Coast Intrust Super Cup players having a ball with Esports Challenge

For the past three weeks, Burleigh Bears centre Sami Sauiluma and Tweed halfback Luke Jurd have battled the rest of the Intrust Super Cup on Rugby League Live 4.

The Gold Coast’s Intrust Super Cup players have enjoyed a taste of life as a US sports star by taking the field virtually in a video game starring themselves.

For the past three weeks Burleigh Bears centre Sami Sauiluma and Tweed halfback Luke Jurd have battled the rest of the Intrust Super Cup on the Rugby League Live 4 game on PlayStation.

Tweed Seagulls Luke Jurd takes on Ipswich’s Shar Walden in the Intrust Super Cup E-sports Challenge. The game was be called by Channel 9's Peter Psaltis on the Intrust Super Cup Facebook page.

The Gold Coast clubs are on opposite ends of the table with Burleigh undefeated and Tweed still in the hunt for their maiden Esports Challenge win.

It’s little surprise because the Seagulls’ representative had never played the game before he was dropped into a livestream viewed by more than 100,000 viewers in round one.

“The first time I’d ever played was when I had to kick off and I had to ask my opponent what the controls were to kick off,” Jurd said.

“I thought it was just a social comp with the boys so I downloaded the game that day, then found out I’d be playing in front of everyone.

“It is cool and different to see yourself onscreen and we’re really enjoying seeing everyone’s name in a game against the usual competitors.”

A young Luke Jurd in action for Tweed in 2009. Picture: James Owen

Jurd said he’d started out trying to mirror the Seagull’s real life game plan, completing sets and kicking for corners, but the temptation to take his own avatar for a spin was difficult to resist.

“I go to myself three times in a set,” the halfback joked.

“My player is probably the most fatigued because I’m calling him to run the ball non-stop.

“I play some tactics but occasionally I also go for the chip-and-chase because there are no halftime blow-ups from Woolfy (coach Ben Woolf), which I’m usually on the receiving end of.”

For realism, Tweed media man Max Ellis submitted the team’s player ratings to competition broadcaster DoubleTake Sports for incorporation into the game.

Sami SAUILUMA (Burleigh Bears) has been accused of bumping up his player rating in Rugby League Live 4, very likely by a jealous rival out to disguise his inadequacies in a video game - Photo SMPIMAGES.COM

“I haven’t seen my speed rating but the more I can get the better,” Jurd said.

“I played Sami (Sauiluma) last week and he must have had his ratings on 100 because I could never tackle him.

“We might have to bump our ratings up for this weekend.”

Tweed take on Wynnum-Manly on Saturday night while Burleigh face down Easts.