The big first weekend of the new Intrust Super Cup season is here, and we offer up our Round 1 Intrust Super Cup Round preview with our fearless predictions.
There’s a brief rundown of each game, a bit about betting, broadcasting, and more.
Most importantly, we have the CEO of main sponsor Intrust Super Brendan O’Farrell giving us his tips each week.
If you need a full season preview – we have you covered here with our 2019 Intrust Super Cup preview.
If you don’t yet have an Intrust Super Cup team, then take our Personality Quiz.
Just to emphasise that the Intrust Super Cup offers those in SEQ some Sunday afternoon football, there are four games this weekend to choose from.
And the TV game is thankfully back to Sunday afternoon. Where it belongs.
ROUND 1 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 tips below, and submit your via our Twitter or Facebook page.
BRENDAN O’FARRELL (CEO of Intrust Super)
EASTS TIGERS to beat Mackay Cutters
WYNNUM SEAGULLS to beat Sunshine Coast Falcons
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS to beat Northern Pride
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Ipswich Jets
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS to beat PNG Hunters
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES to beat Central Capras
BURLEIGH BEARS to beat Norths Devils
THE GURGLER’s TIPS (Us)
EASTS TIGERS to beat Mackay Cutters
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS to beat Wynnum Seagulls
NORTHERN PRIDE to beat Redcliffe Dolphins
IPSWICH JETS to beat Townsville Blackhawks
PNG HUNTERS to beat Tweed Heads Seagulls
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES to beat Central Capras
NORTHS DEVILS to beat Burleigh Bears
Follow our weekly Twitter post to add your selections.
ROUND 1 INTRUST SUPER CUP – MINI PREVIEW
Here’s a quick rundown on our thoughts for all of the games this weekend.
The full Team Lists for Round 1 can be found at the QRL Website.
EASTS TIGERS v MACKAY CUTTERS
Saturday 4:30pm
Langlands Park is a nice, familiar place to kick off the 2019 Intrust Super Cup, and the Tigers will no doubt be as strong as ever, they always are, and trying to build on their late season momentum which took them all the way to the Grand Final. They’re missing a few names that helped them with that late season charge, but should still have enough quality to sneak home over Mackay.
The Cutters came last in 2018, and losing Nicho Hynes and some of their forwards (two – Aaron Booth and Bennett Leslie – are playing for Easts this weekend) wouldn’t help, but an influx of new faces can also bring a fresh start. They’ll need it as Mackay have never won at Langlands Park.
A key battle will be how Rhys Jacks makes up for the loss of Brodie Croft/Brayden Torpy against a quality half in Cooper Bambling.
2018: R2 Mackay 10 Easts 44 – R18 Easts 26 Mackay 24
Betting: N/A
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS v WYNNUM SEAGULLS
Saturday 5:30pm
Two much changed sides go head to head on the Sunshine Coast, each side with their own intriguing new faces to debut this weekend.
Catching our eye for the Falcons is the recruitment of Jonathon Rueben from Townsville. The speed machine will no doubt light up the coast throughout the 2019 Intrust Super season.
Also making a first start in new colours is the former PNG Hunter Edene Gebbie. He is named at fullback, and was one of the Hunters real bright lights last season. Matiu Love-Henry is another new face to lead the Seagulls pack.
2018: R2 Wynnum 22 SunCoast 23 – R18 SunCoast 18 Wynnum 6
Betting: N/A
NORTHERN PRIDE v REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS
Saturday 6:00pm
The Dolphins begin their premiership defence with a challenging game up in Cairns against a Pride side who have boosted their side with a few new names to counter the loss of star half Jake Clifford to the NRL amongst others.
Redcliffe’s win away to the Pride late last season was their first in Cairns, in fact both games last season went with the away side. Good omens for Redcliffe?
With Cameron Cullen out for the season, the Dolphins could be worried about creativity, however young gun Corey Paix, who was impressed in Broncos trials will no doubt admirably fill the gap. The game will also see the debut of new Pride recruit in former NRL player Maurice Blair, who has been named on the bench.
