The logjam on the BMD Premiership ladder was showcased when a late penalty goal dropped Norths Devils to fourth place in a desperate race to the finals.
Sunshine Coast Falcons landed the goal with two minutes remaining for a 12-10 victory over the Devils yesterday afternoon.
The Devils had led for most of the match at Sunshine Coast Stadium before the scores were tied with a Falcons try with 13 minutes remaining.
That sent both teams into a tense fight for points with the Falcons making the most of the penalty opportunity.
The Devils made a last-play bid to steal the game but their promising left-side raid, sparked by Georgia Hannaway’s excellent pass, was closed down by the Falcons’ scrambling defence.
The Devils remain in fourth place – with four teams to play finals – and their mission is clear.
In the last three weeks, the Devils meet the three teams ahead of them – Tweed Seagulls, Western Clydesdales and Mackay Cutters.
The Seagulls will host Norths next Saturday afternoon in an important clash.
“We know that we have to keep on winning but we will take it one game at a time,” Devils coach Meg Ward said.
“There’s plenty of lessons we can learn from the game against the Falcons and we’ll take them on board and get ready for the Seagulls.
“Our team is always in the game – we’ve fought very hard all season but we haven’t always got the result that we wanted.”
The Devils conceded a try yesterday in the 17th minute but hit back four minutes later when co-captain Netta Nu’uausala picked up a loose ball close to the Falcons line and powered over to score.
Strong centre Lauren Dam finished off a Devils’ backline raid six minutes later to provide the visitors a 10-4 halftime margin.
But the Falcons kept the Devils scoreless in a second half that presented opportunities for both teams.
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS 12 (Ashleigh Kelvin, Otesa Pule tries, Suvanaha Connors 2 goals) bt NORTHS DEVILS 10 (Netta Nu’uausala, Lauren Dam tries, Jocelyn Kelleher goal) at Sunshine Coast Stadium.