By Tim Mosey

Souths have come back to the pack following their second straight loss and just five competition points now separates first from fifth. Here’s what we learned from round eight.

Penalties Aplenty

UQ took out the Halley Appleby Memorial Trophy against GPS on Saturday.

Both teams provided the due respect warranted for such an occasion as on the weekend.

In the second half the match seemed to move from one end of the field to the other off the back of infringements – particularly at the ruck.

Continuity was a frustrating commodity for both sides, and neither seemed to generate any regular ascendancy over the other, as penalty after penalty was blown.

It was a hard fought win for UQ in the end.

Paul Mooney Cup back to David Wilson Field

Easts have reclaimed the Paul Mooney Cup.

The Dogs had a tremendous day at the scrum office last Saturday against UQ.

Against Easts it was a different story with both Wests props Josh Graham and Misi Timoteo yellow carded in the match.

Easts closed the match out late, awarded a penalty try from a collapsed maul.

Wests would be disappointed with their inconsistent forward performance, after a strong effort the week before.

Coach Pat Byron would be looking for a more composed performance from his side week to week.

Theme Days

The trend for clubs to hold regular “themed” days for their home fixtures has crept into the competition in recent years. And what a great success they have been.

Family Day, Ladies’ Day, Old Boys’ Day, different Cup Challenges between rival clubs. The marketing of these days across QLD Premier Rugby has been exceptional.

The push to drive club rugby attendance across the community with incentives has been fantastic by both the clubs and the Queensland Rugby Union.

Players relish the opportunity to run out in front a packed stand on a Ladies Day (even go up for raffle in the ensuing Bachelor Auction later that night), battle for club supremacy against a rival club for a prize – like the Paul Mooney Cup on Saturday, or impress previous club stalwarts on an Old Boys’ Day and provide old players from their club the opportunity to have a few ales and tell a few tales.

It worked for Norths on the weekend.

They had their first home win of the season against Brothers at their inaugural Family Day at Shaw Rd.

What a great day for the Eagles and a relieving victory for coach Nick Fogarty and his young side.

Point Scoring Bonanza

UQ’s James Dalgleish is unchallenged atop the point scoring charts.

Dalgleish added 18 points to his tally to take it to 81 after 8 rounds.

Souths’ Jason Hofmeyr and Wests’ Byron Hutchinson are not in the same postcode – both 25 behind on 56.

Not since Sam Greene for Wests in 2013 has a first grade player scored 200 points in the year.

There is a lot of water to pass under the bridge before the end of the season, but Dalgleish is on the correct flight path toward this milestone.

UQ’s Will Eadie is equal with Easts’ Savenaca Totovosau on 8 tries to lead the try-scoring tally.

Table A Little Steadier

Five teams are gunning for a top four position leading into the halfway point of the competition.

Souths lead UQ with Easts seemingly cruising along in third. Sunnybank sit equal with GPS on fourth, GPS ahead on For and Against.

One point separates Wests in sixth (12 points) and Bond in ninth (11 points).