We have reached lucky round number seven our 2021 Intrust Super Cup Preview Round 7 & Stats is here as your companion for the weekend of Queensland rugby league.
The round features some teams looking for a change in luck or fortunes, namely the Central Capras who are still yet to register a win and then are facing a team they haven’t beaten since 2014.
There’s also the curious case of the Hunters dominance over Souths Logan at Davies Park, winning every year they have played there. Emphasising this in 2020 by winning their only game of the season at Davies Park.
In addition there’s a bunch of teams who are on decent losing streaks against their opponent, so maybe this is the weekend where all of those teams turn those stats around.
One of these is Wynnum v Sunshine Coast, but the Seagulls are undefeated in six games this season. A streak is ready to be broken.
Talking of stats, there’s plenty below along with some barely interesting facts in our 2021 Intrust Super Cup Preview Round 7 & Stats.
2021 Intrust Super Cup – Round 7 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
IPSWICH JETS to beat Burleigh Bears
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS to beat Northern Pride
NORTHS DEVILS to beat Central Capras
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Mackay Cutters
WYNNUM SEAGULLS to beat Sunshine Coast Falcons
BRISBANE TIGERS to beat Redcliffe Dolphins
PNG HUNTERS to beat Souths Logan Magpies
MATT CROWHURST – ISC GURU
BURLEIGH BEARS to beat Ipswich Jets
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS to beat Northern Pride
CENTRAL CAPRAS to beat Norths Devils
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Mackay Cutters
WYNNUM SEAGULLS to beat Sunshine Coast Falcons
BRISBANE TIGERS to beat Redcliffe Dolphins
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES to beat PNG Hunters
THE GURGLER – MEDIOCRE WEBSITE
BURLEIGH BEARS to beat Ipswich Jets
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS to beat Northern Pride
NORTHS DEVILS to beat Central Capras
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Mackay Cutters
WYNNUM SEAGULLS to beat Sunshine Coast Falcons
BRISBANE TIGERS to beat Redcliffe Dolphins
PNG HUNTERS to beat Souths Logan Magpies
CURRENT LEADERBOARD
BRENDAN O’FARRELL – Season 62% 26/42 – Last Round 3/7
MATT CROWHURST – Season 60% 21/35 – Last Round 5/7
THE GURGLER – Season 60% 25/42 – Last Week 4/7
2021 Intrust Super Cup – Round 7 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 7 Teams originally published on QRL website.
SATURDAY 2:10PM BURLEIGH BEARS v IPSWICH JETS
(GAME ON KAYO FREEBIES)
THOUGHTS
Pre-season favourites and reigning premiers Burleigh are starting to warm up to the 2021 season with an Anzac Day triumph over the Hunters being followed up with a comprehensive win away at the previously unbeaten Norths Devils. Keeping the Devils scoreless too is no mean feat. It was their first away win of the season.
No problems at home so far in 2021 with 100% from their two home games. Going back to 2019 the Bears have lost just twice in 15 home games.
It’s opposite for Ipswich who are 0/2 away this season.
Interestingly the Jets have scored three more points than this week’s opponent despite winning only once. The issue being the points they are giving up which is only slightly better than the worst defensive record in the competition.
The H2H isn’t great for the Jets, and when we say not great it means that Ipswich have won just once against Burleigh in the ten games since 2014.
PREDICTION
Burleigh by 20
SATURDAY 3:30PM TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS v NORTHERN PRIDE
THOUGHTS
Tweed Heads have quietly climbed their way up the Intrust Super Cup ladder and currently sit second behind Wynnum, the only team to beat them so far this season.
They have a decent recent record v Northern Pride too with four wins of the past five clashes and a draw thrown in there for good measure.
Our obscure fact about the Tweed at home to sides that wear blue as the main shirt colour is above, with Tweed Heads winning around 70% of their games.
Northern Pride are up to fifth themselves now, with just the two losses this season previously at home, with last weekend’s win over Souths Logan Magpies breaking that home drought.
No worries away from home so far in 2021 with an unbeaten run of three away games including wins over Sunshine Coast and Townsville and a draw with the Capras.
Some barely interesting points facts for these two sides is the Tweed Heads’ 134 points against is only better than teams outside the top eight. For the Northern Pride their 120 total points scored so far this season is only better than the teams in second last and last.
PREDICTION
Tweed Heads by 4
BETTING (2021 Season)
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SATURDAY 6:00PM CENTRAL CAPRAS v NORTHS DEVILS
THOUGHTS
It doesn’t get much more lop sided than this for the Devils taking on the Capras who Norths haven’t lost to since our records go back to in 2014. A good fixture then to get back on track after a sizeable loss at home to Burleigh last weekend – the Devils first loss of the season.
Speaking of losses, the Capras had a sizeable one themselves last weekend away at Wynnum where they scored one less than the total number of competition points gathered so far in 2021. No shame losing to a form side unbeaten and leading the competition, but the size of the loss will hurt.
One thing is the Capras favour is the their winning % at home increases from 22% to 28% when they play away from regular home ground Browne Park. They are also 50% at this weekend’s venue of McIndoe Park in Emerald.
The 0% winning strike rate v Norths won’t help, and the Devils are one of four teams that the Capras are yet to take a point from at home since 2014. Townsville, Tweed Heads and Redcliffe are the others.
