Toowoomba Clydesdales regain form

TOOWOOMBA CLYDESDALES 48 defeat CENTRAL COMETS 16

The Toowoomba Clydesdales have poked their noses back into the Queensland Wizard Cup top five with a commanding 48-16 win against Central.

Displaced from the upper bracket by Tweed Heads the week before, the Clydesdales returned in grand style by trotting in nine tries at Clive Berghofer Stadium.

The home side led 16-0 after less than a quarter of the match and 26-12 at halftime.

Mainstays Tony Duggan (pictured) and Nick Parfitt did the major damage on the scoreboard, combining for 32 points, while Stuart Kelly bagged a four-pointer in his comeback from the NRL.

Duggan and Parfitt have trod such a similar career path, existing on the fringe of the Brisbane Broncos top squad, that it is easy to forget six years separate the pair.

Duggan, 26, is now leading tryscorer in Toowoomba?s State League history with 63 tries, but 20-year-old Parfitt is shadowing him on 61. Parfitt has also moved to just outside the top 10 pointscorers in Queensland Cup history, despite interference from injury and relative youth.

Central have their own promising signs for the future, exhibited by fine tries to Adam Geddes and Mick Esdale.

Geddes and Esdale, from Emerald and Yeppoon respectively, are both local boys, turn 20 this year and are graduates of the Comets? QR Development Squad.

Another similarly-aged talent is forward utility Trent Callaghan, who finally made his debut for Central after transferring from Norths in the off-season.

With applications for the vacant Comets coaching role closing on June 27, the club will hope to announce someone who can retain and mature the squad for 2006.

In the meantime Central will focus on lifting itself from the bottom of the ladder, where it still trails Souths Logan by a single competition point.

The Comets next take the field on July 2 against Norths at Browne Park, while Toowoomba has two weekends off before facing Wynnum on July 9 at Clive Berghofer Stadium.

TOOWOOMBA 48 (Tony Duggan 3, Nick Parfitt 2, Michael Bond 2, Stuart Kelly, Tame Tupou tries; Nick Parfitt 6 goals)

beat

CENTRAL 16 (Adam Geddes, Kurt Cawdron, Mick Esdale tries; Herewini Rangi 2 goals)

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