2007 Queensland Cup Explained

Year:2007
Competition:Queensland Cup
Duration:March 16 – September 15, 2007
Teams:11
Count:1st
Minor Premiers: North Queensland Young Guns
(2nd title)
Matches:116
Points:5,447
Player Of The Year: Shannon Walker
(Courier Mail Medal)
Nextseason Year:2008

The 2007 Queensland Cup season was the 12th season of Queensland's top-level statewide rugby league competition run by the Queensland Rugby League. The competition, known as the Queensland Wizard Cup due to sponsorship from Wizard Home Loans featured 11 teams playing a 26-week long season (including finals) from March to September.

The Tweed Heads Seagulls became the first team from outside of Queensland to win the Queensland Cup when they defeated the Redcliffe Dolphins 28–18 at Suncorp Stadium. Tweed Heads' Shannon Walker was named the competition's Player of the Year, winning the Courier Mail Medal.[1] [2]

Teams

11 teams participated in the Queensland Cup again in 2007, with the Aspley Broncos replacing the Toowoomba Clydesdales.[3] [4]

ColoursClubHome ground(s)Head coach(s)Captain(s)NRL Affiliate
Aspley BroncosSuncorp StadiumMark GeeNick Kenny Brisbane Broncos
Burleigh BearsPizzey ParkJim LenihanRyan Gundry Gold Coast Titans
Central CometsBrowne ParkSteve AndersonWayne BarnettNone
Easts TigersLanglands ParkMichael BoothTrent YoungNone
Ipswich JetsQLD Group Stadium, Carrara StadiumKevin WaltersDanny Coburn Gold Coast Titans
North Queensland Young GunsDairy Farmers StadiumMatt ParishShane Muspratt North Queensland Cowboys
Norths DevilsBishop ParkKevin CarmichaelMarc Brentnall Melbourne Storm
Redcliffe DolphinsDolphin OvalAnthony GriffinTroy Lindsay Brisbane Broncos
Souths Logan MagpiesDavies Park, Brandon ParkJason Burnham & Brandon CostinCameron JoyceNone
Tweed Heads SeagullsPiggabeen Sports ComplexTroy McCarthyAndrew Moroney, Brad Davis Gold Coast Titans
Wynnum Manly SeagullsKougari OvalShane McNallyJimmy AhmatNone

Ladder

2007 Queensland Cup
Team
1 North Queensland Young Guns20 15 0 5 2 566 355 +211 34
2 Redcliffe Dolphins20 14 0 6 2 516 338 +178 32
3 Tweed Heads Seagulls (P)20 13 1 6 2 546 404 +142 31
4 Ipswich Jets20 13 1 6 2 510 400 +110 31
5 Easts Tigers20 11 0 9 2 426 448 -22 26
6 Aspley Broncos20 10 1 9 2 469 441 +28 25
7 Burleigh Bears20 9 0 11 2 550 478 +72 22
8 Norths Devils20 8 1 11 2 507 524 -17 21
9 Wynnum Manly Seagulls20 8 0 12 2 399 539 -140 20
10 Souths Logan Magpies20 5 0 15 2 384 580 -196 14
11 Central Comets20 2 0 18 2 310 666 -356 8

Finals series

HomeScore AwayMatch Information
width=14%Date and Timewidth=14%Venue
Qualifying Finals
Ipswich Jets18 – 1625 August 2007QLD Group Stadium
Redcliffe Dolphins22 – 18 Tweed Heads Seagulls25 August 2007Dolphin Oval
Semi-finals
North Queensland Young Guns18 – 28 Redcliffe Dolphins31 August 2007Dairy Farmers Stadium
Tweed Heads Seagulls40 – 14 Ipswich Jets1 September 2007Piggabeen Sports Complex
Preliminary Finals
North Queensland Young Guns10 – 34 Tweed Heads Seagulls8 September 2007Langlands Park
Grand Final
Redcliffe Dolphins18 – 28 Tweed Heads Seagulls15 September 2007Suncorp Stadium

Grand Final

Redcliffe DolphinsPositionTweed Heads Seagulls
Ryan Cullen Shannon Walker
Nathanael Barnes
Matt Harris David Myles
James Wood
Josh Vaughan
Daniel Green Brad Davis (c)
Chris Fox Tim Maccan
Troy Lindsay (c) Roy Friend
Matt King
Danny Burke Selasi Berdie
Grant Flugge Matthew Pow
Pat Gardner Bench Andre Amato
Bench Matthew Austin
Bench Daniel Molenaar
Bench Daniel Evans
Coach

Reigning premiers Redcliffe, who finished the regular season in 2nd, were the first team to qualify for the Grand Final after defeating Tweed Heads in Week 1 and North Queensland in the major semi final. It would be their nine Grand Final appearance in 12 seasons. After losing to Redcliffe, Tweed Heads faced Ipswich in an elimination final, which they won 40–14. A week later, they scored a major upset over minor premiers North Queensland to progress to their first Queensland Cup Grand Final appearance.

First half

Redcliffe opened their premiership defence strongly when halfback Chris Fox scored in the ninth minute. Tweed Heads hit back in the 18th minute when David Myles latched onto a Tim Maccan grubber to score. The Seagulls moved into the lead for the first time when captain Brad Davis stepped through some soft defence to score under the posts. Tweed Heads extended their lead to 12 just seconds before half time when Davis sent Myles over for his second try of the game.

Second half

The Dolphins got the scoring underway in the second half when centre Nick Emmett dived onto a kick from his winger Alwyn Simpson to get Redcliffe back into the contest. 10 minutes later, Tweed Heads pushed the lead back to 12 when the competition's Player of the Year Shannon Walker backed up a Maccan line break to score. Walker sealed the game for his side just five minutes later when he returned a Dolphins' kick 80 metres to score in the corner. Redcliffe gave themselves a small chance late when winger Rory Bromley crossed in the 74th minute but it wasn't enough as Tweed Heads won their first premiership. They became the first club from outside of Queensland to win the competition.[5] [6]

Seagulls' captain Brad Davis was named Man of the Match and awarded the first ever Duncan Hall Medal, named in honour of the Hall of Famer, who played 24 games for Queensland and 22 Tests for Australia.[7]

The loss in the Grand Final would effectively end the Redcliffe Dolphins dominant run in the Queensland Cup. From 1996 to 2007, the club won five premierships, appeared in nine of 12 Grand Finals and won three minor premierships. They would not qualify for another Grand Final until 2012 and would not win another until 2018.

End-of-season awards

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Final to be switched?. 16 September 2007. www.couriermail.com.au.
  2. Queensland Rugby LeagueWizard Cup Heads South Retrieved 17 Dec 2007
  3. Web site: Aspley new Brisbane Broncos feeder club. 6 December 2006. The Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. Web site: Overnight wrap: Broncos, Mason, Rogers » League Unlimited. League Unlimited.
  5. Web site: 2007 QLD Cup Grand Final Tweed Heads 28 v Redcliffe 18. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/srCXuBTVf0o. 2021-12-12 . live. www.youtube.com.
  6. Web site: Champion Gulls of '07 to reunite. Tweed Heads. Seagulls. 25 May 2017. 31 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190409144521/https://www.tweedheadsseagulls.com.au/champion-gulls-07-reunite/. 9 April 2019. live.
  7. Web site: Farewell to a legend. Morning Bulletin. 31 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20171028201016/https://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/farewell-to-a-legend-duncan-hall/748425/. 28 October 2017. live.