Maiden minor premiership sealed in derby and final day table changes: Group 7 round 18 talking points, team of the week
There were solo heroics and standout performances across the grounds as the minor premiership was sealed and finals spots were won and lost. Check out the team of the week and big talking points.
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That’s a wrap on the regular season for Group 7 in 2023!
There was still plenty of drama to unfold in the final round of local rugby league down the south coast, with a minor premiership to be decided in the Shellharbour derby.
On top of this, there was a thrilling battle still to be played out in the middle of the table to determine the fifth spot in finals, which led to some final day table rearranging.
Check out seven of the big talking points from the round, the team of the week and read on for the full wrap of all the action
No Quinlan no worries for Jets
Captain Adam Quinlan was pleased his side could end the regular season on such a high note ahead of a tough clash against the Milton Ulladulla Bulldogs in finals next week.
“It was great to get that boost in a local derby and do it in such a convincing manner,” Quinlan said.
Quinlan, one of the season’s top performers, was absent from the squad in what he described as “just a little niggle,” but there was no fear for his side with the likes of Beau Luland putting in a terrific fullback shift in the absence of Quinlan.
“I might not even get back in the squad,” Quinlan joked.
“It’s really exciting to be back in finals, it’s been a few years, there’s plenty of confidence around the guys.”
Simington simply unstoppable
The Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs got the job done in securing their must-win fixture against the Warilla-Lake South Gorillas, largely thanks to the individual brilliance of Mitch Simington.
Three crucial tries from the rapid centre turned the tie in the Bulldogs favour, with Simington showcasing his unbelievable speed and strength that the left edge of the Gorillas side simply couldn’t handle.
His last try was the pick of the bunch, creating something out of nothing as he wriggled his way out of the attempted tackles of two defenders, before weaving his way through the staggered Gorillas line and running the length of the pitch to seal the deal for the Gorilas.
Week for the speedsters
Simington’s heroics were just one of many cases of raw speed at its finest in Group 7 this week.
Kane Ball scored two eerily similar long distance tries which saw his show off his incredible acceleration to put distance between himself and the Kiama Knights defence.
Toby Gumley-Quine was letting his speed do the talking from fullback for the Gerringong Lions, creating a number of breaks down the left flank with his agility and foot speed.
Braydon Rumble Walsh was another who showed off his pace with his second try for the Jets, seemingly strolling to the line after running up in support of his centre Braydon Omoeboh.
Stingrays sweating on Smith diagnosis
The high of taking out a maiden minor premiership came at a cost for the Stingrays of Shellharbour, with Colby Smith picking up some sort of leg injury late in the first half.
Smith, arguably the best hooker in the competition this season, had already picked up two assists in the first half of the game and had the Shellharbour Sharks defence struggling.
The Stingrays got the job done but were nowhere near the same attacking threat as they were when Smith was on the field, so they’ll be hoping the injury wasn’t as serious as first suspected.
Gerringong unlock a new combo
Second rower Jack Quine and centre Beau Doosey were working in unison over the weekend against the Jamberoo Superoos, unlocking a new lethal combination down the left flank.
Doosey showcased excellent strength and skill to run and offload to Quine for his opening try, before Quine returned the favour later on after breaking the line and finding his centre in support.
Quine also assisted his fullback Toby Gumley-Quine in what was a productive day down the left edge for the Lions.
Long range missiles hurt Knights
The Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles were punishing the Knights from range in their 46-22 thumping at Kiama Showground.
As previously mentioned, Kane Ball was simply too fast for the Knights to get a hand on in his two long range tries.
Fullback Jesse Prinsse was also creating chances from range with his kick returns, on one occasion running a good 60m through a staggered Knights line before Ryan Jones scored on the next play.
End of the road for five teams
After 18 rounds of footy, five teams depart the Group 7 competition.
The Jamberoo Superoos will feel the most hard done by after letting fifth position slip on the final day, leaving them to rue missed opportunities in previous games and slip ups to sides they should have beaten.