Norths first loss of the season may have a silver lining as the Broncos might stop pinching their players. And who knows, if after Xavier Coates’ defection to the Storm in 2022, he might get the Dearden treatment and return to Norths for a while.
Two players to keep an eye on for this games. One is the standard PNG mention of former Devils player Nixon Putt who has done well for the Capras this season. The other is a promising Interchange forward for the Devils – Xavier Willison. A Broncos signee who is stepping up from the Hastings Deering colts and could be just the type of player the NRL club needs.
PREDICTION
Norths by 8
BETTING (2021 Season)
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SUNDAY 2:10PM TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS v MACKAY CUTTERS
(GAME ON KAYO FREEBIES)
THOUGHTS
The second leg of the Foley Shield and Mackay will be hoping for a repeat of the first match of the series where the Blackhawks lost at home (to Northern Pride).
Townsville have been doing a lot of losing lately, with the Blackhawks currently on a four game losing streak although none of the losses were particularly bad, a long losing streak is not something that the Blackhawks have done since their arrival in 2015.
Bad losses is something suffered by the Mackay Cutters in the past two weeks with a combined loss of 20-118 against the Magpies and Falcons. Thankfully a Blackhawk is a helicopter and not a bird so that may break that losing run which have been against teams with bird nicknames.
Overall Townsville have a great record against Mackay with just one loss in nine games.
The Blackhawks also have the second best points difference this season. The Cutter’s 222 points is the most points conceded so far this season. Looking at the various home and away records for these sides against other Foley Shield opponents, it is heavily weighed towards a Townsville win.
PREDICTION
Townsville by 12
BETTING (2021 Season)
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SUNDAY 3:00PM SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS v WYNNUM SEAGULLS
THOUGHTS
An all feathers clash on the Sunshine Coast with the visiting Wynnum Seagulls still undefeated for 2021.
Both sides are coming off big wins last weekend with the Falcons winning by 48 and Wynnum winning by 50 to nil.
One worry for the Falcons is the pattern of their results this season – losing one then winning two. The Sunshine Coast have just won their two in a row…..
But looking at the H2H the Falcons’s best record at home out of all the Brisbane sides is against Wynnum with an average of 1.33 competition points per game.
The Falcons are also unbeaten in four games on a Sunday v Wynnum and have won eight in a row.
But still Wynnum are unbeaten and have all that ISC and NRL talent.
PREDICTION
Wynnum by 12
SUNDAY 3:00PM EASTS TIGERS v REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS
THOUGHTS
The first of a few battles between these sides this season. Some on field, and a larger one off it as the clubs attached to these sides are behind two of the three SEQ NRL 17th team bids.
On field the Tigers got their now customary win over the Hunters in Australia, although they were well ahead at the time they were facing just nine Hunters players at the end. The Tigers have now won three of their last four.
Redcliffe snuck home against the Blackhawks last weekend for a two point win, the fourth game in six that has been decided by two points in games involving Redcliffe.
The Dolphins have the upper hand in recent H2H winning five of the last six and hold a 5-2 advantage for Sunday games over the Tigers. But the Tigers have the more exciting backline.
One point of interest is the two starting halfback faced off against each other in the 2016 Intrust Super Cup Grand Final where Cullen’s Bears got the better of Nicholls’ Dolphins.
PREDICTION
Tigers by 6
SUNDAY 3:00PM SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES v PNG HUNTERS
THOUGHTS
One wonders why when the Hunters were looking for a home base in South East Queensland in 2021 that they didn’t choose Davies Park, a ground they have never been beaten on. Seven straight wins for the Hunters. Of course there’s more to it than just a ground to play at, but still.
The PNG Hunters have had an interesting last couple of rounds, with two losses to Burleigh and Easts. Interestingly Easts is a side the Hunters have never beaten Easts in Australia, and that was proven against last weekend.
Although the PNG Hunters could have probably done without finishing last weekend’s match v the Tigers with just nine men with one send off just before the hour, and three sin bins late in the game.
Obviously discipline will need to be worked on for the Hunters.
They have a lot of positions to sort out if you look at the QRL Team list. Judah Rimbu continues as a replacement for Watson Boas, and the exiting prospect will hopefully be given enough time to shine. Solomon Pokare is the new face at halfback replacing Charlie Simon, and hopefully the pair can turn things around for the Hunters this weekend.
The surprise inclusion from last week Tommy Butterfield could pay off with more time with the experienced Intrust Super Cup campaigner from the Tigers just the kind of experience the team needs. The Hunters also lost one of the key backs last weekend with Jokadi Bire ruled out.
Hunters appears to have done a tribute to last week with just 10 players named in the Teams list at this stage.
Enough Hunters then, and onto the rest of the game.
Where the Hunters have key injuries and are unsettled in the halves the Magpies have plenty with Souths Logan featuring NRL standard Albert Kelly and Tom Dearden in the halves. The latter looks to have been dropped as punishment for signing with the Cowboys for 2022, although it is hard to keep up with whoever is at fault at the Broncos from week to week.
The Magpies also have Tesi Niu and Karmichael Hunt in the backline, while the Hunters are moving players around to cover injuries.
Dare we say this is the season where the Magpies finally beat the Hunters at home. Well we’d warn that the 2020 team that played their only game of the season at Davies Park looked like it was up against a similar challenge with a gap in experience and came from well behind to win.
PREDICTION
Hunters by 2
