A place in the Intrust Super Cup grand final is on the line when the Essential Coffee Burleigh Bears host the Sunshine Coast Falcons on Sunday afternoon. 

For the second year in a row the Bears have earned a home preliminary final as they look to contest their second grand final in four years. 

“Being at home is a massive advantage for us to hopefully perform well,” Bears captain Luke Page said. 

“We’ve got the (Gold Coast) grand finals on the day before, so hopefully they can come out and support us on Sunday and there will be a good crowd. 

“We’ve had a week off, we’ve all freshened up (and) it’s going to be a huge game and I’m sure all the boys will be up for it.” 

The Bears earned a home preliminary final by beating the Wynnum Manly Seagulls 34-32 in the first week of the finals. 

It was an outstanding display for the Bears, who shot out to an early lead and navigated a Wynnum comeback in front of a vocal away crowd. 

The Burleigh pack were on song with Page leading from the front with 188 running metres, allowing the playmakers plenty of space and try-scoring opportunities. 

With a completion rate of 84% the Bears ran in six tries to bring them within one game of a grand final berth. 

Their opponents on Sunday are the Sunshine Coast Falcons, who have set the competition alight in 2019 with one of the best regular season records the Intrust Super Cup has ever seen. 

Sunshine Coast finished the year with 21 wins, one loss and one draw to finish seven points clear at the top of the ladder. 

That record included two wins over the Bears; 32-16 in Round 12 and 20-14 in Round 20. 

The Round 20 clash was a pulsating encounter, with the Bears unlucky to fall just short of victory at Pizzey Park. 

While the Bears suffered defeat and three significant injuries, there was a sense of optimism around the ground after the game as the Bears proved more than a handful for the runaway competition leaders. 

“They’ve been the pinnacle of the competition and even though we lost that game, to play against them the way we did we definitely walked away pretty confident to play them again,” Page said. “Jimmy (Lenihan – coach) will do his homework and let us know how to go and I’m sure we’ll be good.” 

Since then, the Falcons suffered an unexpected loss in the first week of the finals and were pushed all the way by the Easts Tigers, while Burleigh will be refreshed after a weekend off. 

Only one change has been made to the team that defeated Wynnum Manly, with Tyronne Roberts-Davis reclaiming a spot on the wing with Will Evans named for the Colts. 

Kick-off in the Intrust Super Cup preliminary final between the Bears and Falcons is this Sunday at 3.05pm. The game will be broadcast live on Nine Gem. 

The Bears and Falcons will also clash in the Hastings Deering Colts preliminary final which kicks off at 1.10pm. 

Intrust Super Cup preliminary final – Sunday September 22 at Pizzey Park 

Essential Coffee Burleigh Bears v Sunshine Coast Falcons 

Burleigh Bears 

1 Kurtis Rowe 2 Tyronne Roberts-Davis 3 Sami Sauiluma 4 Josh Berkers 5 Anthony Don 6 Dylan Phythian 7 Jamal Fogarty 8 Luke Page (c) 9 Pat Politoni 10 Oliver Percy 11 Hayden Schwass 12 Blake Leary 13 Sam Coster 14 Matt Robinson 15 Josh Rogers 16 Josh Ailaomai 17 Api Noema 

Coach: Jimmy Lenihan

Burleigh Bears will take on the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Hastings Deering Colts preliminary final this Sunday afternoon. 

In the first of two massive preliminary finals between Burleigh and Sunshine Coast being played at Pizzey Park on Sunday afternoon, the Burleigh Colts will attempt to clinch a spot in the grand final from 1.10pm before the Intrust Super Cup clash begins at 3.05pm. 

The Bears and Falcons have met on two occasions this year, with both sides picking up a win each in two extremely tightly contested games. 

Jayden Campbell slotted a last-minute field goal to defeat the Falcons at Sunshine Coast Stadium 23-22 in Round 12 while the Falcons scored three tries in the last ten minutes to steal a 28-20 win at Pizzey Park in Round 20. 

