Easts v Tweed Heads Match Report

Match report for today's QLD Wizard Cup elimination semi final between Easts and Tweed Heads.

EASTS 12 d TWEED HEADS 4 THE EASTS Tigers have proved themselves to be the masters of the arm wrestle for the second week in a row, gritting out a 12-4 win against Tweed Heads in the QLD Wizard Cup elimination final.

Establishing a 12-0 lead after just 23 minutes at the Piggabeen Complex, the Tigers hung on for dear life to move into the second week of the finals. Their victory came just seven days after a similarly dour do-or-die affair against the Central Comets, won to the tune of 12-6.

As a result the premiership dream remains alive for retiring veteran Steele Retchless, the former Brisbane, London and South Queensland forward winding down his career with Easts.

Retchless, 35, was unstoppable at the Piggabeen Complex in what he knew was perhaps his last match, taking hit-up after hit-up and producing a powerhouse effort in defence.

Easts led after just 67 seconds when backrower Mark Cantoni crossed. The was more than a touch of controversy in the lead-up, with the Tigers awarded six more tackles from a deflected kick regathered by Marty Allen.

Set to be dual registered with South Sydney in 2007, Cantoni was just as prominent as Retchless in the opening exchanges, while halfback Luke Branighan was at his scheming best.

Branighan set the platform for the second try of the match, testing a short blindside late in the tackle count, finding winger David Tyrrell with a well-timed pass and then watching Tyrrell lob the ball inside for centre Mark McKenzie to score.

Favourites heading into the match, Tweed Heads responded in the 27th minute with a long-range try to centre James Wood. Wood ran 65m to plant the ball and the home crowd needed to be cautioned for encroaching on the field, such was the raucous celebration.

Having come back from the dead to beat Wynnum Manly 26-20 a week earlier, Tweed provided enough to suggest they would do so again.

A clever break by Dean Allen started the second half, while Wood starred with another long-range effort, only to inexplicably pass the ball forward to teammate Roy Friend. The litany of missed opportunities grew throughout the remainder of the match, frustrating coach Steve Murphy in his last game with the club.

The play that best summed up the match came 20 minutes from fulltime when Seagulls pivot Brad Davis threw a great dummy to slice the defence open. He met wiry Tigers fullback Kev Stephensen head-on and Stephensen drilled him backwards. The visitors would not be broken.

On a losing side leaders Matt King and Andrew Moroney tried hard until the end, with King chasing down winger John Tamanika and throwing him into touch in a courageous play.

Yet Easts seemed to want the victory more, having been beaten in both curtain-raisers ? downed 36-12 by Burleigh in the FOGS Cup qualifying final and 46-16 by Redcliffe in the Colts qualifier.

All three Tigers teams live to fight another day, with the Wizard Cup side to meet the loser of tomorrow?s match between North Queensland and Redcliffe. The FOGS Cup side will meet the winner of Wynnum Manly and Souths Logan, while the Colts face either Wynnum Manly or Aspley.

EASTS 12 (Mark Cantoni; Mark McKenzie tries; Luke Branighan 2 goals) d TWEED HEADS 4 (James Wood try) at the Piggabeen Complex.