On a heavy track, the Noosa Tigers jumped straight to the lead with 10 majors in the first quarter and dominate the match in slick fashion.
By the end of the first quarter, the match was seemingly over. The footy was bullet-like from the middle to inside their 50 where Noosa's Hicks kicked 6 from their 10 posted in the quarter. Noosa was making a mockery of the conditions and put on a clinic with slick movement of the footy.
However, despite being slow out of the barriers, the Pumas started on their mission in the second stanza to claw themselves back into the game. In a much better performance, the man who has lead many a mission over the years, Brett Lewis, kicked Springwood's first goal. Noosa were held to 2 - 4 for the quarter and at half time led 77 - 7.
Noosa raised the bar again in the third with a 7 - 4 quarter while Matt 'Chooka' Hendry's goal were the only points posted for the Pumas as possession was turned over far too often in some promising raids into their forward line.
The last quarter was an arm wrestle with the Pumas certainly not throwing in the towel down the straight. But Noosa's size and skills had taken their toll and they went away to record an emphatic 23 - 14 - 152 to 2 - 2 - 14 win that will surely send some shivers through others with premiership aspirations.
Best for the Pumas were Jarrod Moore who did a good job at the back under difficult circumstances and gained 2 points in the Bill Ryan Trophy, and Jamie Donaghue, Nick Martin, Rob Raudino and Matt Hendry showed again their commitment to drive themselves into the ground no matter what the odds. Michael Price showed glimpses of what he can do on the ball while Matt Hockley put his high skill level on display.
While this weekend is a bye for Easter, the Pumas will be training hard for their encounter with Palm-Beach Currumbin in the next round. The competition doesn't get any easier, and the players know that they are better than the final scoreline today and that it's a matter of staying in the game early after which anything can happen.
The Reserves were in a tighter tussle before Noosa broke away in the final quarter with 5 majors. Best for Springwood were Simon Hamilton, Aaron Boole, Brendon Pallamountagne, Cameron Brain, Josh Menz and Brenton Hocking. Todd Ransome, Anthony Skinner and Clayton Barnes kicked the goals in their 11 - 17 - 83 to 3 - 9 - 27 loss to the Tigers.
Last Modified on 20/04/2009 23:10