Sunday’s rubber match will decide who advances to the grand final where the winner will face either Wynnum Manly Seagulls or Mackay Cutters. 

Burleigh suffered a tight loss to the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the first week of the finals but roared back into form with a 42-12 elimination win over the Norths Devils last week. 

The Bears were at their sparkling best, running in seven tries including a double to centre Taine Tuaupiki while Jayden Campbell scored a try and slotted seven conversions. 

Sunshine Coast had last weekend off thanks to a comfortable 24-4 win over minor premiers Townsville in the first week of the finals. 

Hastings Deering Colts preliminary final – Sunday September 22 at Pizzey Park 

Burleigh Bears v Sunshine Coast Falcons 

Burleigh Bears 

1 Jayden Campbell (c) 2 Will Evans 3 Allan Lockwood 4 Taine Tuaupiki 5 Trey Peni 6 Shallin Fuller 7 Cameron Brown 8 Tristan Powell 9 Lochlan Turnbull 10 Luke Maiden 11 Thomas Berkers 12 Larryon Tevita 13 Lochlyn Sheldon 14 Zachary McCormack 15 Eli Morgan 16 Daniel Shannon 17 Andrew Scougall 18 Samuel Shannon 19 Damon Somerville 20 Lane Ticehurst 21 Cole Geyer 

Coach: Jamie Mahon

The Burleigh Bears will attempt to complete a stellar season when they face Southport Tigers in the Rugby League Gold Coast A Grade grand final on Saturday. 

Pizzey Park will host all of the Rugby League Gold Coast finals throughout the day, with the A Grade clash between the Bears and Tigers the main event at 4pm. 

Burleigh have been competition favourites all year and will be laser focused on producing another polished performance. 

“If we win on Saturday, it’s going to be because we applied pressure and dealt with pressure better than the opposition,” coach Matt Foster said. “Particularly in finals football, that’s what it is about.” 

“Our energy is massively important. Our attitude mentally going into the game is the key component and then all the stuff that people talk about all the time – making sure we stay in the game and apply pressure through the little things.” 

They have won 17 games, drawn once and suffered just one defeat across the entire season, but Foster said a focus on meeting internal performance standards on a weekly basis has been the real secret to their success. 

He also pointed to the smooth transition of several A Grade regulars into the Intrust Super Cup side throughout the year as a true sign of the team’s success and value to the club as a whole. 

“We’re about performing each week and making sure we maintain a standard that we set for ourselves,” he said. “It’s not me asking the players to produce a standard, it’s them who set the standard and then each week we attain that. 

“We’ve got a structure at the club where the Queensland Cup is the top level, so my job is to get players ready to play at my level but also to be an option or somebody that is fighting for a position in the Q Cup team if somebody gets injured. So, utilising the performance aspect has kept everyone trying to push hard each week. 

“(Conner Toia) went on to play three Cup games and in those games, he contributed really well. 

“We’ve got Api Noema who has floated in between both teams, Josh Berkers is floating in between both teams and everybody that has moved up has acquitted themselves fantastically well. For me, that’s as good a marker on the job I’ve done this year as anything.” 

Foster was also full of praise for the likes of Ben Valeni, Reece Summers and Regan Muir Ogle as players who have set the standard weekly in the local competition. 

They take on a resurgent Southport Tigers who have eliminated Tugun and Currumbin in consecutive weeks. 

Those wins come after a rough patch where the Tigers lost four in a row, including a 52-10 loss at the hands of Burleigh in Round 19. 

Foster said that while Southport may have dropped their standards for a short period, their class has returned, and he expects their best on Saturday. 

“They’ve got the experience of Tu Whakatihi and Drumayne Dayberg-Muir which is really important to them,” he said. “They are two key players that they look to play through. 

“They’re a team that play very physical and very strong and they’re well and truly back in it now after beating Tugun and Currumbin.” 

