Classy Comets blitz Seagulls 11/05/2010
THE Central Comets snapped a five-match losing streak in the Intrust Super Cup today with a 30-6 thrashing of the Wynnum Manly Seagulls at BMD Kougari Oval.
Strong defense, as shown here by Marc Fickling (above left) was the key to the Comets win over the Seagulls on the weekend. (Photo courtesy of Slice of Life Photography 2010)
Displaying a level of intensity and commitment not seen since their victory over the Sunshine Coast in round two, the Comets made the home team look like a second-rate outfit with a quality performance that will make rival sides sit up and take notice.
The Comets had Wynnum Manly rattled after just 10 minutes, with tries from Ian Webster and Josh Bishop opening up a 10-0 lead.
It became 14-0 when Central won a scrum against the feed and spread the ball to the far right where Karl Johnson beat his opposite number with a clever piece of footwork to score the first of his two tries.
With the wind at their backs, the Seagulls tried hard to get back into the contest but a string of handling errors brought about their undoing.
A brilliant set piece from a scrum resulted in a try to Comets halfback Marc Fickling, who chased through a neat kick in behind the line from the quick-thinking Webster.
At 20-0, the match was virtually all over but the Seagulls did manage to breathe some life into the contest before half-time with a try to Vincent Silulu in the left-corner.
Silulu showed a great pair of hands to latch on to a long pass from Matt Seamark to touch down for his eighth try of the season.
However, there was no second-half fightback from the Seagulls, who conceded the only two tries after the break.
The first was scored by stocky five-eighth Nathan Barraclough, who enjoyed a sensational outing in his first Intrust Super Cup match of the season.
Johnson put the icing on the cake with a sizzling try from a kick return late in the game.
The win could not have come at a better time for the Comets, who were beginning to lose touch with the competition pacesetters after a frustrating month.
Webster, who edged out hard-working forward Alan Rothery for the ABC man-of-the-match award, said the Comets had vowed to “work hard for each other”.
“We’ve been waiting for that and today we put it all together,” the former Celtic Crusaders star said of the five-star performance.
Story courtesy of the Queensland Rugby League at www.qrl.com.au
