Sunshine Coast Falcons kept in touch with the competition lead but the Brisbane Tigers suffered a heavy defeat on a weekend of mixed fortunes for Storm’s Hostplus Cup affiliate clubs.
The second-placed Falcons travelled to Brisbane and defeated Norths 26-18 – the first time in almost three years that the reigning premiers had suffered consecutive regular season defeats.
Playing in the No.6 jersey, Storm’s Tyran Wishart opened the scoring for Sunshine Coast, jumping on the end of a kick into the in-goal from hooker Tyson Smoothy.
The Falcons led 12-6 at halftime but were level with the Devils at 18-all midway through the second half.
A Smoothy penalty goal regained the lead and the Coast sealed the points in the 75th minute when Wishart set up a four-pointer for forward Sam Burns with a deft kick.
Meanwhile, the Tigers were overrun 64-16 by the ladder-leading Burleigh Bears on the Gold Coast, conceding 11 tries to three.
With four Storm players in their run-on 13, the Tigers were well in the contest in the first half. They took the lead in the 18th minute via a spectacular try to Storm’s Jayden Nikorima which travelled almost the length of the field with the five-eighth handling twice.
However, the Bears went on a points blitz either side of the break including four tries in a six-minute surge where the visitors hardly had a touch of the ball.
This weekend, there’s a 2 v 1 showdown at Sunshine Coast Stadium when the Falcons host Burleigh on Saturday, while the Tigers, now in fifth place, host sixth-placed Wynnum on Sunday.
Storm player stats highlights
Will Warbrick – 80 minutes – 12 runs for 131 metres, 61 post-contact metres, 5 tackle breaks
Tyran Wishart – 80 minutes – 1 try, 1 try assist, 17 runs for 136 metres, 23 tackles
Jayden Nikorima – 80 minutes – 1 try, 9 runs for 112 metres
Jordan Grant – 51 minutes – 13 runs for 131 metres, 56 post-contact metres, 2 offloads, 26 tackles
Bronson Garlick – 80 minutes – 14 runs for 135 metres, 52 post-contact metres, 4 tackle breaks, 3 offloads, 25 tackles
Alec MacDonald – 57 minutes – 9 runs for 78 metres, 30 post-contact metres, 28 tackles
