While the showdown between Brothers Irons was fierce, following on from that two good mates in Joel Parkinson and Dean Morrison went toe to toe in what turned out to be an almost one sided affair.

While Morrison struggled to grab a wave that would allow him to reap in scores at the top end of the scale, Parkinson was on the money every time to pick off some booming waves on which he went ballistic – even pulling off an extremely difficult carving 360 degree turn.

Locking in a 9.5 on his first ride, Parkinson looked sharp and if he can retain this form throughout the next few heats he could definitely go on to win his second Billabong Pro here at Jeffreys Bay.

Having struggled to get to the business end in events so far this year, but with the win over Morrison under his belt Parkinson was confident that big things could be on the cards.

“The monkey’s gone!” said Parkinson referring to his getting past round four. “Getting through that heat was probably the most pressure I was going to feel and I’m pretty relieved to make the quarters.”

Even though the victory was sweet for him Parkinson admitted he was disappointed that it was Morrison he had to dispose of to get through to the next round.

“It was hard going up against Dingo (Morrison),” he said. “He’s one of my best mates and I love cheering for him. Luke Egan went this morning and Mick Fanning went the other day and it was like the boys were falling apart. It’s always a good to win but it was disappointing to look over and see a dirty look on his face with a minute to go – but it had to be one of us.”

And can he go all the way?

“The waves are getting better and better with each heat so to win you just have to keep raising the bar,” said Parkinson. “I’ve got Greg Emslie in the next heat and I don’t underestimate him at all. I’m going to have to keep the roll going and keep the 9.0s coming!”

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