It was a team that had travelled one of the longest distances to be part of the Laurie Spina Shield, presented by Guildford Coal, that had the most impressive record on day one at Brothers Leagues Club in Townsville today.
Not only did the Burleigh Bears from the Gold Coast win all four of their pool matches, they conceded just three tries while scoring 30 of their own at the annual under-11s carnival.
A repeat of that form will guarantee them a place in the quarter-finals around lunchtime on Saturday.
While the Bears are in a strong position in their pool, there are some close battles for the number one position in the other seven pools.
The biggest tussle is in Pool 8 where four teams – Townsville Brothers White, Yeppoon Seagulls, Emerald Tigers and Sarina Crocodiles – each have 3-1 win-loss records after day one.
Among the other unbeaten teams are Townsville Brothers Blue and Gracemere Cubs in Pool 2, Western Lions and Capricorn Coast Brothers in Pool 3, Centrals Black in Pool 5, Mackay Magpies in Pool 6 and Townsville Brothers Green and Bowen Seagulls in Pool 7.
In Pool 1, Cairns Brothers and Upper Ross Rams are tied for first after winning four of five matches.
Day two matches kick off at 9am on Saturday and the final will be played prior to the Cowboys v Rabbitohs NRL clash at 1300SMILES Stadium.
For full results, go to www.lauriespinashield.leaguenet.com.au.
