Colts rugby: Top of the table clash, team of the week
Colts rugby: Easts first game player Zac Hough made an instant impact to make Team of the Week in a dramatic, after the bell result against GPS this afternoon.
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Easts’ schoolboy Zac Hough made a sensational colts one debut as Tigers replacement forward Sam Finocchiaro sunk GPS’ hearts with an after the bell match winning try at Ashgrove.
Finocchiaro scored a burrowing try beneath the posts after Easts had launched a last second pick and drive attack on the GPS tryline.
Will Kirk’s successful conversion raised Easts to a 19-17 win against a tenacious GPS whose team’s reputation was greatly enhanced in defeat.
Easts 7-nil, then 12-7 before GPS struck after fullback Floyd Aubrey had engineered one try with a grubber kick and sparked a second movement which saw winger Harry Barker score his third try.
Barker’s try 12 minutes from full-time was the last time in the match that GPS saw Easts territory.
From the kick-off opener side flanker Hough forced a turnover, and from that moment on GPS manned the pumps as Easts launched raid after raid.
For minutes at a time the sequence went Easts pen, lineout, maul, scrum or Easts penalty, scrum, maul as the Tigers rolled after attack at the GPS line.
On three occasions - when lock Tom Valentine stole ball seven minutes, when centre Gus Rosanowski turned possession around three minutes from the end and when Campbell Moller bundled Easts Lachlan Tokome over the sideline two minutes from time - GPS seemed to have withstood the onslaught.
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But with one minute to play Hough won ball back for his side and successive penalties enabled Will Kirk to lob kicks to the corner which set up for potentially matchwinning lineout mauls.
The first lineout GPS repelled, but from the second Easts retained ball and mauled its way to the brink of the line before Finocchiaro, a Villanova College old boy, burrowed over.
What a game it was, and the thrilling climax was worthy of a grand final.
Hough, a member of the Brisbane Boys College GPS premiership winning team last season, was a halftime super sub
Still in year 12, he came on at halftime in his first game of colts one because it was school holidays.
He forced turnovers, he won ball in contact, he tackled strongly - the kid was simply on fire and without him, it is doubtful Easts would have won.
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Before the start of the season Easts, Brothers, University and Wests and Bond Uni stood above the pack in the pecking order, but you can add GPS to the list of title contenders.
The pack, with Ethan Lucey, Nick Baker and Ben Gerarghty getting down and dirty, was magnificent in defence while the Peter Halipalo led-scrum held its own in an area which Easts would have targetted to attack.
And when the Easts midfield successfully blocked the GPS attack, the Galloping Greens refused to be deterred despite being under pressure.
This side has plenty of ticker and team work and enough talent to challenge for the premiership.
In the end it came down to Will Kirk’s composure at the base of his pack to keep Easts focused on the job at hand.
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The first try of the match featured a stunning interchange of passes between Francis Pona and Lui Malaitai before Malaitai scored the first of his tries.
GPS’s opening try was also a beauty from 35m out when No.10 Bas Ward went blindside to Ben Byrne whose outside pass to Barker saw the winger streak down the sideline.
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Easts were back in front early in the second half when Malaitai powered over again but a flash of brilliance from Aubrey, who grubber kicked for Barker, levelled the scores again for GPS.
Barker then scored again when Ward, Archie Marles and Aubrey went wide, but that was the last attack ball GPS saw for the game.
Mention should be made of GPS No.8 Ben Byrne who was having a big game bfore sustained an injury and not regturnng at halftime.
In the University v Norths game, Uni overcame a gallant Norths 25-19.
The Eagles continue to improve, but the performances of Red Heavies pair Finn Hearn and Ben Walker lifted their side marginally above Norths.
Norths coach Dan Ritchie praised his side which is much better than their couple of wins only this season.
“Our set peice was outstanding today,’’ Ritchie said.
“We had areally strong second half and again had done enough to win amid some adversity. I am really proud of the second half work which was some of our best rughy this season.
Josh Mongard, a fixture in Team of the Week, was again elite and had help from Obonno, Donoghue, Boylan and Small.
Bond Uni beat Sunnyank 38-nil, with the Dragons rallied by flanker Sam Toma.
Souths were also gutsy going down 29-26 to Wests.
“Wests took their oportunities,’’ praised Souths coach Greg Coward.
“The last six weeks have been six of our best, with steady improvement. We are looking to finish the season strongly.’’
Team of the Week
15. Ethyn Martin (Bond)
14. Harry Barker (GPS)
13. Mone Maafu (Souths)
12. Oscar Conoghue (Norths)
11. Lui Malaitai (Easts)
10. Bas Ward (GPS)
9. Will Kirk (Easts)
8. Okaw Oboono (Norths)
7. Taine Roiri (Wests)
6. Zac Hough (Easts)
5. Ethan Lucey (GPS)
4. Marlon Jones (Bond)
3. Peter Halipalo (GPS)
2. Saipele (Souths)
1. Josh Mongard (Norths)
Reserves: Finn Hearn (Uni), Francis Pona (Easts), Sam Toma (Sunnybank), James Livingstone (Easts), Luke Fofatua (Bond) Lucas Boylan (Norths), Charlie Scott (easts), Jack Small (Norths), Zac Crothers (Easts), Nick Baker (GPS), Ben Geraghty (GPS).
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