MADE TO EARN IT: Ashley Watts, a strong contributor for the Toads in the first half of yesterday’s match at Woombye, scores despite some attention.
MADE TO EARN IT: Ashley Watts, a strong contributor for the Toads in the first half of yesterday’s match at Woombye, scores despite some attention. John Mccutcheon
THE Toads were gutsy, but they did not have the firepower to match a University side that would appear to be building mom-entum ahead of the SGQ Cup finals.
The Barbarians travelled to Woombye yesterday and registered an impressive 33-17 win that put the ladder-leading Noosa Dolphins, who had the bye, on notice.
University now sits just one point behind the Dolphins, while Caloundra moved within a point of the Toads after beating cellar dweller Maroochydore 43-28 yesterday.
With just three rounds remaining, the finals race is heating up.
The defeated coach heaped praise on Univers-ity's discipline but said Noosa's creativity made it the most threatening team to play against.
"Noosa, to me, are still the side with the most variety and the most potential to sting you from anywhere on the field," Green said.
"Of the sides I've seen this year I still think they're the pick."
The Barbarians were at their ruthless best in yesterday's destruction at Victory Park, grinding down the Nambour team until the scoreline resembled a blow-out.
The guests withheld the Toads for the opening half, then came over the top of them with a powerful second 40 minutes.
While the weak second half was a concern, Green remained staunch in his belief that the Toads could beat any team in the competition.
"We will regroup," Green said.
"We will come back bigger and better.
"We've got the potential.
"I still think our side can win against any of these sides on their day, but we've just got to get all of our activities happening to the best of our ability."
Yesterday's result moved University within one point of Noosa at the top of the ladder, while the Toads kept their grasp on third position.
Green said his team would need to make drastic improvements in the final three rounds to fulfil its potential.
"I wouldn't say that was a decent effort by us," Green said.
"The first half was good and we created a lot more points than we put on the board and that's got a lot of deja vu about it."
University, however, was much more ruthless when it had opportunities.
"University were very adept at maintaining possession and they just ground us down and got a lot of field position - which they hadn't had in the first half," Green said.
"And they just kept going.
"I don't think their intensity changed at all, but our intensity did."
The Toads will have to find their intensity soon, with Caloundra emerging as a serious threat after an impressive victory over Maroochydore yesterday.
The Lighthouses produced one of their best performances of the season to beat Maroochydore 43-28 in Caloundra.
The emphatic victory moves the resurgent Lighthouses even further adrift of last-placed Maroochy- dore and only one point behind the Toads on the Sunshine Coast competition ladder.
have denied  the opportunity to take a spot in the 2014  major semi final, defeating them 33 points to 17 at ,  this afternoon.

Toads took the lead at 14 minutes through a , extending it to 10 points with a  at half an hour. University hit back with their own converted try three minutes later despite being a man down. 10–7 to Toads at half time.

Toads opened the scoring in the second half at three minutes with a converted try. University looked like they hit back but were caught stomping in the ruck prior to scoring. They guilty player was not identified by the officials.

Not to be deterred, University scored four more tries, three of which were converted. The match end ended at six minutes to five  (0654 ) with the score at 33–17 in University's favour.

 defeated  44-28 in the weekend's other A-grade game.  had the bye.


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