Lipp, Tuite fire Southern Suburbs to first Volunteers Cup victory

RUGBY LEAGUE: It’s been a while since Southern Suburbs has sat at the top of the standings in Toowoomba.

But it’s a feat they can boast after the opening round of the Volunteers Cup, being the only side to get the better of their Ipswich opposition.

The Tigers prevailed 32-30 over West End, with the scoreline not an indication of the level of control they had over their rivals at North Ipswich Reserve.

With scores tied at 12-all at the break, Souths opened up a 26-12 advantage midway through the second half which would prove an unassailable lead.

A number of familiar faces again stamped their authority over the match, with coach Liam Capewell most impressed with the team’s willingness to let the ball fly.

“We’re a bit of a free-flowing team. It requires the boys to be committed to supporting and not as worried about setting up for the next play,” Capewell said.

“We scored some really nice long-range tries as a result of going through different sets of hands and offloads.

“Jacob (Whittaker) taking that first hit-up of a set built confidence for us. The boys know they can get a bit of a quick play the ball of the back of it, something Mitch Revell will also add when he comes in next week.

“Jordan Lipp is on another level. I’ve never seen someone with so much time. Mitch Tuite was terrific as well, it was his best performance in a Souths jumper. Those two had the ball on a string.”

The Tigers had three players make their senior club debut, and Capewell said he was impressed with their output.

“We had three boys make their senior debut on the weekend from other clubs or who hadn’t played since the juniors,” he said.

“We’ve tried to recruit a few blokes who suit what we’ve got building, like Blake Lollback (previously Wattles) and Stafford Mortensen.

“Jaren Bender did a cracking job. He defended on a centre with Queensland Cup experience and did a job on him. He’d get a hold of him by his shirt or hold on by a fingernail, but he’d bring him down every time.”

In other games, Gatton was downed 48-12 by Norths, while Valleys let a 14-10 halftime lead slip against Goodna.

The Roosters were defeated 38-18.