BIG MEN KEY TO SEAGULLS FIGHT

WITH their season well and truly on the line, the Runaway Bay forward pack will be out to avenge their past defeats at Tugun’s hands. That is where the likes of Doryaan Hape Apiata will need to come to the fore.

The resurgent Seagull has undergone a breakout campaign, making his Queensland Cup debut for the Burleigh Bears on the back of a tireless 18 months of self-improvement.

Earlier in the Rugby League Gold Coast season, Runaway Bay coach Nick Gleeson revealed the 23-yearold prop had completely transformed the way he approached his game since the death of his cousin, Javarn Nofoagatotoa, in 2019.

He dropped 15kg, began training five days a week, and has since capitalised on the obvious talent he brought to the navy and red jersey with three Bears appearances.

In those clashes, Hape Apiata started once and played off the interchange twice – averaging 74 running metres and almost 16 tackles a game while missing just two.

However upon his return to the Seagulls pack alongside former New

Zealand Warrior Sione Palavi, Gleeson said his key big man struggled to readapt to the speed of the game.

But he said in recent weeks he had found his mojo once again – even scoring a try in their semi-final defeat to Southport – and against a Seahawks pack headlined by the everconsistent Matthew Koellner he would need to bring his best.

“I actually thought he struggled a little bit, and I find a lot of Cup players do when they come back with how slow the game is compared to the Cup,” Gleeson said.

“But the last (few) weeks he’s been really strong. Dors hasn’t played Tugun this year, nor as (Sione) Palavi so some of these forwards haven’t had a chance to get into them.

“Having Dors and Sione for us, they’ve been our best forwards all year. It just means they have to take extra responsibility knowing they have to lead from the front and they have for the best part of four weeks.”

Gleeson has been forced to go back to the drawing board once again in a bid to fill a strong team, with omissions coming out of their defeat to the Tigers last week.

Winger-turned-fullback Queille

Murray has been suspended, while wingers Jack Ward and Caleb Tane are expected to miss the clash against Tugun on Sunday.

Experienced campaigner Steve Rooney will be called up into the number one jumper, a position where the Seahawks will also be missing their first choice man with Zac Beecher not named to return from a rib injury.

Seagulls key forward Reece Summer will also be ruled out, having earned a call up to Tweed’s elimination final battle in the Queensland Cup.