One bold 2019 prediction for each Rugby League Gold Coast A-grade club
Another 19 rounds of the Rugby League Gold Coast regular season, plus finals, await and there are no doubt plenty of surprises in store, as the Bulletin tries to predict here.
Local sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TWO rounds into the Rugby League Gold Coast A-grade season, the competition appears perhaps even closer than initially imagined.
Burleigh and Ormeau right now are clearly at either end of the ladder but little has separated the five teams between them.
Another 19 rounds plus finals await and there are no doubt plenty of surprises in store, as the Bulletin tries to predict here.
BILAMBIL: Kevin Campion will sign a contract extension during this regular season.
This is probably something that doesn’t happen a heck of a lot at this level and the Jets by their own admission don’t have bucketloads of money to throw around. But Campion and Bilambil are a good fit.
The former Maroons enforcer led Tweed to their maiden RLGC grand final last year and he has already shown he can help the competition’s only NSW-based club be competitive.
Bilambil offers Campion a relaxed environment to run the show as he sees fit, having previously played second-fiddle to Tweed’s Intrust Super Cup program – plus it gives him the chance to coach a team in which his son Max plays.
That’s a lot of boxes being ticked.
BURLEIGH: The Bears will take out the minor premiership but not the grand final.
Matt Foster’s side have been stunning through the opening fortnight, benefiting from some excellent depth at both NRL level through the Titans and at Intrust Super Cup level.
They have already rolled out countless players who have been in NRL systems including two who actually played first grade in Matt Robinson and Tyronne Roberts-Davis.
At this stage it’s hard to see them losing too many games but finals is a different beast and the hardened veterans at Tugun will pose a threat come the time that silverware is being handed out.
CURRUMBIN: They will win more finals games than they did last year.
The Eagles’ first loss in 2018 did not come until Round 8; this year it fell in their season-opener.
There is hope, however, that they have prepared in a way that will allow them to peak in finals to right the wrongs of their gut-wrenching straight sets exit last year after clinching the minor premiership.
There is more youth on their list this time around and enough class in Phil Ramage, Daniel Mortimer, Pele Peletelese, Luke Jurd and the like to see them contend in September.
ORMEAU: The win drought will be broken … before their Round 5 bye!
OK, this one could be made to look silly in the very near future but I’ll stand by my word here.
Let’s not sugar-coat things: The Shearers have been poor through the first two rounds but they have added considerable talent since last year and will compete with Bilambil (away) and Southport (home) in the next fortnight.
The bottom line is they simply have to start winning soon.
Dare I say it, if the Shearers went winless for a third straight season, will RLGC management consider wielding the axe? That will be irrelevant though, if can they can deliver as predicted.
RUNAWAY BAY: Jack Mackin will make his Tweed Intrust Super Cup debut.
The fullback was a core player in Bay’s charge to the 2018 premiership and has been a regular at Tweed training through pre-season and the early rounds.
Mackin didn’t have the perfect trial game when he lined up in the No.1 for Tweed but he has the game to be first in line should current Seagulls custodian Talor Walters miss any footy or if Walters slots into the halves at some point.
Becoming a familiar face around Piggabeen can’t hurt his chances either, in between putting some strong performances in for Bay.
SOUTHPORT: They will beat both Burleigh and Tugun at least once this season.
Even with coach Steve Dowd back at the club, I’m not quite convinced the Tigers can be a premiership force just yet with their incredibly young list.
Dowd has clearly got them playing tough footy, however, and his players came up with the goods in difficult conditions at Galleon Way for the season-opener.
If their talented roster can make a habit of hanging in games, expect to see them surprise the competition’s top teams.
TUGUN: Keanu Te Kiri will be crowned RLGC player of the year.
Te Kiri’s playmaking abilities are well known around rugby league circles on the Gold Coast and the five-eighth could be the matchwinner the Seahawks need to turn the tables on Burleigh from their Round 1 result.
Tugun have added an influx of quality over the summer; expect that to unleash Te Kiri’s A-game.
For the record, ex-Tigers fullback Beau Cordtz won the player of the year award – based on 3-2-1 referee votes – last year.
‘Would love to do it’: Steph Gilmore reveals Pipeline dream
Surfing legend Stephanie Gilmore has left the door open for a world tour return after the eight-time world champion starred with Australian surfers at the Gold Coast Pro. Details inside.
REVEALED: The Gold Coast under-14 basketball stars to watch
The under-14 junior basketball season is here and we have shone a light on the stars to watch from the boys and girls Gold Coast Rollers and North Gold Coast Seahawks sides. See the stars of the future here.