Brave Tweed pipped at post in bruising battle
TWEED have been left battered and bruised after a gutsy effort in their 18-0 loss to SEQ women’s rugby league division one rivals Souths.
The Seagulls matched it with the Magpies for most of the match on Saturday, which was subjected to a long injury delay during the first half.
The score was locked at 0-0 at the 27-minute mark when play was halted after Tweed interchange forward Jessica Vannucci went down in agony.
Such was the extent of her injuries – a dislocated kneecap, serious ligament damage and a possible broken leg – that she was not moved from the Piggabeen Sports Complex until an ambulance arrived in a delay that stretched past 30 minutes.
The tough battle continued when play resumed, with the scoreboard unchanged until 15 minutes was left in the match.
With centre Chantelle Schofield, five-eighth Teaghan Hartigan and winger Brittany Faulkner all succumbing to injuries, Tweed eventually ran out of puff.
“We played the last 15 minutes with 12 people,” Seagulls coach Kelvin Wright said.
“I was really, really proud of their efforts.
“They just kept turning up and in the end no one got a spell in the second half so fatigue probably took its toll but they were phenomenal.”
Sommer Nicholson and Zara Canfield were among the home side’s best.
Having already lost CJ Sims and Shelley Fox from their previous match, a nervous wait hovers around scan results, including on Schofield’s knee. Faulkner’s injury has already been confirmed as a broken collarbone.
“We’re certainly running a bit low on numbers at the moment so we will reassess things,” Wright said.