The weekend is almost here and so are our Round 5 Intrust Super Cup Predictions and Preview.
Importantly, we have the CEO of main sponsor Intrust Super Brendan O’Farrell giving us his tips each week. And after a perfect round last weekend, why wouldn’t you follow his tips.
There’s also a brief rundown of each game, enough to keep anyone interested.
This week’s highlight is the Flockbuster between Tweed Heads and Wynnum, and there’s also another leg of the Foley Shield between Townsville and Mackay. Two teams who got their first wins of the season last weekend meet this weekend, and the Hunters go to Bishop Park to attempt to get their first win of the season.
ROUND 5 INTRUST SUPER CUP TIPPING – ARE YOU SMARTER THAN SUPER BOF?
Fancy yourself an Intrust Super Cup tipping guru. Reckon you’re better than the CEO of Intrust Super yourself? Find out his Round 5 Intrust Super Cup tips below, and submit your via our Twitter or Facebook page.
BRENDAN O’FARRELL (CEO of Intrust Super)
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Mackay Cutters
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS to beat Northern Pride
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS to beat Ipswich Jets
NORTHS DEVILS to beat PNG Hunters
EASTS TIGERS To beat Central Capras
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS to beat Wynnum Seagulls
BURLEIGH BEARS to beat Souths Logan Magpies
SEASON PROGRESS 19/28
PERFECT ROUND – ROUND 4 LAST WEEKEND
THE GURGLER’s TIPS (Us)
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Mackay Cutters
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS to beat Northern Pride
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS to beat Ipswich Jets
PNG HUNTERS to beat Norths Devils
EASTS TIGERS To beat Central Capras
WYNNUM SEAGULLS to beat Tweed Heads Seagulls
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES to beat Burleigh Bears
SEASON PROGRESS 18/28
Follow our weekly Twitter post to add your selections.
ROUND 5 INTRUST SUPER CUP – MINI PREVIEW
Here’s a quick rundown on all things Round 5 Intrust Super Cup and our thoughts for all of the games this weekend.
The full Team Lists for Round 5 can be found at the QRL Website.
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS v MACKAY CUTTERS
Friday 7:30pm
Friday night football for the Intrust Super Cup this weekend as sees two north Queensland sides go head to head.
These teams have had differing fortunes this season so far – Townsville are going as strong as ever in 3rd with a 3-1 record – Mackay three and one reversed have just the one win which was a reasonably impressive one over the Central Capras.
Tough ask for Mackay to beat the Blackhawks, as they are yet to beat them since Townsville’s arrival in the Intrust Super Cup in 2015. Especially given Mackay’s away form which is 0-2 this season, and that their 2018 away haul was just two wins and a draw.
And that Townsville hold the most miserly defence in the Intrust Super Cup so far this season, with just 44 points at 11 a game conceded so far. Interestingly enough, Mackay have scored just four points less than Townsville, and their points difference is currently zero, not bad for a team who have lost 3 so far tis season.
2018: R1 Mackay 12 Townsville 56 — R15 Townsville 28 Mackay 22
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS v NORTHERN PRIDE
Saturday 5:00pm
Unbeaten Sunshine Coast Falcons welcome the Northern Pride whose promising start to the season has tailed off with consecutive losses to Townsville and Ipswich in recent weeks.
Sunshine Coast seem to be going from strength to strength with each week seeing a more impressive win. A look at their backline and you see the quality and why the Falcons are flying high, and the same could be said for their forwards too. No wonder Melbourne are so strong in the NRL if this is only one of their feeder sides.
Talking of feeder sides, the Pride’s Cowboys connections saw them lose their star player in Jake Clifford for last weekend, but his replacement in Brayden Torpy is more than capable after making the move north in the off-season. Another week on, he’ll make an impact for the Pride this week for sure.
The game features two PNG Internationals – one for teach side – Justin Olam who scored a double last weekend for the Falcons, and interchange hooker Kurt Baptiste for the Pride.
2018: R8 Pride 28 Sun Coast 24 — R20 Sun Coast 15 Pride 14
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS v IPSWICH JETS
Saturday 6:00pm
Both of these sides finally got their first win of the 2019 Intrust Super Cup season last weekend, which makes it a bit unfair that they meet this weekend, meaning at least one of them will remain on one win for the season.
Redcliffe just got home over the Souths Logan Magpies with a 77th minute field goal the only difference between the sides on the scoreboard. Despite the two points gained, it is hardly how one expects Redcliffe and a minor premier to start their season.
Ipswich’s win meanwhile was heartening and quite impressive given that the Northern Pride had won their first two game and conceded just 18 points. Michael Purcell got his first tries of the season with a double, and one wonders if that will open the floodgates for the known try scoring expert.
