Sunday, 6 July – Davies Park
Full Time: Brisbane Tigers 34 def. Souths Logan Magpies 30
Halftime: 18–18
The Brisbane Tigers have pulled off a remarkable comeback victory at Davies Park, defeating the Souths Logan Magpies 34–30 in a thrilling Round 16 Hostplus Cup clash.
With the game hanging in the balance late, it was two clutch tries in the final seven minutes — to Tom Rafter and Asher O’Donnell — that saw the Tigers snatch the win and keep our finals momentum charging forward.
It was a tough start for the Tigers, with Souths Logan racing out to an early 12–0 lead after tries to Te McDonald and Byron Johnson. But our boys didn’t panic — and didn’t take long to hit back. A quick linebreak from Tahj Wood saw him score our first in the 13th minute, and we were away.
Jodeci Baker and Tony Thompson crossed soon after. Baker took charge after a swifty intercept, striding down the pitch with Souths Logan barely keeping pace with him. Thompson barged through the Magpies defense after an assist from the skipper Ryley Jacks, while Keagan Russell-Smith kept his perfect kicking streak alive to lock the scores up 18-all heading into the break.
The second half was a true arm wrestle, with both teams trading blows. Jack Natapu doged 4 tackle attempts and broke through the line in the 56th minute to keep us within reach, but back-to-back Magpies tries gave the home side a six-point buffer heading into the final 10 minutes.
Then came the fightback.
Tom Rafter broke through in the 73rd minute, dodging and flying past the Magpies centre. With the clock winding down, it was Tom Rafter again with a moment of magic – in a fierce tackle Tom snatched the ball out of Souths Logan hands and set the Tigers into motion for Asher O’Donnell to blast through Magpies defense and land the Tigers the win. Tahj Wood then stepped up and slotted the conversion to secure the 4 point victory.
Match Stats:
Tigers 34
Tries: Tahj Wood (13′), Jodeci Baker (21′), Tony Thompson (30′), Jack Natapu (56′), Tom Rafter (73′), Asher O’Donnell (79′)
Conversions: Keagan Russell-Smith 4/4, Tahj Wood 1/2
Magpies 30
Tries: Te McDonald (3′), Byron Johnson (6′, 64′), Kienan Tempest (36′), Phranklyn Mano-Le-Mamea (50′)
Conversions: Latrell Siegwalt 4/5
The win marks another step forward in what’s shaping up to be a promising campaign for the Tigers. We now shift focus to July 19th, Round 18, as we look to carry this momentum deep into the back half of the season.
