It’s rivalry round in the Intrust Super Cup this weekend, with seven premium contests awaiting one barely needs our 2021 Intrust Super Cup Round 4 Preview & Tips.
That doesn’t mean we won’t provide a preview with enough stats, colourful visuals and tips from Intrust Super’s Brendan O’Farrell to keep your entire household interested.
But with a weekend full of quality match ups we’ll let the football and stats do the talking.
So enjoy the stats and barely interesting facts in our Intrust Super Cup Round 4 Preview.
2021 Intrust Super Cup – Round 4 Tips
As ever we have attempted to get some expert tips to accompany each weekly preview.
This season we feature no less than the CEO of competition sponsor Intrust Super Brendan O’Farrell for another season. We also have tips from Intrust Super Cup guru Matt Crowhurst who knows a lot more than most about Queensland’s premier rugby league competition.
Less interesting is that we also supply our own tips.
BRENDAN O’FARRELL – CEO INTRUST SUPER
PNG HUNTERS to beat Sunshine Coast Falcons
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS to beat Burleigh Bears
BRISBANE TIGERS to beat Ipswich Jets
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Northern Pride
CENTRAL CAPRAS to beat Mackay Cutters
WYNNUM SEAGULLS to beat Redcliffe Dolphins
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES to beat Norths Devils
MATT CROWHURST – ISC GURU
PNG HUNTERS to beat Sunshine Coast Falcons
BURLEIGH BEARS to beat Tweed Heads Seagulls
BRISBANE TIGERS to beat Ipswich Jets
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Northern Pride
CENTRAL CAPRAS to beat Mackay Cutters
WYNNUM SEAGULLS to beat Redcliffe Dolphins
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES to beat Norths Devils
THE GURGLER – MEDIOCRE WEBSITE
PNG HUNTERS to beat Sunshine Coast Falcons
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS to beat Burleigh Bears
BRISBANE TIGERS to beat Ipswich Jets
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Northern Pride
CENTRAL CAPRAS to beat Mackay Cutters
WYNNUM SEAGULLS to beat Redcliffe Dolphins
NORTHS DEVILS to beat Souths logan Magpies
CURRENT LEADERBOARD
BRENDAN O’FARRELL – Season 71% 15/21 – Last Week 6/7
THE GURGLER – Season 67% 14/21 – Last Week 6/7
MATT CROWHURST – Season 57% 12/21 – Last Week 5/7
2021 Intrust Super Cup – Round 4 Stats & Preview
Here is where we go through each game on offer this weekend with the teams, stats and points of interest to get into your local team this weekend.
Round 4 Teams originally published on QRL website.
SATURDAY 2:10PM PNG HUNTERS v SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS
(GAME ON KAYO FREEBIES)
THOUGHTS
A rare occurrence last time out for the Hunters – a half time lead. Things were pretty evenly matched in the second half, well 10-10 is pretty even, but the Hunters did the job on their first road trip of the season. And are still undefeated in second halves for the past two seasons.
Time for their rivalry round with the Falcons – their opponent in the historic 2017 Grand Final win.
The Falcons have had the better record since that Grand Final with a 3-1 advantage since 2018 including the rather lop-sided 60-6 loss in the most recent game.
Both sides have changed since with the Hunters current side featuring some exciting new talent, in particular .
Directing the traffic are the halves and hookers, and this area is where the Falcons have the bigger names of Todd Murphy and Cooper Johns yet the lesser known Hunters pair of Charlie Simon and Watson Boas are playing well for the Hunters. Good to see new coach Matt Church getting the best out of the Hunters’ Charlie Simon. The hooker line ups aren’t bad either with the NRL experience of Tyson Smoothy and Kurt Baptiste for the Falcons and PNG Internationals Wartovo Puara and Edwin Ipape.
Both teams have similar records on the Gold Coast, of course the Hunters can continue to enhance their glitter strip stats with a run of home victories.
