Jersey Flegg stars shine, try of season contenders, grand finalist locked in: Group 7 semi finals wrap
There were try of the season contenders across both semi finals in Group 7 over the weekend, while one team booked the first grand final ticket thanks to some solo heroics from a Jersey Flegg gun. FULL WRAP.
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It’s getting down to the nitty-gritty stages of the 2023 Group 7 rugby league season.
Two semi finals played out across the weekend which means we have one grand finalist locked in and one more team eliminated from the competition entirely.
A pair of Jersey Flegg stars had brilliant games, while there were miraculous tries for the highlight reel across both games.
Check out the full semi finals wrap.
Pring stars as Lions punch grand final ticket
Some moments of individual magic from a couple of Jersey Flegg young guns was enough for the Gerringong Lions to get the better of the Stingrays of Shellharbour 32-22.
As a result, Gerringong are the first side to book their tickets to the 2023 Group 7 grand final.
The battle between first and second placed on the regular season ladder was always due to be an enticing encounter, especially considering both teams had beaten each other during the season already.
The Lions got the scoring underway through speedster fullback Wesley Pring, being in the right place at the right time to support his winger Liam Holland after he made a terrific bursting run through the middle of the Stingrays line, offloading to Pring to score.
The Stingrays hit right back though through their own x-factor winger Ben Weatherall, using his height advantage to soar and take a cross-field bomb from William Heta.
Stingrays halfback Jake Horton would get the home side ahead shortly after with a big dummy to the right that sold three Gerringong defenders, allowing him to charge in and score by himself.
What would follow this would be a try of the season contender from Wesley Pring, catching a Stingrays kick on his 40m line before attacking the left flank and weaving his way through the Stingrays line with too much raw pace for them to handle, going all the way to score a beauty.
Hamish Holland got the Lions back in front shortly after to give the Lions the advantage at the break.
Stingrays captain Tommy Warner was always due to have his say in such a big game, which he did in the second half when he dummied and charged through the line like a halfback, before finding prop forward Liam Scott on his inside to go in for the Stingrays.
Wesley Pring would yet again stamp his mark on proceedings though, scoring his hat-trick off the back of a terrific run from Hayden Buchanan on the previous play.
Buchanan would follow this up with a try of his own, charging in under the sticks after captain Nathan Ford made a great burst in the buildup.
Pring and Buchanan have both been incredibly welcomed returns to the Gerringong side after their Jersey Flegg season came to an end with the Dragons.
Jayden Harris scored a late consolation for the Stingrays but the game was out of reach by that point and the Gerringong Lions booked their ticket to their third consecutive grand final.
Sharks return to winners circle to end Jets’ season
The Shellharbour Sharks have gotten back to winning ways in a do-or-die semi final against the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets taking a 38-22 win at Ron Costello Oval.
It means the end of the road for the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets in 2023 who will head back down the coast with their heads held high after a much improved campaign from their eighth placed finish last season.
The Sharks were simply the more lethal side all afternoon in a game that was closely fought in the opening half.
Hooker Brodie Rigg set up the first try of the afternoon for halfback Isaac Morris before scoring himself shortly after from dummy half.
James Ralphs would add to his growing season tally for the Sharks shortly, being in the right place at the right time to catch and put down a terrific bat-back into the field of play from winger Jye Brooker.
Come the second half the Sharks were still the side on top, with in-form fullback Braxton Wallace scoring after he caught the Jets napping down the short-side from dummy half.
Season on the line, the Jets finally got some points on the board through a quick double to Tyson Simpson, the second of which was another contender for try of the season. Simpson grubbered the ball through the Sharks line from the halfway line before getting his foot to it again in a perfect chip kick over the fullback, regaining it to score an absolute beauty.
It wouldn’t be enough to inspire the Jets further unfortunately, as the Sharks put on three more second half tries through Nicholas Hay, Emanuel Sultana and Josh Starling.
The Jets went out with a couple of trick plays, with Clyde Parsons doing well to set up a final try of the season for Braydon Rumble Walsh, while his wing partner Beau Luland snagged a late one after a lovely Adam Quinlan dink kick.
These were purely academic though as the Sharks marched on to set up another instalment of the Shellharbour derby in the preliminary final next week.
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