Western Clydesdales go down to Tweed Seagulls in Hostplus Cup thriller

A resilient fightback from the Western Clydesdales was ultimately not enough as they went down in a thrilling Hostplus Cup contest on Saturday afternoon to the Tweed Seagulls. Check out the key takeaways from the clash here.

Taniela Otukolo. Picture: Benny Hassum Photography

A second half fightback was not enough for the Western Clydesdales as they suffered a 28-18 defeat to the Tweed Seagulls on Saturday.

The Clydesdales showed their fighting spirit throughout the clash and were within touching distance of pulling off a memorable comeback late in the game before the hosts put the game on ice.

Check out the biggest talking points from the contest here

Seagulls fly out of the blocks

The Seagulls spread their wings from the outset and immediately asserted their authority on the contest as they surged to an early 16-0 lead after just 15 minutes.

Throughout the opening assault, Tweed targeted its attack down the left with all three tries coming on the left hand side.

The incredible start from the Seagulls was ultimately the difference between the two sides in the end as the Clydesdales went toe-to-toe with their opponents for the remainder of the game.

Clydesdales’ fighting spirit

After going down 16-0 so early in the contest, it would have been very easy for the Clydesdales to down tools and let the game turn into a blowout.

However, Jason Alchin’s side refused to die and turned things around to head into the break down 16-6.

Their resurgence continued throughout the second half and with 13 minutes to play, they had the momentum and trailed by just two points.

Despite their best efforts, the Seagulls were ultimately too strong and scored eight points late in the game to survive the scare from the Clydesdales.

Several errors

While both sides combined for 46 points, they would have left the field feeling like they could have scored more due to the amount of errors from both teams.

There were countless knock-ons from the two sides in both halves as players either made simple loose carry errors or tried to force a pass which was not there.

Corey Fenning for the Western Clydesdales. Picture: Benny Hassum Photography

Persistence pays off

Throughout the clash Tweed was not afraid to throw cut-out passes and throughout the opening 45 minutes, the Clydesdales had tried to intercept or cut-out those passes on several occasions but had not been able to hold onto one.

However, just 45 seconds after five-eighth Nicholas Carrie knocked a ball on from trying to get a hand on a Seagulls pass, Clydesdales centre Corey Fenning intercepted a pass to run the length of the field and score a try.

With the Seagulls in a menacing position, Fenning had to make a play at the ball or risk conceding and he read the play to perfection to thwart the attack and reduced the deficit to eight points in the process.

Clydesdales turned a corner

If the last month has proved anything, it has shown the Clydesdales are a far stronger outfit than they were in the opening month and a half of the season.

In their first five games of the season, the closest Clydesdales game was a 28-10 loss to the CQ Capras back in round 1.

In the four games after that, they suffered 20, 48, 38 and 26-point losses before everything changed in round 8, where they claimed a thrilling victory over historic rivals Redcliffe Dolphins.

Since then, the Clydesdales have been competitive in every game they have played but have yet to register another win for the season.

As we enter the second half of the Hostplus Cup campaign, the Clydesdales will look to no longer just take merit in being competitive, but turn some of the close defeats into victories.

Originally published as Western Clydesdales go down to Tweed Seagulls in Hostplus Cup thriller