β -599Β 0Β 2Β 6Β
Is it too early to tell who you think will take the trophy? What are your predictions?