By Kevin Braysher

http://twitter.com/kevinbraysher

Round 17, the first of two so-called ‘super rounds’ to end the season, certainly threw up some super games of rugby league and delivered some super results.

It got underway on Saturday night at Owen Park where the Southport Tigers took a giant step towards claiming the minor premiership by defeating equal competition leaders Burleigh 30-20.

Southport now have an outright lead of the competition and when they play their best football they are extremely difficult to beat.

Despite missing some key regular players the Bears left nothing in the tank on Saturday night and were valiant in defeat, but when the Tigers play their best football they are incredibly difficult to beat and look to be full of confidence leading into the semi finals.

A team they are likely to meet in the semi finals is the Tugun Seahawks who defeated the Bilambil Jets 30-10 down at Bilambil Sports on Sunday.

After going nearly two seasons without beating the Jets, including an agonising golden point grand final loss at the end of last season, the Seahawks have now notched up big wins in consecutive matches against their arch rivals.

Assuming the Seahawks win their final round match against the Cudgen Hornets they will finish in the top three while Bilambil will finish fourth and most likely face Runaway Bay.

Bay claimed a narrow 24-22 win over the Currumbin Eagles to move into the top five for the first time all season.

For Currumbin it was their fifth consecutive loss and they now look likely to miss to the semi finals after being just one point off the competition lead 6 weeks ago.

They now need to beat the Southport Tigers, who they have beaten once already this year, at Galleon Way this coming Sunday and hope that the Burleigh Bears can defeat Runaway Bay at Pizzey Park.

If Currumbin lose or if Runaway Bay win the Eagles, the only team that has beaten both Southport and Tugun this season, will miss the finals and Currumbin will look back on 2012 as a missed opportunity.

In the final match of the round the Tweed Coast Raiders chalked up back-to-back wins for the first time this season beating Cudgen Hornets 29-28.

The win means the Raiders, who have sat in last place all season, will move into seventh and avoid the wooden spoon instead handing it over to the Hornets.

A field goal from Paul Arbic was all that could split the two sides and it is a happy end to the season for the Raiders.

First Grade Results

SOUTHPORT TIGERS 30 (K. Paki Paki 2, K. Edwards 2, H. Robin tries C Chapman 5 goals) def BURLEIGH BEARS 20 (M. Seaton 2, B. Bennett, C. Lyons tries M Mitchell 2 goals) at Owen Park, Southport.

TUGUN SEAHAWKS 30 (P. Ramage 2, A. Flores, G. Slockee, L. Dumas, M. Emmerson tries P. Ramage 3 goals) def BILAMBIL JETS 10 (C. Stanford 2 tries M. Ovington goal) at Bilambil Sports, Bilambil.

RUNAWAY BAY SEAGULLS 24 (J. Little, M. Lindsay, B. Hardes, B. Hoare tries K. Moylan 4) def CURRUMBIN EAGLES 22 (T. Cassidy, R. Worboys, W. Johnson, J. Muir, S Jellich tries R Worboys goal) at Bycroft Oval, Runaway Bay.

TWEED COAST RAIDERS 29 (J. Piggott, J. Broadbent, D. Jones, P Abric, C. Kavanagh tries J. Piggott 4 goals P. Abric field goal) def CUDGEN HORNETS 28 (J. Hardy 2, S. Nicholls, D. Schloss, J. Solley tries M. Wade 4 goals) at Ned Byrne Oval, Cudgen.

Reserve Grade Results

BURLEIGH BEARS 34 def SOUTHPORT TIGERS 16

BILAMBIL JETS 20 def TUGUN SEAHAWKS 12

RUNAWAY BAY SEAGULLS 44 def CURRUMBIN EAGLES 24

CUDGEN HORNETS 48 def TWEED COAST RAIDERS 20

Under 19 Results

BURLEIGH BEARS 26 def SOUTHPORT TIGERS 20

TUGUN SEAHAWKS 40 def BILAMBIL JETS 18

RUNAWAY BAY SEAGULLS 60 def CURRUMBIN EAGLES 18

CUDGEN HORNETS 64 def SOUTH TWEED KOALAS 0

Ladder

First Grade

1. Southport Tigers 28
2. Burleigh Bears 26
3. Tugun Seahawks 26
4. Bilambil Jets 23
5. Runaway Bay Seagulls 18
6. Currumbin Eagles 17
7. Tweed Coast Raiders 8
8. Cudgen Hornets 6

Reserve Grade

1. Southport Tigers 30
2. Tugun Seahawks 24
3. Burleigh Bears 24
4. Bilambil Jets 24
5. Currumbin Eagles 18
6. Runaway Bay Seagulls 14
7. Cudgen Hornets 14
8. Tweed Coast Raiders 4

U/19

1. Runaway Bay Seagulls 29
2. Cudgen Hornets 28
3. Burleigh Bears 27
4. Currumbin Eagles 18
5. Southport Tigers 18
6. Tugun Seahawks 17
7. Bilambil Jets 10
8. South Tweed Koalas 5

Round 18

Currumbin Eagles v Southport Tigers, Sunday August 12, 3pm @ Galleon Way, Currumbin

Burleigh Bears v Runaway Bay Seagulls, Sunday August 12, 3pm @ Pizzey Park, Burleigh

Tugun Seahawks v Cudgen Hornets, Sunday August 12, 3pm @ Boyd Street, Tugun

Tweed Coast Raiders v Bilambil Jets, Sunday August 12, 3pm @ Les Burger Oval