In a fitting showcase of Country Week rugby league, the Brisbane Tigers edged out the Mackay Cutters 26–12 in Moranbah on Saturday night. On a lively Daryl Burke Oval, the Tigers delivered under pressure to clinch the important points on the road.
In a true arm-wrestle early on, both sides traded errors and territory in the opening half, with the Tigers eventually breaking through in the 28th minute when Saimone Ahomana powered over after a linebreak to score the game’s opening try. A missed conversion from the sideline saw Brisbane take a narrow 4–0 lead into halftime, in a low-scoring but physical first 40 minutes.
After the break, the Tigers struck quickly through Jodeci Baker, who finished off a sharp linebreak in the 42nd minute to extend Brisbane’s lead to 8–0. But the Cutters responded with a strong 10-minute period, sparked by back-to-back linebreaks from Jimmy Ngutlik and Jed Bignell, the latter crashing over for Mackay’s first try. Brenton Baira added another in the 54th minute, and Ryan Rivett’s boot made it 12–8 in favour of the Cutters with 25 minutes to play.
The Tigers didn’t panic. Steadying through the spine and gaining repeat sets through ruck pressure, Brisbane regained the lead in the 61st minute via Josh Smith, with Keagan Russell-Smith slotting the conversion for a 14–12 advantage.
From there, Brisbane took full control. Russell-Smith himself exploded with a pair of late linebreaks, scoring a brilliant individual try in the 75th minute—shortly after Cutters forward Braydon Guyan was sent to the sin bin. The Tigers then sealed the game when Tahj Wood broke through Cutters defenders in the final minutes to score, with Russell-Smith adding the extras.
This fixture was part of the 2025 Hostplus Cup Country Week—an annual round where the QRL takes games into regional Queensland towns, this year including Moranbah, Emerald, Gayndah, Yarrabah, Augathella, Charters Towers and Goondiwindi, with the support of the Queensland Government and Ford to engage rural communities through elite rugby league.
Brisbane Tigers 26 (Ahomana, Baker, Smith, Wood tries; Russell‑Smith 2 goals, conversion & one further goal)
def.
Mackay Cutters 12 (Bignell, Baira tries; Rivett 2 goals)
Next Up: The Brisbane Tigers settle into a bye weekend and will regroup at Totally Workwear Stadium for their Round 20 clash with the Tweed Head Seagulls. The BMD Premiership returns next weekend as well moving into the second half of their season.
