Second half surge keeps young Tigers at bay as Valleys into finals

Valleys secured its spot in the Volunteers Cup finals, while Southern Suburbs showed they’re not far off the pace.

The two TRL sides met in round seven of the inter-district competition at the weekend, with a surging second half guiding the Roosters to a 36-14 victory.

Trailing 20-14 at the break, the injury-hit Tigers were unable to hold out their opponents in the second half at North Ipswich.

Coach Liam Capewell said there were promising signs from the showing, crediting the effort of his developing roster.

“There were some good signs. We went down there with a young side and makeshift halves,” Capewell said.

“Alex Dunemann played at five-eighth and Braith Ashurst had his first start in A-grade.

“We were missing guys in key positions, but the blokes in the middle did a good job for us. It was just a bit unfortunate with some outside edges and one-on-one plays, they got the better of us at times.

“A lot of the boys we’ve got back are still eligible to play U20s this year and next. To be down there playing open-age footy, it will pay dividends for us in the future.

“They’re buying into the Souths culture and enjoying their time with each other both on and off the field.”

The Tigers now sit in fifth on the ladder, and require at least one win from their next three outings to move back into the top four.

“We’ve got a couple of games left, and our next game against Gatton is very winnable,” Capewell said.

“We’re hopeful of getting some senior players back like Mitch Revell and Matt Duggan.

“If we can get that job done, we’ll look forward to the next weekend against Norths. Winning two of the next three should lock us in.”

The Hawks were accounted for by West End to the tune of 54-14.

STANDINGS: Goodna 12, Valleys 10, Norths 10, West End 4, Souths 4, Gatton 4