Andrew Johns/Laurie Daley Cup: Wrap, results, standouts from round five
A stunning final-minute play has booked one side its spot in the semi-finals while a late comeback has denied another a special feat in the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cup.
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It was all on the line during a dramatic final round of the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cup competitions. In two final-round blockbusters, a last-minute field goal sealed one clash and a dominant opening another as teams sought to book their spots in the semi-finals.
We will however have to wait another week for confirmation on who will make the final four in each competition, as the Northern Rivers Titans-Northern Tigers and North Coast Bulldogs-Macarthur Wests Tigers clashes were postponed due to the effects of Cyclone Alfred in northern NSW.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
ANDREW JOHNS CUP
WESTERN EDGES RIVERINA TO AVOID SPOON
The Western Rams have finished their Johns Cup campaign in style with a 30-6 victory over Riverina in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon at Paramore Park in Wagga Wagga.
Despite going behind early and scores being level at halftime, the Rams ran away with the contest in the second half to chalk up their first win of the season.
In what was a bottom-of-the-table clash between two winless sides, the Bulls struck first when centre Logan Foster stepped through some flimsy defence to opening the scoring 17 minutes in.
The home side looked like taking the lead into the break, however Western hooker Jack Kent stepped over from close to the line to level things at 6-all at halfback.
The Rams then hit the front nine minutes into the second half. A nice break up field from five-eighth Riley Carter got the team in strong field position before centre Nate Martin caught the markers napping and dived over from dummy-half.
It turned out to be the moment that opened the floodgates, as a penalty in the very next set helped the Rams up field and Charles McKid crashed over under the sticks to make it 18-6 with 15 minutes remaining.
Western continued its dominance in the final stages as Nate Vincent crossed out wide before the winger turned provider with a spectacular pass through his own legs from dummy-half to set up lock Cooper Byrnes at the death.
The victory, Western’s first of the campaign, lifted the Rams into fourth place in the Southern Pool, ahead of Riverina, who once again endured a difficult season.
Western Rams 30 (Kent, Martin, McKid, Vincent, Byrnes tries; Carter five goals) defeated Riverina 6 (Foster try; Foster one goal)
DRAGONS RECORD PERFECT RUN
The Illawarra South Coast Dragons have completed the regular season with a 100 per cent record after defeating the Monaro Colts 24-18 at the NSWRL HQ in Canberra.
After a bright start the Dragons were forced to hold off a comeback from the stubborn Colts’ side to extend their record to five wins from five in the regular season and ensure that they finished top of the Southern Pool.
While the Colts did come into the game with a thin chance of qualifying for the finals, their task was made considerably harder in the 13th minute when Illawarra centre Darcy Atwell dummied and stepped his way over, following a nice break up field from winger Israel Smith.
Five minutes later they were in again when hooker Ryland Coelho took advantage of some sloppy marker work to dart over from dummy-half to make it 12-0.
The Colts had spent most of the half on the back foot but managed to pull one back just before the break when halfback Drew Kemp fed centre Jack Ryan through a gap with a bullet-like cut-out to bring things back to 12-6 at halftime.
Monaro carried the momentum into the second half when centre Nate Stokes took advantage of good field position by getting on the end of a spread to the right to level things up five minutes after the restart.
The Colts had hit back well but the Dragons had an answer of their own midway through the half.
Attacking the Monaro line, fullback Preston Sager was hit with some heavy one-on-one contact as the team looked to spread the ball left. Showing plenty of strength of his own, Sager shrugged off the defender and then darted through a gap to put Illawarra in front once again.
It proved to be a critical moment in the game as the Dragons travelled the length of the field over the course of the next set before halfback Jeremy Packer put Charlie Lips through a gap to make it 24-12.
Monaro added some late drama when winger Charlie Sasse went over to reduce the deficit to six, however it proved to be too little too late as the Dragons held on for the win.
The victory moved the Dragons to 10 points and ensured that the side finished top of the Southern Pool with a perfect record.
As for the Colts, they finished the regular in third place in the Southern Pool, with a record of two wins and three losses.
