Season 2 · Round 5

Marlins overwhelm Pirates 34 to 16 in Townsville

Northern combined 54 percent possession, 30 line breaks and six tries to pull away from Brisbane, with Ryan Wilson named player of the match.

Northern Marlins

34:16

Brisbane Pirates

21 SepFull timeQueensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville, AustraliaRound 5

Northern Marlins defeated Brisbane Pirates 34 to 16 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, converting an early Lachlan Martin try into the platform for a six-try performance. Callum Murray, Jack Cahill, Josh Pretzel and Lucas Duse all crossed as Northern built pressure through repeat attacking wins.

Brisbane remained dangerous enough to score through Tim James, Jacob Morrison and AJ Brimmo, but the Pirates could not match Northern across the full eighty minutes. The Marlins owned 54 percent possession, made 30 line breaks and gained 1,180 metres.

The clearest difference was defensive containment. Northern missed 33 tackles while Brisbane missed 67. That 34-tackle gap allowed the Marlins to turn otherwise competitive completion numbers into a decisive advantage on the scoreboard.

Ryan Wilson earned player of the match with 81 passes, 23 tackles, five tackle breaks and three line breaks. Lucas Duse supplied a try, five conversions, 175 metres and 129 kick metres, while Mark Henry led all runners with 246 metres.

The result moves Northern into the crowded six-point group and leaves Brisbane at one win from five matches.

The numbers

Key stats

34 fewer misses

Northern missed 33 tackles to Brisbane's 67, the largest defensive separation in the match.

30 line breaks

The Marlins created 11 more line breaks and repeatedly converted broken-field opportunities into points.

1,180 metres

Northern gained 202 more metres, led by Mark Henry at 246 and Josh Pretzel at 202.

26 from 29

A 90 percent completion rate gave the Marlins the control needed to keep attacking pressure on Brisbane.

How it turned

Pivotal statistics

Brisbane made only three errors and completed 23 of 25 sets, but its 67 missed tackles prevented that efficiency from becoming scoreboard control.
Northern produced six tries from 30 line breaks while conceding only three tries from Brisbane's 19.
The Marlins carried for 202 more metres despite making two more tackles, showing how consistently they won the collision.
Lucas Duse converted five of six tries, ensuring Northern received almost full value from its attacking superiority.

Decisive players

Game breakers

Ryan Wilson

81 passes, 23 tackles, five tackle breaks and three line breaks. His control and work rate earned player of the match.

Mark Henry

A match-high 246 metres, five tackle breaks and five line breaks gave Northern constant momentum.

Josh Pretzel

202 metres, 18 tackles, three tackle breaks, four line breaks and a try in a powerful all-round display.

Lucas Duse

175 metres, 129 kick metres, two try assists, one try and five conversions for a 14-point contribution.

James Sedgyfurgo

Brisbane's leading runner produced 189 metres, 28 tackles, five line breaks and 137 kick metres.

Tim James

Seventy passes, 36 tackles and a try kept the Pirates connected through the middle.

Team comparison

Full team stats

Team statistic	Marlins	Pirates
Tries	6	3
Field goals	0	0
Possession	54%	46%
Completions	26 / 29	23 / 25
Errors	5	3
Penalties conceded	1	1
Tackles	162	160
Missed tackles	33	67
Line breaks	30	19
Metres gained	1,180	978

Complete match data

Player stats

Scroll horizontally to see every category

Stat key: MR metres run, T tackles, MT missed tackles, TB tackle breaks, LB line breaks, K kicks, KMG kick metres gained, TA try assists, C conversions.

Northern Marlins

Player	Pos	Min	MR	Pass	T	MT	TB	LB	K	KMG	TA	Err	Pen	Tries	C
Jack Cahill	FB	80	146	11	12	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Callum Murray	LK	80	49	3	14	2	1	3	0	0	0	3	0	1	0
Mark Henry	LK	80	246	5	15	5	5	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ryan Wilson	5/8	80	123	81	23	2	5	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
Lachlan Martin	LK	80	143	7	21	0	2	1	2	53	0	0	0	1	0
Bailey Mansour-Wilson	5/8	80	125	11	15	2	1	1	5	201	1	0	0	0	0
Shay Hardie	FB	80	45	14	7	3	0	1	1	47	0	0	0	0	0
Kaleonalani Mahana'olu'olu	FB	80	117	3	9	2	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lucas Duse	5/8	80	175	22	7	3	1	4	8	129	2	0	1	1	5
Krue Spencer	FB	80	5	6	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Josh Pretzel	LK	80	202	6	18	4	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Blakeson Harrison	LK	80	181	9	10	6	2	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Ken Hellyer	FB	80	60	2	3	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Brisbane Pirates

Player	Pos	Min	MR	Pass	T	MT	TB	LB	K	KMG	TA	Err	Pen	Tries	C
Jacob Gilbert	FB	80	41	14	1	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kratos Kamikamica	LK	80	101	4	21	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tim James	5/8	80	38	70	36	10	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Tikka Boom	FB	80	36	16	5	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sione Mata'uce	5/8	80	113	18	10	8	1	0	4	105	1	0	0	0	0
James Sedgyfurgo	5/8	80	189	3	28	15	3	5	4	137	0	0	0	0	0
Big Danno	FB	80	25	5	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
JJ Keanz	5/8	80	142	20	6	1	0	0	8	236	1	1	0	0	2
Baron Akeman	LK	80	164	3	10	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Jordan Lewis	LK	80	123	2	9	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
AJ Brimmo	FB	80	75	4	2	1	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Leni'i Prakali'i	LK	80	107	7	17	6	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jacob Morrison	FB	80	130	9	13	2	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	1	0

Round 5 figures transcribed from the official VPRL postgame screens supplied to The Ruck Report.