Stingrays show colours

Club puts big loss behind them to open account

THE Gold Coast Stingrays have overcome a “blip on the radar” to reaffirm their standing as one of Gridiron Queensland’s top men’s teams, according to their coach Dave Hill.

Thumped 64-0 by the Bayside Ravens in their grand final rematch on the opening day of the season, the seven-time defending champions showed their true colours on Saturday with a 42-7 triumph over Moreton Bay.

With John Karikari out with a hamstring injury, the Stingrays shifted the experienced Lance Tongakilo into quarterback against the Raptors and the move paid immediate dividends.

“It was a good win, obviously a bit more representative of what we’re capable of than last week,” Hill said.

“We got a number of players back and still weren’t at full strength but it was a much better performance. Last week was a wake-up call but with the amount of injuries we had, I think it was a blip on the radar type wake-up call rather than a panic stations wake-up call.

“Last week we were a little bit incommunicative so that was a big difference, as well as the execution of our plays. There was some points we left out on the board (on Saturday) but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

“If we continue to build on our performance this weekend and keep making those 1 per centers, then absolutely we’re one of the top teams.”

Stingrays president Craig James last week told the Bulletin finding a long-term replacement for Karikari could take some time but he would “investigate all our options”.

Chasing a fourth-straight crown, the Stingrays’ colts continued their strong start to the season with a 54-2 thrashing of Sunshine Coast on Saturday.

The club’s women came crashing back to earth after winning 78-0 in Round 1, falling 34-6 to Griffith Thunder.

The juniors had a bye.