Illawarra South Coast Dragons 24 (Atwell, Coelho, Sager, Lips tries; Coelho four goals) defeated Monaro Colts 18 (Ryan, Stokes, Sasse tries; Stokes three goals)
FINAL-MIN FIELD GOAL DECIDES SEMI-FINAL SHOOTOUT
A dramatic final-minute field goal has sealed a spot in the semi-finals for the Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights as the side defeated the Central Coast Roosters 17-16 in a winner-takes-all blockbuster at the Lakeside Sporting Complex at Raymond Terrace.
Halfback Ty Ennis was the hero for the home side by slotting a clutch field goal from 20m out to cap off a wonderful game with the boot.
In a must-win clash between the two teams, who were locked in a three-way tie at the top of the ladder, the Roosters struck the first blow in the 12th minute when a brilliant chip and chase from five-eighth Tukia Fotu-Moala set up halves partner Matthew Norman to score under the sticks.
The Knights hit back straight away after a wonderful kick return from winger Chayce Afa gave the side great field position, before hooker Chase Firman went over from dummy-half a couple of plays later to lock things up at 6-all.
The tit for tat continued when the Knights allowed to kick-off to go dead in goal.
From the resulting set Roosters’ hooker Nate Ross stepped and dummied his way over to give the side a 12-6 lead at the break.
The Knights may have come out of the sheds behind but they quickly flipped the script with a stunning opening to the second half.
In the team’s first set of the half it charged up field, with winger William Hoffman doing brilliantly to catch a dangerous cross-field bomb from Ennis to score out wide just two minutes after the restart.
Ennis had the ball on a string and in the very next set kicked a stunning 40/20 to once again give the Knights a golden opportunity.
The team duly capitalised as a nice offload from five-eighth Morgan Carter put Afa over. Continuing his excellent form with the boot, Ennis slotted the conversion from the sideline to put the Knights up 16-12.
On the back of a five-minute blitz Newcastle had taken control of the game. The team almost went in again when Hoffman came close to reeling in another dangerous kick from Ennis.
The home side was on top and looked the more likely to score next until Central Coast winger Chayse Dobson plucked a Newcastle pass out of the air and ran 45m to lock things up with a crucial intercept try. Ross put the conversion wide to leave scores locked up at 16-all with 14 minutes remaining.
What followed was a dramatic final period as both sides pushed for a winner.
The Knights once again came close through Hoffman, who got his fingertips to a towering kick from five-eighth Carter but was unable to keep the ball in grasp.
With a better goal difference, the Roosters stood to benefit from a draw, and at one stage it looked like the game may end even as neither side was able to capitalise on its opportunities.
That was until another brilliant kick from Ennis and some steely Newcastle defence forced a line dropout. Two plays later the Knights’ halfback finished the job by calmly slotting a field goal from 20m out to put his side ahead with just 30 seconds remaining.
Remarkably that wasn’t the end of the action. Fotu-Moala did incredibly well to fly through the air to regather the kick-off and give his side one last chance. And while Norman took a final-play field goal attempt to level the game, the ball went well wide and Newcastle held on for a dramatic win.
The victory pushes the Knights into first place in the Northern Pool and seals the team’s spot in the semi-finals.
The loss was a bitter blow for the Roosters, who slip to third in the group, although the team could still qualify for the finals if the Northern Rivers Titans lose their final game by 20 points or more.
Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights 17 (Firman, Hoffman Afa tries; Ennis two goals; Ennis one field goal) defeated Central Coast Roosters 16 (Norman, Ross, Dobson tries; Ross two goals)
LAURIE DALEY CUP
RIVERINA, WESTERN BATTLE OUT GUTSY DRAW
A gutsy second-half comeback from Western has broken Riverina hearts and robbed the Bulls of their first win of the season after the sides finished even in a thrilling 24-all draw at Paramore Park in Wagga.
After Riverina raced out to a commanding 24-6 lead at halftime, the Rams clawed their way back into the game in the second half, with a couple of clutch plays from Western halfback Jace Baker sealing the draw in the dying moments.
Western got on the board first after seven minutes when some sharp work from centre Jack Colley put his wing partner Brayden McGarry over out wide.
