TUGUN VS RUNAWAY BAY: ‘OLD SCHOOL’ SEAHAWK’S HUGE INJURY RETURN

Equipped with an “old school” approach to training and a motor that runs for days, Josh Harvey announced his injury comeback with an 80 minute effort that has become synonymous with his time in Tugun colours.

Five weeks out of the game to nurse tears in his calf failed to quench the Seahawks prop’s thirst and desire to make an impact, his tirade of brutal hit ups inspiring his side to a 22-14 triumph over Runaway Bay.

Tugun coach Clint Barends said his outfit had been “below par” in recent weeks, as efforts to force passes and orchestrate a hurried attack cost them.

But he said it was no surprise that with Harvey’s return came a degree of composure his unit had been lacking in the initial exchanges of the 2022 campaign, and his ability to churn out such talismanic performances came from a throwback fitness regimen.

“It’s his road running, he’s old school Josh,” Barends said.

“He’s come through in first grade since when he was 19 and he came through at a time when we were still road running and stair running and he’s kept it up. I think it plays the biggest factor in way he plays so may minutes.

“He’s really the backbone of our side, particularly our forward pack … from the first minute to the 80th minute he’s the same.

“He just continues to compete and turns up in places he shouldn’t turn up through sheer determination. He just does his job, he takes tough carries and his defence is terrific through the middle.

“He came back after five weeks out and came back like he hadn’t missed a game. It was no surprise that we played better football when he was on the field.”

After a three-game losing streak in which Barends said the Seahawks lacked the attention to detail he had been seeking, Tugun’s scalp of the Seagulls could spark their pursuit of another grand final appearance.

The return of winger Samiu Latu from a calf injury and the continued form of fullback Zac Beecher laid the foundation for the blue army’s attack, with halves Keanu Te Kiri and Michael Burgess pulling the strings.

It has been a season of rejuvenation for Te Kiri in particular, who Barends said had been “in the wilderness a little bit” over the past two seasons.

Injuries to other five-eighth contenders opened the door for the former Sydney Roosters contracted rookie and Burleigh Bear to reclaim the number six jumper full-time.

His early season form was enough to earn him representative honours for the Gold Coast Vikings.

Barends said the way in which Te Kiri had managed the side and posed a genuine ball running threat had given him a mortgage on the job for the time being.

“He’s been good, he’s been in the wilderness a little bit the last couple of years playing reserve grade and that. He had a crack at it when our five-eighth was injured and has done a terrific job,” he said.

“He’s come with a good attitude to training, not to say he had a bad one before, but he’s got a good attitude and now it’s opportunity.

“We had a couple of blokes do a good job and take that role, and he was not sitting in the box seat. Through injures he got it and now he’s in front.”

MUDGEERABA VS HELENSVALE: KING HIT VICTIM TAKE FLIGHT

It took some time for Redbacks winger Te Rangiatea McDonald to rediscover his confidence on the field, after a king hit suffered in Surfers Paradise shook him to his core.

But this year, according to Mudgeeraba coach Martin Griese, he has overcome the trauma that came with that night to become one of the leading outside backs on the Gold Coast.

Fortunately McDonald was not seriously injured in the wake of the violent blow he received, suffering a concussion and “some complications” which came from that.

Griese said the former Burleigh Bear needed some time to get his mindset right on and off the field, and ever since then he had been a standout in the Redbacks outfit, culminating with a hat-trick in Mudgeeraba’s 34-24 win over Helensvale.

He said the “lump of a figure”, who stands at roughly 193cm tall and 110kg, had become one of the most challenging defensive assignments in Gold Coast rugby league, and his ability to start the side’s sets with such ferocity had been pivotal in their 4-1 start to the season.

“When he came to the club he had an incident in Surfers where he got king hit, so he was lacking a bit of confidence. I think he sat a fair few weeks out just getting his head and his confidence right, I think it shook him a bit,” Griese said.

“He just continues to build and build and we’ve got a really good leadership group that allows each player to build their confidence and play to our strengths.

“He has been probably our form player, I think he would’ve ran for another 200 or 300 metres again (on Sunday). He’s just big, strong, fast and he’s definitely in good form at the moment.

“I guess he’s obviously one of the first people that touches the ball after a kick, so he gets lots of touches and with those touches he’ll make 20 or 30m most times.

“It’s pivotal to get a set started off on the right foot, and on the front foot obviously, and he’s pivotal to your sets being quality.”

Despite walking away from Sunday’s clash with a win over the Hornets, Griese said his side had not played “like our usual selves”.

Fundamental errors and poor finishes to sets opened the door for Helensvale to keep in the contest, with three tries to centre Liam Joseph setting up a grandstand climax.

And yet the Redbacks were still able to extend their winning run to four straight games, with big scalps against heavyweights Runaway Bay and Southport to show for their efforts.

“I’m happy obviously with where we are at the moment. We do have a lot to learn and work on, but we’ve been fortunate enough to get those big scalps and put wins on the board so we can afford to work on those things and try some things in games,” Griese said.

“We’ve definitely got to work on pushing up, we are probably a 50 point different team with high quality push up compared to no push up.

“(But) the boys aren’t afraid to roll up the sleeves and get a bit dirty. With the people we’ve brought in and the coaching staff and support staff we have around we’ve tried to build this culture which will facilitate quality results.”

CURRUMBIN VS BURLEIGH: EAGLES FALL SHORT OF SHOCK UPSET

Currumbin have fallen agonisingly short of producing the most shocking upset of the Rugby League Gold Coast season, going down to the Burleigh Bears 30-28 on Sunday.

Having been shut out by Southport in a 34-0 romping the previous week, the young Eagles were rejuvenated by the return of former NRL premiership winner Ben Hannant in the forward pack as they took the defending champions to task. Young hooker Tyler Creecy also earned his first start in the number nine jumper, going head to head with his Vikings teammate Jordan Scott.

With just six minutes to go, the Eagles had managed to thrust themselves into the lead, before Bears centre Conor Carey crossed for the seventh time this year to stand atop of the try scorers leaderboard. But Currumbin winger Joshua Walker scored his second in the dying stages to set up a grandstand finish and keep the dream of a miracle alive.

It was not to be, with a conversion all that separated the two sides after the Burleigh outside backs went to work, with Allan Lockwood, Kurtis Rowe and Dante Lusio

SOUTHPORT VS ORMEAU: TIGERS BITE BACK AFTER SLOW START

They were forced to work for it against their developing rivals, but Southport have nevertheless maintained their impressive run of form.

The Tigers 32-16 win over the Ormeau Shearers was their fourth in a row, overcoming a disjointed start to the 2022 campaign to become one of the leading contenders for the Rugby League Gold Coast title. Ormeau came out of the gates impressively, scoring the opening two tries through centre Gerard Ah-Nau and prop James Tutuila — his fourth of the season in just five games.

However Southport were quick to bounce back, even in the absence of marquee man and former State of Origin star Greg Bird.

A try to winger Malachi Morgan took his personal tally to six for the campaign.

For Ormeau, it was the fast start coach Stuart Wilkins would have been craving, after his side started poorly against Burleigh last week only to fight their way back coming out of the halftime break.

Now he and his team will seek to turn promise into a consistent 80 minutes.

nick.wright@news.com.au