2018: R10 Redcliffe 24 Pride 26 – R23 Pride 6 Redcliffe 18
Betting: N/A
IPSWICH JETS v TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS
Sunday 12:10pm
TV GAME
The first TV game fixture of the 2019 Intrust Super Cup offers up what should be a quality clash. They usually are. And a replay of the 2015 Grand Final no less.
You never know quite what to expect from the Ipswich Jets, perhaps the Walker brothers will surprise in 2019 by playing regular rugby league. We hope not. A few of the players who formed that premiership winning side remain, including the return of former five-eighth Josh Cleeland from his NRL adventures, where he was unlucky not to get a decent go.
Townsville have been arguably the best team in the Intrust Super Cup since their arrival in 2015, but have just the grand final to show for their efforts. The side looks as strong as ever for 2019, which sees new recruit Shaun Nona relegated to a bench spot behind Kyle Laybutt and the returning Michael Parker-Walshe. A nice story seeing the club’s original halfback return after retiring in 2017.
For us, you can’t go past Michael Purcell and Marmin Barba as players to watch. In particular the Ipswich fullback Purcell has a try scoring knack that is almost unrivalled in the Intrust Super Cup.
2018: R2 Ipswich 20 Townsville 18 – R18 Townsville 22 Ipswich 14
Betting: N/A
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS v PNG HUNTERS
Sunday 2:05pm
Strange but true, that the Tweed Heads Seagulls beat the Hunters twice in the PNG side’s premiership winning season n 2017. That was avenged in 2018, but the Tweed Heads Seagulls face a much changed PNG Hunters in Round 1.
Gone are the names that everyone came to love, like the Boas brothers, Puara, and our favourite Willie Minoga, plus another handful of former Hunters playing for other ISC club. Whilst it’s not quite as good without them, that means a fresh bunch of new Hunters heroes are ready to be met.
For us, we are looking forward to seeing more of fullback Joe Joshua and Junior Rop and everyone else. And the loss of the Boas brothers gives Charlie Simon a chance to run the show in 2019. He showed real glimpses of quality last season, and more responsibility will suit.
Tweed Heads have a shiny new logo, and they did threaten at some stages last year of breaking into the finals race. With eight finals places a new offer for this season, that will help. Tweed still have one the McGradys featuring for them this weekend, with Lindon named a five eighth. Brayden is currently chasing an NRL dream with Penrith.
2018: R4 – PNG 32 Tweed 8 – R22 Tweed 12 PNG 22
Betting: N/A
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES v CENTRAL CAPRAS
Sunday 3:00pm
Traditional kick off time at one of the good old grounds in Davies Park sees the Magpies welcome the Central Capras.
The Magpies had finals in their grasp in 2018, and threw it all away with a horror run of results in the second half of the season. A few new recruits will hopefully get them back on track for finals.
Those new names feature Linc Port and Matthew Soper-Lawler, and they still have one the competition’s finest players in Guy Hamilton. We’re also keeping an eye on fullback Gerome Burns. The fullback spot for Souths Logan lately has become a golden ticket for NRL dreams, with Corey Allen departing for Souths in the off-season, and Jamayne Isaako doing very nicely at the Broncos after a stellar 2017 for the Magpies.
NORTHS DEVILS v BURLEIGH BEARS
Sunday 3:00pm
Some are picking Norths as great improvers in 2019, and even dark horses for the title, so what better way to prove those credentials than to face the Burleigh Bears first up. A side who Norths actually did the double over in 2018.
The strong spine of Burleigh remains, where 2016 premiership winners like Pat Politoni, Jamal Fogarty and Kurtis Rowe remain. Luke Page too is still turning out for the Bears, hoping to make it to another Grand Final and beyond. They weren’t far off last season having finished second but losing both finals games, and a little strengthening won’t hurt their chances.
For the Devils, we can’t wait to see Nixon Putt is motion for the Jets. Putt was the country’s best last season in addition to being super for the PNG Hunters all season. Dargan v Fogarty in the halves could be the game’s fascinating battle.
2018: R6 Norths 20 Burleigh 4 – Burleigh 24 Norths 28
Betting: N/A