Riverina hit back midway through the half when centre Preston Schultz did well to catch a dangerous cross-field kick from halfback Diezel Watson to level things up.
It was the start of an electric 10-minute spell for the Bulls, who were on the attack again almost straight away after forcing an error out of the Rams. From here, Watson and Schultz combined nicely once again on the left edge to put winger Nate Broekman over out wide to make it 12-6.
With the Riverina forwards making fantastic yardage through the middle, the Bulls found themselves camped on the Western tryline just a couple of minutes later, with Watson this time dummying and diving over from dummy half to extend the team’s lead.
The home side had all the momentum and when backrower Jack Walsh charged over late in the half, Riverina took a 24-6 lead into the break.
The Bulls had taken a commanding lead into the break and saw off the opening minutes of the second half before Western hooker Noah Sutcliffe just cracked the door open for his team by crossing from dummy-half 12 minutes after the restart.
The Rams were being a better run of the game and nearly went over again, only for backrower Nathaniel Robinson to drop the ball over the line.
That proved to be a warning shot as Western hooker Chayse King sliced through some patchy defence to reduce the deficit to just six with 10 minutes remaining.
With players tiring errors crept into the game, with Western halfback Jace Baker coming up with a couple of big plays that ultimately shaped the result.
In the Riverina half on the last, Baker showed excellent skill with a perfectly weighted kick in behind the Bulls’ defence that earned the team a repeat set.
A couple of plays later he did the rest with the ball in hand, skipping past an oncoming defender before bursting through a gap to score under the sticks with just three minutes remaining. He then added the extras to level things up at 24-all.
And while the Rams had a late chance to snatch the win, the game ended all square as both sides missed out of qualifying for the finals.
Although it was the team’s best result all season, Riverina finished the season winless at the bottom of the Southern Pool with one point, with the Rams one spot ahead with a record of one win, one draw and three losses.
Riverina Bulls 24 (Schultz, Broekman, Watson, Walsh tries; Broekman three goals, Crowe one goal) drew with Western Rams 24 (McGarry, Sutcliffe, King, Baker tries; Innes two goals, Baker two goals)
RAMPAGING MONARO HAMMER DRAGONS
Monaro won’t be playing finals footy but the team finished its season in sensational style with a 48-10 thumping of heavyweights Illawarra South Coast Dragons in Canberra.
Despite having only won one of its previous four games in the competition, the Colts flicked the switch against the table-topping Dragons, piling on nine tries to two on the back of a dominant second half to complete the rout.
The scoring started after 17 minutes when hooker Benjamin Baker put in a deft grubber for lock Jack Milne to score under the sticks.
The Colts then doubled up in the very next set when a clever kick from halfback Troy Codey took a wicked bounce that evaded Illawarra fullback Jack Talbott and landed in the arms of his own number one Kruger Roache to go over.
The Dragons hit back late in the half through five-eighth Beau Baldock to make to 12-4 at halftime.
Unfortunately for Illawarra the try wasn’t a precursor for things to come as the Colts came out of the sheds firing with a stunning 10-minute rampage that well and truly put the game to bed.
It started five minutes after the restart when Codey dummied and sliced through the Dragons’ defence for his first of the day.
Monaro’s halfback was in the thick of the action in the next set when he put up a perfectly weighted kick for Roache to sweep through, brilliantly outjump his opposite number and score his second.
There was a sense of deja vu around the ground as the Colts once again charged up field and Codey put up another dangerous bomb. Illawarra’s Aidan Turner spilled the ball, which allowed Codey to pick up the scraps and go over in the corner for the team’s third try in a row.
The scored had blown out to 26-4 in the blink of an eye, however the Colts weren’t finished as a penalty helped the team march up field.
With another fresh set the team turned to Codey’s boot yet again, with a deflected grubber this time fortuitously landing in the arms of Levi Woods, who remarkably scored the team’s fourth try in consecutive sets to stretch the scoreline out to 32-4 and put the game to bed.
And while Illawarra pulled one back through Archie Wheeler, Monaro continued its day out with another three tries to cap off an excellent win.
After having destroyed the Dragons with the boot, Codey dummied and sliced through again for his hat-trick, while Thomas Handsaker and Benjamin Kami also got in on the action to cap off the stunning victory.
