CDRL Rd6 WRAP: Knights fly, Brothers, Roosters on top

Ivanhoe Knights have put a slow start behind them to surge into the CDRL’s top five with a hard-fought victory against Innisfail in tough conditions. FULL Rd6 WRAP >>

IVANHOE Knights have put a slow start behind them to surge into the Cairns District Rugby League’s top five with a hard-fought victory against Innisfail in tough conditions.

Poor handling disrupted the sixth-round contest at Callendar Park, but Ivanhoes dug deep to secure a third win in four games to move into the prized positions on the table.

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First-year coach Lindsay Styles said he had trusted in a group of talented footballers who played for each other, as well as for what the jersey represented, and so far they had improved every week.

Styles said the 34-20 win over the Leprechauns was the result of his team competing for 80 minutes.

“Both teams dropped a lot of ball and I’m sure neither coach would be too happy with that, but we kept turning up for the full 80,” he said.

“We converted more of our opportunities.

“We’re building. We still have a lot to work on but it’s just getting the guys up for each game.

“It’s cliche, but we really are going week by week. We are enjoying this run but have a fair few injuries to contend with.”

Rhylee and Regan Herd played together in the halves for the first time for Ivanhoe, but that lasted only 25 minutes before Rhylee was shifted to fullback to replace the injured Rhy Young.

Tim England produced another strong performance, scoring a try and getting through a mountain of work, while Zane Knowles has taken his game to another level in a string of quality outings.

Knowles finished with 14 points from a try and five goals as the Knights improved their points differential.

Ivanhoe will welcome Mareeba to Smithfield on Sunday afternoon, a game they should win to further entrench themselves in the top five.

Innisfail will travel to Tully Showgrounds for the local derby showdown against the resurgent Tigers, who have won both their home games this season.

Suburbs claim victory in south Cairns derby

A strong first-half defensive display paved the way to victory for Southern Suburbs, as the Cockatoos were forced to hold on against a fast-finishing Edmonton at Jones Park.

A strong performance from teenager Kyle Riehl led Suburbs to the 26-18 victory, the winger scoring two tries in a hard-fought derby clash moved from Alley Park due to rain earlier in the week.

While Riehl was tough, coach Paul Stevens put the win down to the way his team defended in that first 40 minutes, as they overcame the late loss of players to secure the two competition points and keep in reach of the top five.

“We made it hard for ourselves,” Stevens said.

“I thought we defended well in the first half. They had a bit of possession and we held them out, so to go up 16-6 at half time was pleasing.

“We fell away in the second half … but it was good.

“We lost a couple of guys late with Covid but they stood up. There’s not much between winning and losing, so if you can get wins in games like these it goes a long way.”

Will Kennedy was solid in his debut for Suburbs, while Minjiluk McInnes, Ezra Tokahari and Cephas Chinfat were also their best.

Edmonton showed plenty of fight, but the Storm couldn’t quite produce enough in attack to close the margin.

Suburbs travel to Yarrabah on Sunday, while Edmonton faces the Roosters in Atherton.

Brothers, Atherton, stay atop the ladder with big wins

A Josiah Purcell hat trick and doubles to Adam Hepworth and Honeheke Roesler-Hohaia have ensured Brothers stay atop the Cairns District Rugby League ladder as they head into the bye.

The Brethren marched to Mareeba’s Davies Park as hot favourites to beat the Gladiators and they left with a healthy boost to their points differential as the race for the minor premiership shows signs of life.

Brothers ran in 10 tries, with Falcon Peni’s eight conversions sending his side past the half century mark for the first time since round 1.

Mareeba managed to score four tries of their own, but Brothers maintained control for the 56-20 win.

They are joined on 10 competition points by Atherton Roosters, who scored a seven-tries-to-three win against Kangaroos.

Ty Grogan scored 20 of his side’s 40 points from two tries and eight goals, while Thomas Cuda jagged a double of his own, as they held Kangaroos to 18 points.

RESULTS

IVANHOE KNIGHTS 34 (England, Knowles, Stott, Herd, Dooley tries; Knowles 6, Wallace goals) def SINNISFAIL LEPRECHAUNS 20 (C Galea 2, Kris, Satrick tries; Addo-Nona 2 goals) at Callendar Park, Innisfail.

BROTHERS 56 (Purcell 3, Hepworth 2, Roesler-Hohaia 2, Suavai, Harrold, Wigness tries; Peni 8 goals) def MAREEBA GLADIATORS 20 (Gutchen-Gela, Strickland, Elu, Henderson tries; Lyall 2 goals) at Davies Park, Mareeba.

ATHERTON ROOSTERS 40 (Cuda 2, Grogan 2, Burchell, Foster, Pedro tries; Grogan 6 goals) def KANGAROOS 18 (Stephen 2, Majid tries; Millard 2, Hayes goal) at Mungalli Creek Dairy Stadium, Atherton.

SOUTHERN SUBURBS 26 (Riehl 2, McInnes, Sosiak tries; Chinfat 5 goals) def EDMONTON STORM 18 (Harrison, Dau, Levu tries; Hunter-Flanders 2, Harrison goal) at Jones Park, Westcourt.

TULLY TIGERS 30 (Papanai 2, Ivey, Waireg-Ingui, Teaukura tries; Nona 5 goals) def YARRABAH SEAHAWKS 24 (Myngha, Schriber, Murgha, Bann, Fourmile tries; Harris, Bounghi goals) at Tully Showground.

MOSSMAN-PD had the bye.

RESERVE GRADE

Brothers 44 def Mareeba 4.

Innisfail 34 def Ivanhoes 16.

Kangaroos 20 def Atherton 6.

Yarrabah 20 def Tully Tigers 10.

Suburbs 20 def Edmonton 18.

Mossman-PD had the bye.

UNDER-18S

Mareeba 36 def Brothers 29.

Ivanhoes 40 def Innisfail 10.

Atherton 32 def Kangaroos 22.

Tully Tigers 68 def Yarrabah 6.

Edmonton 32 def Suburbs 18.

FIXTURES

Round 7

SATURDAY, MAY 21

7pm: Tully Tigers v Innisfail Leprechauns at Tully Showgrounds.

7pm: Atherton Roosters v Edmonton at Mungalli Creek Dairy Stadium.

SUNDAY, MAY 22

3pm: Yarrabah Seahawks v Southern Suburbs at Jilara Oval.

3pm: Kangaroos v Mossman-Port Douglas Sharks at Vico Oval, Mooroobool.

3pm: Ivanhoes v Mareeba Gladiators at Smithfield Sporting Complex.

Brothers have the bye.

Follow @MMcInerney89

Originally published as CDRL Rd6 WRAP: Knights fly, Brothers, Roosters on top