Ex-Wallaby Carter Gordon lights it up again after rugby league switch

Playmaker Carter Gordon really is the one that got away for Australian rugby with the former Wallaby continuing to light it up in Queensland’s Hostplus Cup after making the headline-grabbing switch to league.

Gordon began training with NRL club the Gold Coast Titans in early July before lining up for one of their feeder clubs in the prestigious competition in the second tier of rugby league. The 23-year-old was initially used as a centre and he didn’t look out of place.

The ex-Melbourne Rebels flyhalf scored a try and kicked three goals in the Tweed Seagulls’ 34-20 win over the Western Clydesdales in round 19. Gordon backed up that debut performance with another try a week later against Norths Devils.

While the cross-code talent showed signs of promise during those first two matches in the 13-player game, Gordon switched to a more familiar position in round 21. Gordon started as Tweed’s first five-eighth against the PNG Hunters – a role similar to union’s No. 10.

PNG went bang-bang early on by scoring two quick tries as they raced out to a 10-nil lead. But the match was far from over with Gordon playing a starring role in the Seagulls’ fightback as they managed to take the lead.

With about 10 minutes gone, Gordon thew an outrageously-impressive cut-out pass to send winger Toby Marx over for the teams opening score down the left edge. The Seagull players flocked together with a celebratory but focused look on each of their faces.

Gordon was the next man to score a try with the Queenslander stepping off his left to beat one defender, before powering through another two tackle attempts by burrowing towards the try line. That was his third try in as many matches for the Seagulls.

It was an exciting battle that followed but Gordon’s Tweed were unsuccessful in their bid to knock off the Hunters. PNG came away with a 42-30 win, but one of the big talking points was Gordon’s promising switch to the halves.

As Fox Sports’ Darcie McDonald initially reported, Gordon scored a try, had an assist, broke six tackles while running for a staggering 83 metres on the afternoon, and the No. 6 also kicked a 40/20 – a skill which is a major asset to any rugby league side.

Gordon has three try assists for the season, three four-pointers himself, four linebreaks, 96.55% tackle accuracy and 332 total running metres through three matches. The only real downside that jumps out is that Gordon is kicking at 60% when shooting for goal.

Some other code hoppers also impressed after making the switch to league from rugby sevens. Two-time Olympic gold medallists Stacey Waaka and Tyla King also shone brightly for their respective NRLW clubs over the weekend.

Waaka debuted for the Brisbane Broncos and was quite impressive with seven tackle breaks, one line break, and 100% tackle efficiency. The ‘Bronx’ were dominant as a collective with one of the competition heavyweights putting 44 points on the Gold Coast Titans.

Defending World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, Tyla King, was a standout in her return to rugby league. The dual-international came off the bench and played 49 minutes as the St. Georga Illawarra Dragons upset reigning champions the Newcastle Knights 18-10.

“That feels amazing. I don’t think it matters who we beat, at the end of the day, just to see the girls put in a performance like that,” King told Dragons media.

“We talked about staying together and working for each other and ‘what if’ we do win tonight? Everyone else didn’t have us winning that game at all, we’re the underdogs – there was nothing to lose and all to gain.

“We just stuck in it together, made sure we completed our sets and came hard on defence.”