Rugby League Gold Coast: All the talking points from round 15 A-grade action

One of the slightest A-grade Gold Coast rugby league players has made a habit of bringing hulking forwards to a halt, while Southport have been hit with a suspension blow following a hit that has ended the season of a finals-bound player.

Helensvale Hornets fullback Bernard Morgan. Picture: Supplied.

The finals match-ups are locked in for Rugby League Gold Coast A-grade footy after another cracking weekend.

Burleigh continued its red-hot run of form with a 12-point win over Runaway Bay, while some accurate goalkicking lifted Tugun to a gripping two-point triumph over Southport, and Currumbin found form against Helensvale.

Discover the major talking points from the round below.

Punching above his weight

Helensvale Hornets fullback Bernard Morgan has taken punching above your weight to a whole new level. The slight Hornets no.1 weighs in at a slight 57 kilograms but doesn’t back away from contact and has made a habit of stopping hulking forwards in their tracks and laying try-saving tackles.

He had a brilliant five-minute defensive patch in the second half against Currumbin where he played a hand in two try-saving tackles and forced a turnover, and has joked that he’ll be eating plenty of KFC in the off-season in an effort to bulk up.

Nasty leg injury

Tugun back-rower Reico Ratana is set to heartbreakingly miss his side’s finals campaign after his leg was injured in a dangerous tackle against Southport.

The medial ligament in Ratana’s leg was torn and he may have also sustained a fractured as a result of the tackle.

At the time, a penalty was awarded for high contact while Shannon was placed on report for the tackle. He’s been handed a four-week suspension which can be downgraded to three with an early guilty plea.

It means that with an early guilty plea, the Gold Coast Vikings rep and Queensland City select would next be unavailable until the grand final should Southport make it.

The tackle that injured Tugun's Reico Ratana in Rugby League Gold Coast A-grade clash. Picture: BarTV Sports.

Crucial conversions

Despite conceding six tries and only scoring five, Tugun kicker Kane Elgey stood tall when staring down the tee to lift his side to a two-point win over Southport - for the second game running. Elgey slotted four out of five conversion attempts and also nailed a penalty goal to lift his side to victory.

Elgey stepped up to take on Tugun’s kicking duties from early in the season and his accuracy has been pivotal, having nailed 48 of 52 attempts.

Solomon Torrens also played a great game for Tugun in the middle on the weekend, he kept driving the footy forward and was the Seahawks glue, while James Torrens scored a spectacular when he burst through the Southport line from a scrum and went the length of the field to score, and Bailey Simpson finished nicely to earn himself a double on the wing.

The loss for Southport meant the Tigers have now lost five of their past six games heading into their do-or-die final this week.

Ex-NRL man Kane Elgey pictured playing for Manly.. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Welcome week off

Burleigh’s young crop is in fine form heading into finals off the back of a fifth straight win after downing Runaway Bay on the weekend. It was a tough game and both sides had high completion rates but the Bears were relatively clinical and had strong performers across the board.

The match also marked a significant turnaround from the last time the sides met less than a month ago in round 11, where the Seagulls ran away with a 44-16 win.

With the minor premiership secured Burleigh is set to revel in the week off and is hoping to welcome four to five players back from injury for their first final in fortnight’s time.

Originally published as Rugby League Gold Coast: All the talking points from round 15 A-grade action