Central Coast Rugby League: results, standouts, talking points from round 14

Club legends were given a perfect farewell, teams went through undefeated, while a string of accolades were finalised during a massive final round of the CCRL.

Toukley celebrate try Erina v Toukley at Erina Oval 4th June 2023 pic Sue Graham

There was plenty happening in the final round of the regular season, with a series of individual, team and club awards finalised after a huge season of footy.

Elsewhere, one club farewelled a couple of legends in style, while it was very much a family affair as history was created in another.

Catch up with a wrap of the action and major talking points with the CCRL Set of Six.

1) Toukley’s big day out

It was a huge day for Toukley on Sunday, with the Hawks claiming their first ever first grade minor premiership after defeating Terrigal 38-16 in front of their home fans at Darren Kennedy Oval.

While the achievement was undoubtedly the highlight, there was plenty to celebrate for the club, with teams of junior Hawks taking to the field before the main game, with some lucky enough to accompany the first grade side as they ran out onto the pitch.

It was a real family affair at DKO, and that was perhaps no more evident than on the field itself, with a string of relatives running out together in blue and gold.

In the women’s tackle game mother and daughter Naomi and Tahlee Maroney lined up next to each other, while you’d be forgiven for seeing triple in the open grade game, with father and son Tim and Brad Durrington, brothers Conor and Corey McRandal, and father and sons combination Jason, Brodie and Harry Packham all pulling on the Hawks colours in the same game.

2) Tigers teams go undefeated

The Hawks weren’t of course the only minor premiers of the season, with the final round of all grades taking place over the weekend.

While St Edwards won open grade, Wyong the under-19s and Berkeley Vale made history by taking out the first-ever women’s tackle minor premiership, perhaps the most remarkable achievements were made by The Entrance’s reserve grade and league tag sides, who both claimed the minor premiership after going through the season undefeated.

The Tigers’ ressies team won 12 from 12 (along with two byes), finishing with a points difference of 296, while the league tag side won an incredible 14 from 14, scoring an incredible 530 points and conceding just 64, leaving the side with a quite remarkable points differential of 466.

3) Contenders suffer a blip

It was a tricky weekend for a couple of resurgent premiership contenders in first grade, with both Terrigal and Wyong suffering defeats in round 14.

The Sharks fell 38-16 to minor premiers Toukley, while Wyong – who entered the round as the form team in the comp with five-straight wins – suffered a 22-20 upset at the hands of Woy Woy.

Both sides have been excellent over the second half of the season, with Terrigal collecting 10 points from a possible 14 and Wyong 12 to push themselves into the top four.

The pair will now face off in the elimination semi-final at Ted Doyle Oval on Saturday.

4) Nelson and Killick kick goals

It was a wonderful farewell for The Entrance duo Matt Nelson and Matt Killick, who finished their careers as winners after the Tigers overcame Kincumber 30-10.

While the pair, who have together played almost 50 seasons for the club, didn’t cross for a try, they both managed to slot conversions in the victory as they got to sing the club song one last time.

5) Woy Woy finish on a high

Another group that finished on a high was Woy Woy’s first grade team, who defeated the in-form Wyong 22-20 at Woy Woy Oval.

Woy Woy came home with a wet sail in the second half of the season. Picture: Nick Friend

While they missed out on the finals, Woy Woy were also one of the best teams of the second half of the season, winning four, drawing two and losing just the one game between rounds eight and 14 to collect and incredible 10 points.

The Roosters finished the season on 14 points, just two shy of the top four. Given that the team only picked up four points in the first half of the season, it’ll be a case of what if for Woy Woy as they look to build on their impressive performances next season.

6) Eagles sweep individual awards

With the team amassing an incredible 476 points, it’s perhaps no surprise to see that Erina players took out the leading try- and pointscoring awards for the 2023 regular season.

Burke finished with an incredible 20 tries for the season. Picture: Jodie Ward

Winger Riley Burke claimed a double in the Eagles’ 62-8 thrashing of Berkeley Vale to finish the season on 20 tries, an incredible six ahead of second-placed Ashton Carroll from Woy Woy.

Meanwhile in the race for the golden boot, Erina’s Finn Douch finished on top with 140, 12 ahead of Carroll, who picked up another silver in this category.

ROUND 14 WRAP

Toukley has continued its golden run by creating more club history after defeating Terrigal in the final round of the CCRL regular season.

Elsewhere, another major contender sharpened its attack with an incredible performance, while another team held off the form side of the competition in the boilover of the round.

Check out a wrap of the action below.

Hawks claim minor premiership

Toukley has claimed its first A-grade minor premiership. Picture: Sue Graham

Toukley has claimed the club’s first ever CCRL first grade minor premiership after defeating Terrigal 38-16 at Darren Kennedy Oval.

The win ensured that the Hawks finished the regular season on 23 points, two clear of second-placed Erina, with an impressive record of 11 wins, one draw and just two losses from their 14 games.