The Warilla-Lake South Gorillas finish in seventh after a season tainted by injuries, followed by the Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles who had their moments but could never put together a string of good wins back-to-back.
The Kiama Knights were one of the disappointments of the season, dropping from fifth in 2022 to ninth in 2023, while the Berry Shoalhaven Heads Magpies unfortunately made it back-to-back wooden spoons.
Team of the week
1. Beau Luland (Nowra-Bomaderry)
2. Braydon Rumble Walsh (Nowra-Bomaderry)
3. Mitch Simington (Milton Ulladulla)
4. Beau Doosey (Gerringong)
5. Josh Jackson (Warilla-Lake South Gorillas)
6. Mark Asquith (Jamberoo)
7. Clyde Parsons (Nowra-Bomaderry)
8. Jake Taylor (Gerringong)
9. Colby Smith (Stingrays)
10. Josh Sainsbury (Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles)
11. Tom Warner (Stingrays)
12. Jack Quine (Gerringong)
13. Bailey Sassall (Milton Ulladulla)
14. Toby Gumley-Quine (Gerringong)
15. Ryan Jones (Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles)
16. Zaan Weatherall (Stingrays)
17. Kane Ball (Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles)
Full round wrap
Maiden minor premiership sealed in Shellharbour derby
The Stingrays of Shellharbour have sealed a maiden minor premiership with a 26-16 win over the Shellharbour Sharks in a thrilling local derby.
It was a ‘winner takes all’ scenario at Ron Costello Oval, with both teams in great form and eyeing the week off that comes with the minor premiership.
The Sharks however simply didn’t start the game how they wanted to, with a knock on off the first kick off from Eze Harper a sign of things to come.
While statistically the best defensive team in the competition, the Sharks were struggling to contain the Stingrays and particularly hooker Colby Smith, who had the defensive line at his mercy as he set up the first two tries of the game.
Smith played perfect passes to both captain Tom Warner and five-eighth William Heta to charge under the posts and score two early tries.
Warner would put in a real captain’s performance as he extended his side’s lead with his second try, charging through a hole and into the corner to score untouched.
A potentially season-shifting moment would come towards the end of the first half though as hooker Colby Smith picked up a leg injury and was assisted from the field.
The Sharks would capitalise on the disruption to the Stingrays’ flow and get on the board before the break through James Ralphs, charging on to an inside pass from Emanuel Sultana in a combination that captain Warner pointed out earlier in the week that they were hoping to prevent.
Fullback Braxton Wallace would reduce the margin early in the second half, charging through a hole for his 11th try of the season and reinvigorating the Sharks side.
It looked as though the Stingrays were losing the plot when Jake Kamire was sent to the sin bin for a nasty tackle on James Ralphs, leaving the Stingrays a man down to the hungry Sharks.
However, some individual Zaan Weatherall brilliance down the right flank would see him charge through the line, fend off a number of tackles and score a beauty.
Wayde Aitken set up a grandstand finish when he finished superbly in the left corner for the Sharks, but it was ultimately the Stingrays’ day as Taioalo Vaivai sealed the victory with the final play of the game, securing the Stingrays’ first ever minor premiership in Group 7.
Bulldogs grit teeth to secure finals spot
The Milton Ulladulla Bulldogs will play finals footy in 2023 after a 40-28 win over the Warilla-Lake South Gorillas to secure fifth spot on the ladder.
It caps off a terrific rise to prominence in the Group 7 competition for the team that finished in ninth place in 2022.
Mitch Simington was the star for the Bulldogs with a hat-trick, while their other centre Blake Halls was also terrific with a brace.
The first quarter of the game gave the impression that the Bulldogs were going to let their golden finals opportunity slip as the Gorillas ran in the opening three tries through Justin Jones and a Josh Jackson double.
The Bulldogs clicked into gear from here though, first through halfback Sam Stewart stepping and accelerating through the line.
Simington would grab his first of the day shortly after following a burst into open field from young gun Jarrah Treweek, with the rapid Simington on hand to support his backrower.
