The arm-wrestle at Wises Rd on Saturday night was evident from the outset, with both teams nullifying all the other threw at them through the opening exchanges. It was Gympie who looked to have survived the torrid start the healthier as they registered back to back tries to jump out to a handy lead. But it wasn’t long before the Jason Schmidt factor played a part, crossing twice to send a clear message that the hosts were up for the challenge. The match was anyone’s as the battle continued through the second half, with the Devil’s looking the more likely to grab the points, leading by 4 deep into the final period. In a fortunate twist the cross-bar played a crucial role when a Swannies “bomb” bounced favourably off the timber, wrong footing defenders and resulting in the match levelling 4 pointer. The conversion had the hosts in front, with a Gympie decision to opt for the 2 points from a late penalty tying things up. Fulltime 24-24.

 At Crusher Park the conditions underfoot determined that this would likely be a “survival of the fittest” contest between Nambour and Caboolture. Matching it with the ladder leading Snakes required just the attitude that the hosts brought into this one, going hit for hit in a physical encounter that had Nambour holding a 10-8 scoreboard advantage at the break. The tight tussle continued after “oranges” with the Snakes scoring first and the Crushers hitting back to lead again. Mid-way through the half the visitors hit the front once again, this time with a resilience to all thrown at them, the Snakes the stronger through the back end running out 26-16 victors.

 At Beerwah the hosts were shown little mercy by the powerful Kawana unit who ran in a remarkable 19 tries to 1. The Bulldogs will be best served looking ahead to next weeks clash with Bribie rather than dwell for too long on a forgettable night at home.

 The Warriguls also will look to next week at Beerwah rather than their result from the weekend. The Bribie Island boys aimed up pretty well through the first half at Noosa, but were unable to plug the leaks after the break as the Pirates piled on the points to the tune of 76-0.