The win leaves Monaro in third place in the Southern Pool and out of finals contention, while the Dragons will be looking for a big turnaround in the semis after slipping to second in the pool.
Monaro Colts 48 (Codey 3, Roache 2, Milne, Woods, Handsaker, Kami tries; Milne six goals) defeated Illawarra South Coast Dragons 10 (Baldock, Wheeler tries; Talbott one goal)
DOMINANT KNIGHTS KNOCK OUT ROOSTERS
The Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights have temporarily moved into the all-important second place in the Northern Pool and in the process elimination their locals rivals the Central Coast Roosters from finals contention after prevailing 24-6 at the Lakeside Sporting Complex at Raymond Terrace.
An explosive opening 10-minute blitz set the platform for victory as the Knights ran out five-tries-to-one winners to leapfrog their rivals into semi-final positions.
In what was a must-win game for both sides, the Knights got off to a dream start as they marched up field in the first set of the game and then put up a dangerous bomb that was dropped by Roosters’ winger Tali Kolofale.
From the resulting set centre Kyran Blair did well to shrug off his opposite number to go over for the first try of the game after just two minutes.
Newcastle then doubled up on its fantastic start by going back to back in the next set.
After once again making great yards, the team put the ball through the hands on the last to put winger Ronan Hill into space. With just one to beat he put grubbered the ball back in field for hooker Diesel Hagan to score and make it 8-0 inside five minutes.
It was all one-way traffic as the Knights almost scored again with the very next set, forcing a line dropout.
And when that went out on the full Newcastle had another fresh set on the Central Coast line. The Roosters held on, and remarkably were tackled with the ball for the first time after 10 minutes of play.
The home side continued to dominate, however, and thought it was over again on the quarter-hour mark when winger Talen Balcombe planted the ball down, only for the final pass to be ruled forward.
Batted, bruised and completely under the pump, the Roosters had very much been second best over the early passages but in the 21st minute they somehow found themselves just two points behind as the team capitalised on a Knights’ error to put winger Bodie Jeffreys over directly from an attacking scrum.
However Newcastle reasserted its dominance, with Hagan showing his class by doing well to catch a short dropout and then shrug off a defender to go in for the team’s third. The hooker’s tough day with goalkicking continued though, and the Knights took a well-deserved 12-6 lead into the break.
While the Knights dominated the first half, things were far more even early in the second as both sides had their moments but were unable to produce the finishing touch to trouble the scoreboard.
Central Coast playmaker Isaac Fotu-Moala got heartbeats racing early in the second half when he came close to scoring after two clever chips over the top.
Meanwhile for the Knights, five-eighth Ryder Crosswell came within centimetres of scoring after a run close to the line.
The Roosters had another great chance shortly after following an excellent 40/20 from Brok Elliott, however an error in the play-the-ball saw the team hand over the ball once again.
With the Knights leading 12-6 a crucial moment came with 15 minutes remaining. With his team on the attack, Central Coast hooker Ryan Tukapua darted out of dummy-half and put in a grubber that went dead in goal.
With a seven-tackle set the Knights charged up field, earning a repeat set along the way.
A nice offload from prop Austyn Ah Toon-Hotene and then a slice of luck as Fletcher O’Doherty dropped the ball backwards and kicked it to his outside men helped put backrower Roy Simpson one-on-one with a defender out wide.
The big man was too strong and charged over to give the Knights a crucial 16-6 lead. Hagan then slotted his first conversion of the day to make it 18-6 with 12 to go.
The try gave the Knights added momentum and a couple of minutes they went in again after a clever blindside run from Kyran Blair to make it 24-6 and seal the win.
The victory takes the Knights above the Roosters into second place on the ladder on points difference. However the side will have to wait another week to see if it will play final football as the Northern Rivers Titans have the chance to jump up into second if they defeat the Northern Tigers by 26 points or more.
Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights 24 (Blair 2, Hagan 2, Simpson tries; Hagan two goals) defeated Central Coast Roosters 6 (Jeffreys try; Elliott one goal)
Sunday’s fixtures to be updated
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