Captain Blake Mackey got his side back on even terms when he burst through the line and finished in the corner, but it was the Gorillas who went in to the break in the lead after Jake Brisbane scored down the short side from dummy half.
Coach Andy Lynch must have had some stirring words for his troops in the sheds, as the Bulldogs came out firing in the second half, with Blake Halls poking his way through the Gorillas defensive line twice to score. Some late contact from Kye Deane on Halls after scoring one of his tries also resulted in an eight-point try for the Bulldogs.
Simington was the star of the show though, showing great strength to escape a number of tackle attempts down the right flank and score his second.
The Gorillas reduced the margin to six points after Darnell Walker scored late on, but Simington would take matters into his own hands yet again as he muscled his way out of some sloppy tackles and escaped into the open, running 80m to score a pearler of a try and send the Bulldogs into the finals.
Superoos slip from finals spot on final day
There will be no finals footy for the Jamberoo Superoos in 2023 after going down 26-18 to the Gerringong Lions.
The Lions finish the regular season in second place on the ladder, leapfrogging the Shellharbour Sharks on the final day.
The home side were simply too strong for the Superoos, taking a 20-0 lead into the break that would prove to be uncatchable.
Second rower Jack Quine and centre Beau Doosey were proving a lethal duo, both scoring and assisting each other’s tries in the first half.
The left flank in general was proving profitable for the Lions, with winger Liam Holland finding the line after some great work in the build-up from fullback Toby Gumley-Quine.
Gumley-Quine was having a terrific day at the back, getting his rewards in the second half as he created a break down the left, before being on the end of a nice offload from Jack Quine to score.
The Superoos left their charge too late unfortunately, with Mark Asquith scoring a late double and Ben Barnard finishing in the corner after a freakish offload assist from Corey Grigg.
The Superoos finish in sixth and are left to ponder what could have been in 2023.
80 points across the board in biggest scoreline of year
One week after the Shellharbour Sharks put on the biggest scoreline of the year against the Eagles, the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets went out and beat that figure with a massive 66-14 win over the Berry Shoalhaven Magpies.
This puts the Jets in good stead ahead of finals after finishing fourth on the ladder, while the Magpies are glad to have this horrid 2023 season wrapped up after securing the wooden spoon.
There were a whopping 17 tries across 80 minutes of football, 14 of them going to the Jets.
The standout performer was unquestionably halfback Clyde Parsons who picked up a hat trick of tries, the highlight of which was a 90m intercept effort.
Regular winger Beau Luland was filling the fullback shoes of captain Adam Quinlan and doing a terrific job, showcasing his raw pace for two unstoppable tries and having a hand in a number of nice sweeping moves.
His best work came for one of Brayden Omoeboh’s two tries where Luland broke out of a whopping six attempted tackles before flicking it out the back for his winger to score.
Braydon Rumble Walsh was among the tries as usual, grabbing a pair from the wing and showcasing his aerial ability for the first.
Other try scorers included Tyson Simpson, Thomas Latta, Joshua Breen and Matoria Atunsaia in what was a commanding day at the office for the Jets.
Eagles get last laugh over Knights
The Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles secured the battle for eighth place by defeating the Kiama Knights 46-22.
It’s a year the Knights will want to forget having played finals footy in 2022 and now only narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon.
Kane Ball featured in the highlight reel twice for the Eagles with two 80m breakaway tries, staking his claim to be the fastest man in the competition with the way he accelerated away from the Kiama defence on both occasions.
Joshua Sainsbury and Ryan Jones both picked up doubles for the Eagles from the forward pack, with Sainsbury managing to regain his own grubber kick and score to show some impressive skills for a prop forward.
Fullback Jesse Prinsse also had a good day from the back, assisting both Ball and King with great kick return runs from deep in his half.
The Knights managed four tries on the board through Matt Morris, Darcy Parker, Tyler Clark and Callum Hodgson, but at no point really looked like challenging the Eagles for the win.
The Eagles finish in eighth in a year of ups and downs, while the Knights finish in a disappointing ninth.
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