Tyrrell Touchdown Clinches it For
Tigers

A TRY to rookie David Tyrrell five minutes from fulltime has propelled Easts to within a game of the Wizard Cup grand final, eliminating North Queensland 28-18 at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Friday.

In a fairytale result a Tigers side which started the season with just three wins in the first 10 rounds managed to eliminate the competition?s reigning champions before a fiercely parochial crowd.

The decisive try to teenager Tyrrell came from a wonderfully orchestrated pass by centre Mark McKenzie; the former Queensland Rangers captain slicing through when the game rested at the balance at 22-18.

With the match regularly see-sawing, Easts led 10-4 until Jamie Frizzo scored out wide a minute before halftime to make it 10-8 to the Tigers.

Responding after the break, Easts posted tries in the 47th and 51st minutes to blow out the lead to 22-8.

North Queensland then took its turn, striking back with tries in the 55th and 58th minutes to Mark Henry and Brent McConnell.

Halfback McConnell?s effort was a carbon copy of so many he has scored the past three seasons, taking the bit between the teeth and running solo when the game needed something special.

At 22-18 and with more than 20 minutes remaining, it was truly heart-in-the-mouth material. The sudden shifts in momentum made it anybody?s guess as to who the victor would be.

Two players to stand up in particular for Easts were hooker Steve Goodhew and veteran prop Steele Retchless.

A long-time member of the North Queensland development system, Goodhew returned to hurt his former team with deadly scampers from dummy-half and a great display in wide passing.

The flame-haired rake set a blistering pace in one particular scoot from the play-the-ball, running 30m to score in impressive fashion.

Yet as dangerous as the Tigers inroads were in the centre of the field, it was out wide where they eventually sealed the game.

Recruited just this season from Toowoomba?s club competition, 26-year-old McKenzie tested the line, broke through and then offloaded in a well-timed movement which saw Tyrrell touch down near to the posts.

Easts now faces the loser of tomorrow?s major semi between Toowoomba and Redcliffe.

In previous years the Tigers contested the 1997 and 2004 Wizard Cup grand finals, losing in gut-wrenching circumstance on both occasions.

North Queensland?s defeat means a possible farewell to three of the competition?s standout performers in recent times ? Daniel Strickland, Jason Barsley and Mark Dalle Cort.

All three were selected for representative teams this year (Strickland declining due to work commitments), but have not been offered Young Guns contracts for 2007.

EASTS 28 (David Tyrrell 2, Marty Allen, Steve Goodhew, Mark McKenzie tries; Luke Branighan 4 goals) d NORTH QUEENSLAND 18 (Mark Henry 2, Jamie Frizzo, Brent McConnell tries; Brenton Bowen goal) at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

Source: qrl.com.au