The Tigers have not won the local A Grade premiership since 2014, while Burleigh will be looking to reclaim the title they last won in 2017. 

Burleigh will also contest the Under 20s grand final against Currumbin at 12pm. 

Rugby League Gold Coast grand final day – Saturday September 21 at Pizzey Park 

A Grade; Burleigh Bears v Southport Tigers, 4pm 

Reserve grade; Tugun Seahawks v Mudgeeraba Redbacks, 2pm 

Under 20s; Burleigh Bears v Currumbin Eagles, 12pm

The Burleigh Bears will take on minor premiers the Currumbin Eagles in the Under 20s grand final this Saturday at Pizzey Park. 

Kicking off at 12pm, the Under 20s grand final will be the first of three local finals to be contested on the day, with the Bears A Grade side taking on Southport at 4pm. 

The Bears beat Currumbin 20-14 in the second week of the finals, a victory that earned them a weekend off and direct passage to the grand final. 

It was somewhat of an upset win for Burleigh, as the Eagles finished the year ten-points clear at the top of the ladder to be crowned runaway minor premiers. 

Burleigh had also lost the two previous encounters between the teams; 52-28 in Round 7 and 44-26 in Round 15. 

However, it was the young Bears who produced the goods in the qualifying final, perhaps giving them an important mental edge coming into the decider. 

Also working in their favour is the fact that the Eagles were forced to contest a very close preliminary final last weekend where they edged out Runaway Bay 20-16. 

Currumbin will be attempting to claim back-to-back titles after winning last year’s grand final 34-20 over Southport. 

Rugby League Gold Coast grand final day – Saturday September 21 at Pizzey Park 

A Grade; Burleigh Bears v Southport Tigers, 4pm 

Reserve grade; Tugun Seahawks v Mudgeeraba Redbacks, 2pm 

Under 20s; Burleigh Bears v Currumbin Eagles, 12pm

Burleigh Bears will fight to keep their season alive when they host Norths Devils in the Hastings Deering Colts elimination final this Saturday afternoon. 

The Bears went down 24-19 to Wynnum Manly last weekend in a gripping semi-final but thanks to their second-place finish get a second chance this weekend. 

They face the Devils, who finished the season in sixth place and eliminated Easts Tigers with a 40-20 win last weekend. 

Burleigh will need to bounce back from last week’s disappointment, where they were run down after leading 19-12 at halftime. 

In front of a large and vocal crowd at Kougari Oval, the Bears fought until the very end with Lochlan Turnbull crossing the line twice in the final five minutes, only for the try to be disallowed on both occasions. 

This week the Bears will get the advantage of a home final and coach Jamie Mahon has named an unchanged side to run onto Pizzey Park 4pm Saturday. 

A Burleigh win would see them advance to the preliminary final where they would meet the Sunshine Coast Falcons. 

The Colts are the only senior team taking the field this week, as the Bears A Grade and Under 20s both earned a bye when they advanced to the Rugby League Gold Coast grand final last week, while the Intrust Super Cup side also has the week off as they await their home preliminary final. 

Hastings Deering Colts finals week 2 – Saturday September 14 at Pizzey Park 

Burleigh Bears v Norths Devils, 4pm 

1 Jayden Campbell (c) 2 Trey Peni 3 Allan Lockwood 4 Taine Tuaupiki 5 Braden Amundsen 6 Shallin Fuller 7 Cameron Brown 8 Tristan Powell 9 Lochlan Turnbull 10 Andrew Scougall 11 Thomas Berkers 12 Lane Ticehurst 13 Lochlyn Sheldon 14 Zachary McCormack 15 Eli Morgan 16 Larryon Tevita 17 Daniel Shannon 

Coach: Jamie Mahon

https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2019/09/09/intrust-super-cup-finals-week-1-highlights-wynnum-v-bears/?fbclid=IwAR34JNp9EByvI5McO6uMc52tH_GZKLCPPNZJhNmab7_yxcePAyfMA2opuVo

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