Burleigh Bears halfback Guy Hamilton in sublime form as rugby league clash with Western Clydesdales marred by captain Emry Pere’s ‘slur’ send off

Warwick hosted the Clydesdales and Bears in a wild Saturday night fixture in the Rose City. Catch up on all the talking points including a rare send off, sin bin and a stunning 24-point showing.

Western Clydesdales captain Emry Pere. Picture: Benny Hassum Photography.

Warwick rugby league fans were given a taste of Hostplus Cup action on Saturday night as the Western Clydesdales took their round 16 home clash against the Burleigh Bears to the Rose City.

However, the party at Father Ranger Oval was spoiled by a dominant Bears outfit as the visitors showed their class to claim an emphatic 56-18 win, scoring nine tries in the process.

Check out the biggest talking points from the game below.

Captain sent off for alleged homophobic slur

After going down 6-0 in the seventh minute of the game, things went from bad to worse for the Clydesdales as captain Emry Pere was sent off for an alleged homophobic slur in the 10th minute of the clash.

The Clydesdales were forced to play the remaining 70 minutes with just 12 players and had their backs to the wall for the majority of the contest as the powerful Bears capitalised on the opportunity.

Pere was sent off in the 10th minute of the round 16 clash at Father Ranger Oval in Warwick.

“The words that I heard that you said, unacceptable and cannot be used on a football field,” the referee could be heard saying on the stream of the match.

“Emry, you’re gone. It’s a homophobic slur Emry and you cannot say that on a football field.”

Pere could be heard saying “f---ing f----ot” over the ref’s mic in the lead-up to his send-off.

Burleigh’s powerful forward pack

From the opening set of the game, it was clear the Bears were going to dominate in the middle of the park as they often charged out of the line in numbers to restrict the Clydesdales’ attack.

This was most evident 15 minutes into the first half, where Jason Alchin’s side had a fifth tackle less than 20m out from their own line.

This incredible defensive effort laid down the foundation for the Bears’ third try of the contest, as they scored on just the fourth play of the next set thanks to their strong field position.

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

Fenning’s try-scoring purple patch

After missing out last week against the Sunshine Coast Falcons, Corey Fenning ensured he wouldn’t go a second week without a try as he crossed over for two four-pointers for the Clydesdales on Saturday night.

Playing in just his 10th career Hostplus Cup game, the young centre has already asserted himself as a crucial figure for the Clydesdales and has now scored eight tries in his last eight games.

Halfback’s stunning performance

Bears halfback Guy Hamilton had a game to remember as he had the ball on a string with his incredible playmaking skills and also kicked with eagle-eyed accuracy.

Hamilton scored the first try of the game but it was his kicking from the tee which caught the eye.

Burleigh Bears player Guy Hamilton. Picture: Adam Head

The 29-year-old slotted through all nine of his conversion attempts and also scored a penalty goal to finish with an amazing 24 points.

This was made all the more impressive by the fact he had only scored 19 points throughout the entire season in the lead up to the round 16 clash and only managed 25 points for the 2023 campaign.

Bears storm home

With 15 minutes left in the game, the Clydesdales were amazingly still in with a slim chance of pulling off a comeback as they trailed by just 18 points despite being down a man for the majority of the clash.

However, eventually fatigue, mixed with some poor discipline, allowed the visitors to further run away with the contest.

Burleigh scored 20 points in the final 12 minutes of the game, with the final try coming on the last play of the game, when the hosts were down to 11 players after Blake Lenehan picked up a sin bin late in the clash.

Difficult run

After a difficult start to the season where the Clydesdales lost their first five games by an average of 30 points, Alchin’s side looked like they had turned a corner in round 8 when they defeated the Redcliffe Dolphins.

While they didn’t add another win, they were a much more competitive side afterwards as they lost their next four games by an average of seven points.

Since that promising run, the Clydesdales have had three games in a row against teams in the top six, and lost them by 20 points, 30 points and 38 points.

The Clydesdales will look to their next three games as opportunities for them to return to competitive form when they take on the Townsville Blackhawks, the Ipswich Jets and the Tweed Seagulls.

- Additional reporting Mitch Bourke