Central Coast Rugby Union: Ourimbah Razorbacks pull off epic comeback in round 11

The race for the semi-finals has been turned into a thrilling three-way shootout after a crucial result in the Central Coast Rugby Union.

Avoca Beach and Woy Woy faced off in a huge game in round 11. Picture: Supplied

There were some huge results during a consequential round 11 of the Central Coast Rugby Union, with one of the premiership contenders pulling off the comeback of the season and another side setting up an epic final-four shootout.

Catch up with a wrap of the action below.

AVOCA KEEPS FINALS HOPES ALIVE

Avoca pulled off a crucial win in round 11. Picture: Supplied

Avoca Beach has breathed life into an almighty three-way shootout for the last semi-final spot after defeating Woy Woy 36-17 in a must-win clash at Heazlett Park.

Winger Jack McHugh scored a hat-trick as the Sharks dominated from the outset and ran in six tries to two to collect a bonus point.

“It was really pleasing. Especially having a few blokes who have been out injured for a lot of the season, to have new blokes come in and fill the role and knock off another team right in the hunt, I’m really happy with it,” said coach Mitch Magrath.

Rather than blowing their rivals away with the ball in hand or defending them out of the game, it was a greater level of consistency that pleased the Sharks’ boss.

“We just put together a more complete performance,” said Magrath. “We’ve shown glimpses of it throughout the whole season – we had Ourimbah on the ropes at halftime two weeks prior to that (before losing 36-29) – but have just lost those moments, so it was just a more complete performance this week that got the job done for us.”

The result was crucial in the context of the finals race.

Going into the round five points behind the Lions in sixth position, Avoca has now drawn level with Woy Woy on 24 points.

And while Warnervale’s victory over Northlakes/The Bay has kept the Sharks in sixth, they are now just two points outside fourth spot with four regular-season games to go.

Although the team has suffered a slide from last year when it qualified for the grand final on the back of the loss of key players, Magrath is confident that his side can make a successful charge to the finals.

“I think we’ve definitely made it hard for ourselves. We’re in a spot now where we really need to win everything to make the finals but I think we’re a pretty confident group and if you’re going to win the grand final you’ve got to beat everyone anyway.

“So we’re in a tough spot but I think we’ve got the playing group to get there. We play Warnervale twice in the last few rounds, so that will help us. If we get two wins against them it will go a long way to getting that fourth spot.”

OURIMBAH PIP ROOS IN THRILLER

The Ourimbah Razorbacks pulled off one of the comebacks of the season. Picture: Ian Clift Images

Ourimbah has solidified its spot in second place on the Central Coast Rugby Union ladder after coming from behind to defeat Lake Macquarie 36-35 in a top-four thriller at Ourimbah Rugby Park.

After a sluggish first half that saw the visitors race out to a 35-12 lead, the Razorbacks launched a stunning comeback that saw the side pile on 24 unanswered points to claim a dramatic win.

“It was a pretty open affair in the first half. We were pretty lacklustre in dee (defence) so they put a few points on us in the first 40, which was a bit of a wake-up call,” said Ourimbah coach Nick Meyer.

“We unfortunately tried to play their way of footy of throwing it around, which is not our go.

“But we had a chat at halftime and worked out that we needed to earn the right to go wide and once we did that we went back to our structures, everything went in place and we were able to jag it in the end.”

The Razorbacks extended their lead in second place. Picture: Ian Clift Images

Indeed, in a late piece of drama, Ourimbah winger Alifereti Joji scored the winning try just 30 seconds before the full-time whistle, despite the home side thinking they still had more than five minutes to go.

“There were conflicting times,” said Meyer. “We had like six minutes to go as coaches and he had 30 seconds, so technically we won with 30 seconds to go.”

He added: “But we were very dominant in the second half, so I think there would have been more potential opportunities to put points on, more than them coming back. Once we got the ball rolling in the second half it was pretty straight forward what we needed to do and the boys did it.”

While the Razorbacks were far from their best early on in the contest, the coach was pleased with the manner in which they responded after the break.

“It’s good that they’ve got a bit of toughness between the ears. It’s good to have that mental focus and not sit there and kick stones and lay down,” said Meyer.

“It’s also good to win ugly. It’s not going to be flamboyant or straightforward every time. It holds us in good stead to know that sometimes we have to bite down on the mouthguard, stick to the plan that we’ve created and it will work,” he added.

“We kept them to zero, didn’t give away any penalties and played direct.”

The victory was also consequential in terms of the ladder. With just two points separating the sides before kick-off, Ourimbah has now shot out to a five-point lead over the Roos in the race for a crucial top-two spot with four regular season games remaining.

In other round 11 results, Terrigal extended it unbeaten run with a 34-7 win over Gosford-Kariong, while Warnervale recorded its third straight win and surged into the top four after downing Northlakes/The Bay 46-24.

Standings: Terrigal 48, Ourimbah 42, Lake Macquarie 37, Warnervale 26, Woy Woy 24, Avoca Beach 24, Northlakes/The Bay 9, Gosford-Kariong 0