Central Queensland Capras fought back to defeat Brisbane Tigers 24-20 at Hinricks Oval, Blackwater, in Round 19 of the Hostplus Cup, overcoming an eight-point second-half deficit as Country Week returned Hostplus Cup football to the regional mining town for the first time since 2013.
Played as part of the QRL’s Country Week initiative presented by Ford Australia, the fixture marked just the sixth Hostplus Cup game staged in Blackwater. The Capras, who had featured in each of the previous five matches in the town, made the occasion count with a strong finish to secure another memorable regional victory.
The Capras made the ideal start when Connor Guley crossed in the eighth minute before Trey Brown converted to give the visitors a 6-0 lead. Brown extended the advantage to 8-0 with a penalty goal in the 27th minute as Central Queensland looked in control.
Brisbane responded before the break. Leon Te Hau crossed in the 29th minute before Oskar Bryant scored four minutes later. Zach Lamont converted Bryant’s try to edge the Tigers ahead 10-8 at half-time.
The visitors carried that momentum into the second half when Esom Ioka scored in the 42nd minute and Lamont converted to stretch the margin to 16-8.
Central Queensland answered through Blake Anders in the 55th minute, with Brown’s conversion reducing the deficit to 16-14. Brisbane hit back almost immediately when interchange forward Lebron Tuala crossed in the 59th minute to restore a six-point advantage at 20-14 after the conversion was missed.
The Capras refused to go away.
Lewis Symonds crashed over in the 63rd minute and Brown added the extras to level the scores at 20-all, setting up a tense final quarter.
The decisive moment came in the 74th minute when Tane Kiriona crossed to put Central Queensland back in front. The Capras then produced the defensive effort they needed over the closing minutes to hold Brisbane scoreless and seal a hard-earned four-point victory.
Central Queensland finished with four tries through Guley, Anders, Symonds and Kiriona, while Brown contributed eight points from three conversions and a penalty goal. Brisbane also crossed four times, but the difference came from the boot as the Capras outscored the Tigers 8-4 in goal-kicking.
The victory ensured the Capras marked Country Week with a win, celebrating the return of Hostplus Cup football to Blackwater with another memorable result in one of Queensland rugby league’s proud regional communities.
