GPS have rebounded from their defeat to Brothers last week with a scrappy 26-10 victory over Gold Coast at Yoku Road on Saturday afternoon.
Soaking wet conditions made it difficult for both teams to hold on to the ball and as a result both teams made many skill errors, Gold Coast assistant coach Setu Naseri lamenting his side’s errors post match.
“On a tough day like today… wet conditions, every point’s important,” Naseri said.
“You’ve got to adapt to adapt to the environment regardless of what it is.
“It was wet for them as well and at the end of the day they probably adjusted a wee bit better than we did.”
It seemed to take both sides time to adapt to the conditions as almost 20 minutes of the match passed without points for either team and no real attacking opportunities.
However, that changed in the 20th minute when Jeeps fly-half Sione Kite made a line break just past the half way line and proved too strong and elusive for multiple defenders as he went all the way to score under the posts and provide the spark the match had been missing.
Patrick Smith then duly converted the try to make it 7-0 before he slotted a penalty not long after, stretching the lead to 10 points.
The Gold Coast, however, were not lacking for effort and were rewarded when left winger Joel Sykes scored in the corner, showing good finishing skills to avoid being taken into touch and get the ball down.
GPS responded soon after when Patrick Smith scored in the left corner after several attacking phases following a jeeps lineout. Smith was unable to convert his own try and missed two penalty attempts but would add another six points before halftime through another two penalties to give GPS a 21-5 lead at the break.
The second half continued in the same manner as the first with rain still falling reasonably heavily, continuing to make it difficult for both sides.
But it was the Breakers who got the start to the second half they were looking for when Sykes grabbed a double to make it 21-10. However fly-half Vitori Tomu Buatava was unable to convert and another two missed penalties from Buatava proved to be crucial as Gold Coast were unable to reduce the margin further.
The sealing try came when Matt Blain crashed over from a pick-and-go after a barrage of attacking phases. Kite was unable to convert but it would not matter as the home side held on for their fifth victory of the season.
GPS assistant coach Brett Picone labelled the win as “gutsy” and said it was good to be back in the winner’s circle after last week’s defeat.
“Yeah it was good to bounce back,” Picone said.
“We controlled the ball in poor conditions today and we went alright.
“We’re still not where we want to be but it was a good win… a good gutsy win.”
Naseri said his team just could not afford to make poor errors against the top four sides of the competition.
“It was just the little things that let us down and they really turn the momentum in games,” he said.
“You just can’t afford that against these top four teams.”
GPS 26 (M. Blain, S. Kite, P. Smith tries; P. Smith 1 con; 3 pens) def. Gold Coast 10 (Sykes 2 tries).
By Michael Cormack