Bundaberg Rugby League - Round Two: Maryborough Wallaroos vs Hervey Bay Seagulls

Game 2 of Round 2 saw the Maryborough Wallaroos host the Hervey Bay Seagulls in what was expected to be a great contest.

With both teams coming off Round 1 wins, they were eager to build momentum. Hervey Bay named a very different outfit compared to their Round 1 side, with several players out due to injury, but it was still a strong squad nonetheless.

Discipline hurt the Bay boys early, conceding the first four penalties, which led to four Roos tries. That immediately put them on the back foot. Handling errors also crept into their game, and they looked a bit flat, lacking intensity.

There were some positives late in the first half and early in the second, with a few nice set plays orchestrated by Charlie Roberts. These led to tries for Jayden Shepard and young debutant Tyson Saunders. However, they never quite looked like the same team from Round 1. Michael Smith was the standout for Hervey Bay, making countless tackles and producing some crafty runs. In the end, the game was effectively decided in the first 25 minutes.

Maryborough came out ready to dominate from the outset - and that’s exactly what they did. They played hard, direct footy and showed they mean business this season.

Jordan Kemble was outstanding once again, heavily involved in most of the Roos’ tries. He broke tackles and proved just how dangerous he is in broken play. Luke Waters was also at his best, controlling the game with a strong kicking performance and taking the line on when needed.

The Roos were particularly dangerous on the edges, with a fit, strong, and elusive back five making scoring look easy at times. Maryborough claimed Game 1 of the Baumann Shield in dominant fashion, defending their home turf and building strong momentum heading into next round.

Tries

Maryborough – Las Iboro, Damian Otto, Will Dyer, Liam Doolan (2), Ben Turner (2), Jordan Kemble (2)

Hervey Bay – Tallis Murray, Brock Shepard, Tyson Saunders, Jayden Shepard

Conversions

Roos – Luke Waters 5/8

Hervey Bay – Multiple kickers 0/4