IT was round 19 and the Sunshine Coast were coming up against a resurgent Easts Tigers at Stockland Park. The Sea Eagles were entering the match under a weight of expectation after having their mid-season purple patch snapped in a surprise draw with competition cellar dwellers Ipswich the week before. Their season was on the line and the Sunshine Coast answered any lingering doubts about their premiership potential in resounding fashion – with a 54-10 flogging of the Tigers. It was at this moment that backrower Vic Mauro started to believe. After a disappointing opening half of the season, including three wins and seven losses, there were many pundits writing off the Queensland Cup newcomers. However their turnaround has been one of the feel good stories of the year. Mauro says the side learnt a lesson in their win over the Tigers, a lesson which will serve them well in today’s Grand Final. “I remember the first six to eight weeks we really struggled,” he said. “We weren’t gelling well together. But that was to be expected. We were always going to struggle with us boys coming up, coming into a new team. “There was a point not too long ago, against Easts, when we beat them 56-10. We played the full 80 minutes. We just really stuck it out, that’s really taught us to grind out the full 80. “That was the point when we realised we were really in with a chance and came together as a group.” A member of the club’s Manly contingent, Mauro has been a quiet yet consistent performer this year, playing 20 of the side’s 24 matches. His contribution in and around the ruck has helped to establish the Sea Eagles pack as one of the most dominant in the Queensland Cup. He said the side had gained a massive psychological boost from beating competition benchmarks Souths-Logan last week, leading them to believe they were capable of rolling any pack they come up against. “It was a very surreal feeling after the (Souths-Logan) game, because we only came back in the last five minutes,” he said. “It just goes to show if you hang in there for 80. We did the task there and we’ve got to realise we’ve got one more game to go. To play rugby league you’ve got to be level headed, and play this week’s game for the whole game.” WESTERN Districts skipper Shannon Fish always knew the Panthers would rise to the occasion if the FOGS Cup grand final against the star-studded Redcliffe Dolphins went right down to the wire. And that’s exactly how it panned out for the never-say-die Panthers, who kicked a penalty goal and scored a converted try in the concluding stages of last Saturday’s gripping decider to come away with a memorable 30-24 victory. “I knew we were going to finish strong,” Fish revealed. “Redcliffe had the first week off in the finals, and then they had an easy win over Souths Logan. “We had two or three hard matches going into the final.” Despite taking on an experienced Dolphins outfit that included Queensland Cup premiership-winning trio Mick Roberts, Grant Flugge and Adam Starr, the inspirational Panthers captain thought his team could get the job done. “I was confident. We were building to something pretty good,” Fish said. “I think we had won something like 10 out of our last 12 games going into the game.” Under the astute coaching of Craig Ingebrigtsen, the Panthers enjoyed a great grand final preparation. The squad based itself on the Sunshine Coast and completed a solid hit out at Stockland Park on the eve of the big match. With a host of former Dolphins in their side and the opportunity to create a slice of history, the Panthers were always going to be hungry for premiership success on game day. The match itself lived up to the pre-game hype, with fans thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. “The crowd was awesome,” Fish said. “It was such a good atmosphere because the supporters are so close to the ground.” The victory capped off an unforgettable season for Fish, who was originally