PNG Hunters will be missing their hat trick hero from their last home game – Brendon Gutuno – and his replacement Norman Brown is the only change. Gutuno is not the only try scoring hero for the Hunters however. Livewire interchange hooker Edwin Ipape has scored two games in a row, and Terry Wapi missed the chance to score in four consecutive ISC games last weekend but has looked sharp this season. Certainly adequately filling the boots of the great Stargroth Amean for the Hunters.
The game is available to watch on Kayo Freebies and
PREDICTION
PNG Hunters by 2
BETTING (2021 Season)
PNG Hunters $13 (-$4.00 – change from last round) Sunshine Coast $8 (-$0.50)
SATURDAY 3:30PM – TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS v BURLEIGH BEARS
THOUGHTS
Different fortunes for the Gold Coast sides last weekend.
Tweed got a solid home win over the Magpies last weekend. Down 12-14 at half time, the Seagulls were 40-14 in front after their fifth second half try in the 71st minute, allowing the Magpies the chickenfeed of two consolation tries.
Burleigh woke up the previously sleeping Tigers and were soundly beaten 50-10, and it was the first time since Redcliffe beat Burleigh 64-6 in July 2015 that the Bears have conceded 50 or more points.
Never mind that, there’s a local Gold Coast derby to be had this weekend.
Both sides have won their home games and lost their away games so far this season, which is bad news for the Bears as they are meeting away at Piggabeen this weekend.
Talking of 50 points conceded earlier, the Seagulls haven’t beaten their rivalry round opponents since the knocked up a half century in their 50-4 win back in May 2015. That was a bad season for the Bears who also conceded 78 points to Townsville that year as well.
Past is past though, just as last weekend doesn’t matter this weekend when it’s rivalry round, and we say Burleigh keep the good time going in rivalry round. Just.
Fans of “That’s Where He Plays Now” will notice former Rabbitoh Fetuli Talanoa as an inclusion for the Tween this weekend. An even more important In this week is Blake Leary returning for the Bears.
PREDICTION
Burleigh by 4
BETTING (2021 Season)
Tweed Heads $11 (-$10) Burleigh $6.50 (+$2)
SATURDAY 5:00PM – IPSWICH JETS v BRISBANE TIGERS
THOUGHTS
Fans of clean stats will enjoy following the Tigers this season, with all scores both for and against in all games ending as a multiple of ten. Lots of good zeroes last weekend anyway.
We thought the Tigers would come good eventually given their side on paper, but can’t claim that a 40 point thrashing of the reigning premiers was in our predictions.
Ipswich continue to struggle in the post Walker brothers era and yet to win since their departure at the end of the 2019 season.
Similar to the above for clean stats lovers, and we know there are thousands, Ipswich’s last three home games v Easts have ended in two point victories for the Tigers. In fact, it was the exact same score in 2017 and 2019.
Stat boxes ticked, it’s hard to see the Tigers not winning this weekend with their side on paper. But Ipswich – the team and the city – are battlers and won’t make it easy on the Tigers of Brisbane. So we think it might be a close win to the Tigers. Let’s say the traditional two points?
PREDICTION
Tigers by 2
BETTING (2021 Season)
Ipswich Jets $67 (+$16) Tigers $11 (-$10)
SATURDAY 6:00PM – TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS v NORTHERN PRIDE
THOUGHTS
Both these teams were undefeated going into Round Three last weekend, and both ended Round Three with a loss to a similarly undefeated Brisbane side, the worst of the two being Wynnum’s comfortable victory over the Pride in Cairns.
Jake Clifford remains in Pride colours this weekend, his promotion not helped by the Cowboys winning a game last weekend. PNG bias aside, we wonder why the PNG international and Blackhawks five eighth Kyle Laybutt wasn’t considered for a go in the halves for the Cowboys. He has been excellent in Kumuls colours recently and good for Townsville too.
As for now he will have to bide his time for Townsville, in charge of their impressively stocked backline of speed and skill.
