Northern Pride have wrapped up a second consecutive Intrust Super Cup minor premiership as Queensland's premier rugby league competition went bush to celebrate Country Week in Round 23.
Although second-placed Easts Tigers also had a win over the weekend they still trail the Pride by seven points on the ladder and with only three rounds remaining the northerners are guaranteed of finishing at the top of the table at the end of the regular season.
Two tries to Kyle Feldt helped the Pride to a 30-8 win over Souths Logan at Davies Park in Mareeba while Easts accounted for the CQ Capras 34-12 at McIndoe Park in Emerald.
A hat-trick to Jason Tali saw the PNG Hunters keep their finals hopes alive with a 40-22 win over Ipswich in Kokopo, James Uhatafe and Doug Hewitt both grabbed doubles in Mackay's 28-20 win over Sunshine Coast in Moranbah, Redcliffe accounted for Burleigh 38-16 in Longreach and Wynnum Manly leap-frogged Tweed Heads to snatch third spot on the ladder with a commanding 32-4 win in Kingaroy.
Ill-discipline, poor ball control, three tries for the Grieve brothers and the subtle touch of Matt Seamark's boot were all the ingredients needed to leave a bad taste in the mouths of the Tweed Heads Seagulls as Wynnum dominated the match from the outset, piling on 18 unanswered points in as many minutes to earn a 20-0 lead by half-time.
It became worse for Tweed in the second half as they had two players sin-binned within a 20-minute period while dealing with a mounting penalty count brought about by their distinct lack of discipline.
The penalty count ended 13-8 against Tweed but was only bolstered by the three late penalties they received in the final few minutes.
Back-rower Jon Grieve grabbed a double for Wynnum with brother Matt also crossing the line, while halfback Matt Seamark booted six from six on a perfect day for the bayside team.
The 28-point win means Wynnum Manly move above Tweed Heads on the ladder to sit in third spot on 32 points, with Tweed sitting one point behind them after their second-straight defeat.
Wynnum were the first Seagulls to fly two minutes into the match after Jon Grieve earned his side a penalty close to the line. Grieve was involved again in the resulting set, dragging four Tweed defenders with him over the line to crash over for the opening try and 6-0 lead.
The early exchanges between the two top-five sides were heated with brutal defence ensuring all players had felt the abrasive nature of the dry TJ O'Neill Oval turf.
Wynnum were well on top of their rivals during the first 15 minutes and when Tweed finally crossed the halfway line as a result of some unstructured catch-and-pass football, a loose pass was swooped on by centre Matt Grieve who dashed down the middle and raced 60 metres to score under the posts to take the score to 12-0.
Another strong set by Wynnum allowed the Seagulls to attack Tweed on the edges and they found space down the left side with fringe Bronco Jordan Kahu the benefactor, receiving a pass from Mitch Buckett to cross for Wynnum's third try. Seamark's boot remained on target as the score ballooned out to 18-0 in the 19th minute.
Buckett came inches close to scoring Wynnum's fourth two minutes later as he was dragged down short of the line, but from that point proceedings began to settle down as Tweed Heads recovered from their early shellshock.
Tweed managed to keep Wynnum Manly at bay for the remainder of the half until a strip penalty was awarded against them just shy of half-time, allowing Seamark to take the score out to 20-0 as the players trudged off to the sheds.
Hopes of a Tweed comeback were dealt a double blow inside the first seven minutes of the second half as Gold Coast Titan Jamal Fogarty was struck down with a leg injury and Trent Richardson was sent to the sin bin for a blatant professional foul.
The green and red of Wynnum took full advantage in the next set as Jon Grieve crossed for his second try despite doubts over the grounding. Seamark added to Tweed's misery with yet another conversion as the score blew out to 26-0 in the 50th minute.
Just as Tweed had welcomed back Richardson from the bin, a further display of ill-discipline by Matt King saw the Seagulls captain sent to the bin for a late shot on Ben Cronin.
Proceedings threaten to spill over inside the final 10 minutes in the aftermath to a consolation try from Ayden Lee as the two heated rivals kept at each other's throats. Wynnum didn't let the resulting scuffle deter them as they crossed for their final try in the 79th through Tanu Wulf to take the final score out to 32-6.
Wynnum Manly Seagulls 32 (Jon Grieve 2, Matt Grieve, Jordan Kahu, Tanu Wulf tries; Matt Seamark 6 goals) def. Tweed Heads Seagulls 4 (Ayden Lee try) at TJ O’Neill Oval, Kingaroy. Half-time: Wynnum 20-0. XXXX Man of the Match: Tanu Wulf (Wynnum).
For detailed results from Round 23 and the latest competition table click here.
