In 2018 Souths surged back into the QLD Premier Rugby finals, a positive step forward that helped them put a lowly seventh finish from the year before behind them. But there was still disappointment as they fell 25-17 to Easts in the minor semi-final, and were eliminated from the title race as a result. That disappointment will serve as motivation for the new-look Magpies in 2019, although they’ll be contending with the loss of former Wallabies five-eighth Quade Cooper in their bid for glory.  Overview with Elia Tuqiri: “Last season was a much-improved year after 2017 and it was an exciting year too, having a couple of high-profile names among the group,” Souths head coach Elia Tuqiri told Rugby News. “It was a great achievement to make the semi-finals but there was still a bit of disappointment because we did have the belief we could’ve gone a bit further. Easts really put pressure on our set-piece in that semi-final and, really, we just struggled to get out