Live stream: Palm Beach Currumbin face Mabel Park in Walters Cup/Langer Trophy twin bill

Palm Beach Currumbin have ran into a Mabel Park hellbent on avenging last week’s narrow Langer Trophy loss. But that nothing compared to drama which unfolded. Both Trophy and Walters Cup REPLAYS.

It was far from your average Langer Trophy clash.

Just minutes into the game between Palm Beach Currumbin and Mabel Park, an air of confused silence washed over players and spectators alike.

The lights had gone out — and not for the last time, with the game delayed not once, but twice, by electrical issues.

Despite the chaos, a gripping clash that came down to the wire ensued, with a late penalty goal lifting Mabel Park to an 18-16 victory.

The first delay in the game arrived in the opening half and would last about 10 minutes, with the entire ground plunged into darkness.

REPLAYS

Palm Beach Currumbin v Mabel Park SHS – Langer Trophy Round 3

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Palm Beach Currumbin v Mabel Park SHS – Walters Cup Round 3

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With eight minutes remaining in the match and the scores locked at 16 apiece, the lights on one side of the ground went out and the match was halted for a further five minutes.

The irregularity of the outages was replaced by familiarity in the first half however, as PBC’s right side attack lit the encounter up.

An overlap allowed Reds winger Sunny Kama to waltz over on the right edge for his fourth try in two weeks, before Callum Bowles — who had shifted from his usual position of centre to fullback — broke through the Mabel Park line with ease thanks to his zip and unassuming strength.

Bowles was the third different fullback called upon by PBC in three weeks, with both first-choice options unavailable until next term due to injury.

The one-two punch of Kama and Bowles was largely where the joy ended for PBC however, as Mabel Park kept fighting its way back into the contest, before a clutch 30m penalty goal from Natututasina with two minutes to play lifted them to a memorable victory.

“We knew they were gonna be tough so we just had to grind it out,” said Mabel Park coach Ben Weston.

“They’re a very good side and they’re good all across the park so we just had to match it with them, we knew it was going to come down to the wire.”

Left centre Dean Tauaa and front-rower Chaev Kolone were the pick of the bunch in a classy Mabel outfit littered with key contributors.

Captain and halfback Jackson Howe also controlled the game well, and his kicking game in particular impressed. His bomb to conclude the first set of the match would cause a PBC drop and allow Ryan McCann to cross the stripe in the first minute.

The result means the juggernaut Reds have slumped to two losses from their first three outings this season, and are yet to win a game at home.

“Our errors in the second half and giving them back-to-back sets just gave them a bit of momentum and allowed them to get back in the game,” said PBC coach Tim Maccan.

Back-rower Jack Finnegan was one of the Reds’ best, putting in a strong shift in both defence and attack on his edge, while stand-in skipper Isaac Harrison was a real engine in the middle.

Isaac was captaining the side in the absence of his brother Zane, with both Zane and Sam Stephenson among the key unavailabilities due to representative commitments.

PREVIEW

Taj Lateo is following in the footsteps of his older brother.

Injury carnage has forced Palm Beach Currumbin to get creative with their fullback choices early in the Langer Trophy season.

Queensland Schoolboys centre Sam Stephenson was trialled in round one, before Lateo was tossed the number one jersey in round two.

Lateo is set to don that same jersey again in PBC’s round three clash against Mabel Park SHS on Wednesday.

Catch all the action LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on KommunityTV as part of a big Walters Cup/Langer Trophy double header from 4.15pm at Tugun Seniors.

Taj’s older brother, Jake Lateo, lined up as fullback in the Reds side that reached the national schoolboys final last season, and made his RLGC A-grade debut for Tugun in round six.

PBC coach Tim Maccan was thrilled with Taj’s performance in last week’s 24-10 triumph over Redcliffe, which doubled as his first Langer start, having filled in at hooker from the bench in round one.

Taj Lateo (headgear) in action during the Connell Cup season for Tweed.

“He did a really good job (at fullback) and looked after the team really well,” Maccan said of the Tweed Cyril Connell representative.

“He just controlled the game really well, took a couple of good catches, guided the team around the park, and stuck to his edge like he needed to.”

Maccan was also thrilled with the performances of Zane Harrison, Callum Bowles and Sunny Kama against Redcliffe. It should come as no surprise given the same trio combined for three first half tries.

Maccan lauded Zane’s vision and his ability to be able to create something out of nothing. His twin brother, Isaac, also impressed at lock.

“He just tackled his butt off all game,” Maccan said of his number 13, while Beau Hartmann and Caleb Smith were other names that put in strong shifts.

The Reds will face stiff opposition this week in Mabel Park, who lost a one-point thriller to Ipswich SHS in round two.

Jake Lateo in action for PBC in 2023.

PBC lock Isaac Harrison. Picture: Glenn Hampson

It’s worth noting Ipswich kept PBC scoreless in an uncharacteristically poor round one showing. Despite their strong start, the Reds also failed to register a try in the second half against Redcliffe.

It means the powerhouse has gone tryless in three of the halves it has played this season.

Maccan is expecting another strong test on Wednesday evening.

“I haven’t seen too much of them just yet, but I know they’ll have a quality team,” he said.

“They’ve been getting better and better every year and had quite a good representation in the Met East for schools.”

Forwards Jack Finnegan and Jack Schmidt will return to the PBC side in round three, having been rested against Redcliffe.

The Reds won’t be at full strength however, with several other players in line for a rest as Maccan looks to manage the workloads of Burleigh and Tweed Mal Meninga Cup players.