The Blackhawks had every chance to remain 100% last weekend, leading 22-12 with a quarter to play, but were not able to withstand the last quarter onslaught of the 2021 surprise packets Devils.
Good news though for one of the Cowboys droppees last weekend with Esan Marsters scoring two tries despite the loss.
As for this weekend, one only needs to look at the stat of the Blackhawks home record v Northern/Central sides to know who will be the easiest team to pick. Being lazy we’ll go with the odds.
PREDICTION
Townsville by 18
BETTING (2021 Season)
Blackhawks $7 (+$1.50) Pride $34 (+$16)
SATURDAY 7PM – CENTRAL CAPRAS v MACKAY CUTTERS
THOUGHTS
Just the one competition point between the two Central Queensland sides so far in 2021, but you could argue that both teams aren’t going that badly. Especially the Capras.
Central Capras came within two points of a rare win over the Redcliffe Dolphins last weekend and led early too after scoring the first two tries of the game. PNG bias alert – one was for former Dolphin and PNG World Nines player Jedidiah Simbiken. The Capras were still leading well into the second half, but a late Redcliffe charge and a cruel 79th penalty goal robbed them of another hard earned point.
PNG bias alert – Nixon Putt looks a stellar signing for the Capras this season.
Mackay are still on zero points and only avoiding full cellar on a substantial difference points difference between themselves and the Ipswich Jets. Coincidentally have a better for and against than Burleigh – one of the three sides that have already beaten the Cutters this season.
One obscure stat that is in favour of the Capras is the half time margins in Mackay’s games this season. The Cutters half time deficit in the first game of the season v Redcliffe was just four points, followed by the second game of the season v Burleigh where the half time margin was eight, and last week it was 12 points the margin v Hunters. This means surely the half time deficit for the Cutters will be 16 points. Or not.
PREDICTION
Capras by 4
BETTING (2021 Season)
Capras $101 ($0) Cutters $51 (+$17)
SUNDAY 2:10PM – (TV GAME) – WYNNUM SEAGULLS v REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS
THOUGHTS
The Bayside rivalry returns for another season and it looks advantage Wynnum with their 100% record in 2021 so far, and the sides they have beaten make it look a decent form line. The Seagulls won both of the matches at Kougari against Redcliffe in 2019 too, on their way to a Grand Final. Although before 2019 the away side won a lot of games between these two sides and Redcliffe have kept things tight this season.
Redcliffe are currently only involved in two point games this season, with two going their way, one was a late penalty goal against the Capras last weekend.
Wynnum have a strong record at home to Brisbane teams, and have won the last two games against Redcliffe at Kougari.
For your obscure stats look no further than the last three margins between these sides at Kougari. 16 then 8 then 4, which going by the trend of margins halving per subsequent game means that 2021 record of two point Dolphin games will remain intact after four rounds.
PREDICTION
Wynnum by 2
BETTING (2021 Season)
Wynnum $5.50 (fav) (-$0.50) Redcliffe $9 (+$1)
SUNDAY 3:00PM – SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES v NORTHS DEVILS
THOUGHTS
This game will have more eyes on it than usual as million dollar man Anthony Milford heads to Davies Park.
Throw in Albert Kelly, Karmichael Hunt and Broncos scapegoat Tesi Niu at fullback and reserve hooker Cory Paix and the Magpies have a decent starting side on paper. Or a spine at least.
We’re not fooled though, we’ll stick with the 100% Devils. There’s no big NRL names there, but it’s hard to argue with the results so far. And their come from behind win against Townsville last weekend was against a backline that that would be equally as strong as the Magpies, well minus Milford we suppose. He may well be the difference, and probably should be at his price.
Souths do have the H2H record over Norths however, especially on a Sunday. At the very least there should be plenty of points with the Magpies having been only outscored by the top five and conceded the third most points this season. The Devils’ 96 points is second best by two points.
PREDICTION
Norths by 2
BETTING (2021 Season)
Norths Devils $8 (-$1) Souths Logan $15 (+$2)