The result puts the team in prime position to defend its major premiership title from last year, with the first minor premiership continuing a record-breaking run for the club which claimed its first A-grade grand final win in 2022.

“If someone had have said that at the start of the year I would have laughed,” said captain-coach Jake Fitzpatrick of the achievement.

“It’s been an incredible season so far and the boys have done really well.”

Toukley was excellent in its win over Terrigal. Picture: Sue Graham

The Hawks’ success was built off the team’s strong start to the season, winning their first six games to lead the competition in the early rounds.

Much of this came from their excellent defence, with the team conceding just 160 points across its 14 games, an incredible 64 less than the next best defensive sides Erina and Wyong, who conceded 224.

And while Toukley drew with The Entrance in round 10 before suffering an uncharacteristic 36-6 loss to Woy Woy the following week, Fitzpatrick says the team has rediscovered its form at the right time with three-straight wins to close out the regular season.

“We had a little blip in the middle of the season where we lost two games and drew one. It’s hard to keep that focus and consistency all season, but in the past few weeks the boys have got that intensity back and have played really well,” he said.

“That win yesterday against Terrigal was the icing on the cake. We really brought that intensity in defence and capitalised on our opportunities.”

The Hawks will take on Erina in a blockbuster major semi. Picture: Sue Graham

Indeed, the Hawks got off to a great start against the in-form Sharks, going ahead 16-0 in the first half thanks to tries to Ben Neville and a double to Jakob Giles, before taking a 22-6 lead into the break.

While Terrigal scored two more tries in the second half, they never got closer than 12 points at any stage, with Kallin Adams crossing for one and Kiran Page scoring a second half double to seal the 22-point victory.

Toukley will take on Erina in the major semi-final this weekend, with Terrigal, who finished third, will face off with Wyong in the do-or-die elimination final.

Toukley 38 def Terrigal 16

Eagles crush Panthers to book second chance

Erina has warmed up for the semi-finals in style, crossing for 12 tries to two in a 62-8 demolition of Berkeley Vale at Erina Oval.

The thumping victory saw the Eagles finish the season in second place, ensuring that the team has a second bite of the cherry in its quest for the major premiership.

It was an absolute tryfest for Erina in the club’s final home game of the season, with Daniel Peters, Finn Douch, Riley Burke and Benjamin Taylor all crossing for doubles.

Erina finished the season in second place. Picture: Sue Graham

Douch also kicked seven goals for a personal haul of 22 points to ensure that he finished the regular season as the competition’s highest pointscorer.

The huge win pushed the Eagles’ total points scored for the season to 476, a whopping 100 clear of the next-best attacking team Woy Woy.

The team will take on minor premiers and defending champions Toukley this weekend in the major semi-final in what is a mouth-watering grand final rematch from last year.

Meanwhile for the Panthers, the loss capped off a disappointing end to the season, with the team finishing in eighth position with one win to its name.

Erina 62 def Berkeley Vale 8

Tigers send legends out on a high

The Entrance has farewelled retiring club stalwarts Matt Nelson and Matt Killick in style by defeating Kincumber 30-10 at MacKillop Oval.

Half Jake Slee bagged a double and his brother Bowen Slee also crossed for a four-pointer as the Tigers ran in six tries to two to finish comfortable winners.

Matt Nelson and Matt Killick played their last game for the club. Picture: supplied

And while the retiring duo, who combined have played close to 50 seasons with the club, might not have crossed the stripe, both Nelson and Killick etched their names onto the scoreboard with conversions in their final game for the club.

The victory sees the Tigers finish the season on 15 points, one outside the top four, while the Colts finish up in seventh with two wins for the season.

The Entrance 30 def Kincumber 10

Roosters pip Roos in boilover

Woy Woy capped off an excellent second half of the season with a win. Picture: Nick Friend

Woy Woy has ended its season on a high and in doing so broken Wyong’s five-match winning streak with a 22-20 victory at Woy Woy Oval.

Playing with 12 men for around 50 minutes, the Roosters held on in what was a thrilling finish to the clash on the club’s old boys’ and women in league day, keeping the rampaging Roos out late to secure the two-point win.

The home side led 16-10 at halftime thanks to tries to Scott Gowans, Wade Hannell and Ashton Carroll.

Although Wyong sought to capitalise on their numerical advantage, a four-pointer to Beau Bovis and some sharp goalkicking from Carroll got the team over the line in a clash that ended four tries apiece.

The victory caps off a remarkable second half of the season for Woy Woy, who after only winning one game in the first six rounds, recorded five wins, two draws and one loss in the final eight matches to finish just two points outside the top four.

The victory was particularly impressive considering that the Roos were on a five-match winning streak. Wyong, who finished fourth, will now play Terrigal in the elimination semi-final next weekend.

Woy Woy 22 def Wyong 20