going to sit out the year until he received a call from Ingebrigtsen. “I knew 'Trigger' and he gave me a phone call, so I thought why not,” Fish said. The tough hooker said he had plenty of “fun” throughout the year with the Panthers, who are likely to retain the majority of the 2009 squad for another assault on the FOGS Cup title next year. Fish nominated Adam Breen and Matt Church as the Panthers’ two standout performers from the grand final. Church was inspirational from the back, while Breen showed his class with three stunning tries. “He is one of the best finishers I have seen,” Fish said of Breen, who crossed for 20 tries in the regular season
Video Codes
nitv.org.au/index.php- Queensland Residents PAST results for the Queensland Residents representative team, formed of the best players outside of the National Rugby League: NEW SOUTH WALES RESIDENTS 1994: New South Wales 30 d Queensland 22 at Suncorp Stadium 1995: New South Wales 44 d Queensland 14 at Suncorp Stadium 1996: Queensland 18 d New South Wales 10 at Suncorp Stadium 1997: Queensland 14 d New South Wales 4 at Sydney Football Stadium 1998: Queensland 28 d New South Wales 0 at Sydney Football Stadium 1999: Queensland 26 d New South Wales 10 at Suncorp-Metway Stadium 2000: New South Wales 22 d Queensland 14 at Stadium Australia 2001: New South Wales 19 d Queensland 14 at ANZ Stadium 2002: New South Wales 26 d Queensland 16 at Stadium Australia 2003: Queensland 36 d New South Wales 12 at Suncorp Stadium 2004: New South Wales 20 d Queensland 12 at Telstra Stadium 2005: New South Wales 16 d Queensland 6 at Suncorp Stadium 2006: New South Wales 28 d Queensland 20 at Telstra Dome 2007: Queensland 52 d New South Wales 28 at Suncorp Stadium 2008: New South Wales 24 d Queensland 16 at Suncorp Stadium WESTERN AUSTRALIA 2003: Queensland 42 d Western Australia 20 at Charles Riley Reserve, North Beach (Perth) 2004: Queensland 58 d Western Australia 18 at George Burnett Oval, South Perth QUEENSLAND EMERGING ORIGIN 2001: Queensland Emerging Origin 44 d Queensland Residents 28 at Browne Park, Rockhampton 2002: Queensland Emerging Origin 28 d Queensland Residents 14 at Barlow Park, Cairns SYDNEY METROPOLITAN CUP 1991: Queensland 28 drew with Sydney Residents 28 at Lang Park 1992: Queensland 14 drew with Sydney Metros 14 at Sydney Football Stadium 1993: Queensland 13 d Sydney Metros 6 at Lang Park 1995 TOUR TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA Port Moresby Central 32 d Queensland 26 at Lloyd Robson Oval Queensland 26 d Port Moresby Vipers 22 at Lloyd Robson Oval 1994 TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA Queensland 60 d Natal 6 at Durban Queensland 76 d Transvaal 5 at Johannesburg Queensland 34 d South Africa 0 at Germiston 1993 TOUR TO SOUTH PACIFIC Queensland 40 d Tonga 12 at Nuku 'Alofa Western Samoa 18 d Queensland 14 at Apia Queensland 28 d Fiji 4 at Suva 1992 TOUR TO NEW ZEALAND & FIJI Queensland 20 d Maoris 16 at Auckland Queensland 30 d President's XIII 8 at Nadi Queensland 30 d Fiji 14 at Suva 1992 V GREAT BRITAIN TOURISTS Great Britain 14 d Queensland 10 at Townsville 1990 TOUR TO NEW ZEALAND Queensland 76 d Manawatu 2 at Palmerston North Queensland 18 drew with Wellington 18 at Wellington Queensland 32 d Canterbury 12 at Christchurch 1990 V FRENCH TOURISTS Queensland 22 d France 16 at Rockhampton 1989 TOUR TO FRANCE Queensland 42 d Aquitaine-Midi Pyrenees 8 at Villeneuve Queensland 32 d L'Aude Selection 4 at Carcassonne Queensland 22 d Roussillon 10 at Saint-Esteve Queensland 30 d Cote S'Azur 0 at Carpentras 1989 TOUR TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA Queensland 14 d Port Moresby 6 at Lloyd Robson Oval Queensland 26 d President's Selection 14 at Lloyd Robson Oval 1988 TOUR TO NEW ZEALAND Queensland 24 d West Coast 12 at Greymouth Queensland 26 d Canterbury 22 at Christchurch Auckland 70 d Queensland 12 at Carlow Park

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