Minimal changes to both sides as you would expect, and no doubt it will be as competitive as ever at Dolphin Oval.Ipswich did get the better of the two fixtures in 2018 too.
2018: R8 Ipswich 22 Redcliffe 16 — Redcliffe 14 Ipswich 15
NORTHS DEVILS v PNG HUNTERS
Saturday 6:05pm
Norths have had an up and down start to the 2019 Intrust Super Cup season, with two wins and two losses so far, and a win and loss a piece both home and away. Happily, they still remain in the top 8, and welcome a PNG Hunters side that has yet to win a game in 2019.
But that may well change this weekend. For the Hunters played reasonably well last weekend, which saw Ase Boas return to the side after ending his UK rugby league journey, and another week for the former premiership winning halfback to gel to the side can only be a positive.
There’s also the return of Joe Joshua, a three try hero in the Hunters 28-26 loss to the Falcons two weeks ago, after being dropped for disciplinary reasons. His return alongside Ase Boas, and a bit of a general freshen up, which seems to have cost Charlie Simon a place in the top 17 can be a good thing for the Hunters. However looking at the omissions and seeing no Junior Rau, Moses Meninga or Stanton Albert is a worry.
Norths side sees two players who performed well for the Broncos in pre season trials return in Herbie Farnworth and Sean O’Sullivan, the latter head to head battle with Ase Boas should be a quality contest. A good yardstick for O’Sullivan against one of the Intrust Super Cup’s best halves in recent seasons.
A barely interesting stat is that Norths are the only side in the top 8 to have conceded 100 points or more. A good 24 points more than the next worst. If the Hunters wanted to get among the points this weekend, then this is the opponent.
And there is the point of interest in seeing former PNG Hunter Nixon Putt up against his former team. The move has worked out so far for Norths and Nixon.
2018: R5 Norths 34 Hunters 22 — R19 Hunters 32 Norths 10
EASTS TIGERS v CENTRAL CAPRAS
Sunday 1:10pm TV GAME
Tough ask for the Capras to come to the home of the undefeated front-runners to steal two points, however they do have form in Brisbane this season having seen off the Souths Logan Magpies in convincing fashion in Round 1. Sadly, that has been the Rockhampton’s side only win thus far in 2019.
Easts were too good for an improved PNG Hunters last weekend, proving too slick and professional in the wet conditions. You would expect more of the same this weekend.
Easts Tigers are merely continuing on a roll from 2018 which has seen them lose just three games of their last 18. Unfortunately one of those was the Grand Final. Even better is the Tigers home form which extends to nine games unbeaten at Langland Park.
Let’s hope the jerks on the Sunday Footy Show on Channel Nein don’t get a hold of the footage and give Dave Taylor the same treatment this year.
2018: R1 Central 15 Easts 14 — Easts 26 Central 22
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS v WYNNUM SEAGULLS
Sunday 2:00pm
Off to Piggabeen for the next installment of the Flockbuster – a battle to be the Intrust Super Cup’s best Seagulls.
It is a tight contest so far in 2019, with both teams coming into the game nestled in the top 5, and with three wins and just a solitary loss. The two sides have conceded the same amount of points (60), but Wynnum are ahead having scored an extra 30 points in the first four games (94 in total).
In team news Tom Dearden drop to the reserves after impressing last weekend against Mackay.
Tweed Heads will have to turn around the recent dominance of their Queensland rivals in this fixture however, as Tweed Heads haven’t beaten Wynnum since Round 20 in 2015.
SOUTHS LOGAN MAPGIES v BURLEIGH BEARS
Sunday 3:00pm
Two teams coming into the game after tight losses in relatively low scoring games last weekend. Burleigh went down 12-6 in Townsville to the Blackhawks, while the Magpies were beaten by a late field goal in their 19-18 loss at Redcliffe.
Back at home for the Souths Logan MAgpies, which might not actually be an advantage given their recent poor run of results at Davis Park. They have lost their last seven games at home, including the first two of the 2019 Intrust Super Cup season.
Some big inclusions and reshuffle for the Magpies for this weekend. Star five eighth Guy Hamilton returns, which has seen Gerome Burns move to halfback and his third position of the season. Linc Port moves to fullback to complete a strong backline. There’s also the inclusion of Shaun Fensom in the pack for some real quality.
Burleigh Bears will be without hooker Pat Politoni, who got the Intrust Super Cup more airplay than usual after knocking out Townsville’s Michael Parker-Walshe last weekend, but his absence probably won’t stop the Bears progress up the ladder.
Although, the home side hasn’t won at home this season and the away side hasn’t won away. So who knows.
2018: R5 Burleigh 40 Magpies 28 — R22 Magpies 12 Burleigh 22
