Sailor Inspires Queensland Cup Upset

Illawarra Mercury

Monday July 14, 2008

By TIM BARROW

WENDELL Sailor's magic paid dividends for Queensland Cup team Burleigh on Saturday, with the Bears triumphing over competition leaders Ipswich.

After missing out on a place in the St George Illawarra line-up following the return of star players Mark Gasnier and Matt Cooper, Sailor was sent to the Queensland Cup as part of a deal with the Dragons and Burleigh.

And with a bumper crowd of more than 2000 people on hand to watch the former Queensland State of Origin winger, Burleigh came back from 16 points down in the first half to win 36-22.

The Bears trailed 16-0 after Ipswich scored four unconverted tries, before trailing 16-10 at half-time.

Sailor had a quiet first half but had a major impact on the game after the break.

With Burleigh trailing 22-10 and the Jets on the attack near the Bears line, Sailor produced a one-on-one strip and two plays later delivered a stunning offload for team-mate Adam Feilder, who scored in the corner.

Burleigh then skipped away to score three more tries before full-time.

Sailor was swamped by fans on the field after the game and then emerged from the dressing room to sign autographs.

The stunning comeback was reminiscent of Sailor's first game of rugby league following a two-year ban for cocaine use while playing with Super 14 rugby franchise the NSW Waratahs.

Sailor ran on for the Shellharbour Marlins in the Jim Beam Cup at Ron Costello Oval earlier this year and led the South Coast team to a stunning victory after the Marlins had trailed 22-0.

The dual international, who turns 34 this week, played three games for the Marlins, before making his NRL return at WIN Stadium against old club Brisbane.

But the comeback was ill-fated, with Sailor breaking his cheekbone from a stray elbow in a tackle from Brisbane's David Stagg.

With Cooper and Gasnier out, Sailor returned to the NRL in the Dragons' victory over Newcastle last week, but was dropped for yesterday's clash against Canberra, with coach Nathan Brown instead picking in-form Bulldogs-bound star Josh Morris on the right wing.

Sailor's time back in the NRL has made him ineligible to play in the Jim Beam Cup again, but the Dragons' open-ended deal with Burleigh saw him return to his home state for the weekend.

© 2008 Illawarra Mercury

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