Group 2 Rugby League: Nambucca Roosters and Sawtell Panthers meet in top-of-the-table clash
Not long ago they were battling it out to avoid the wooden spoon. But this weekend two resurgent sides will meet in a top-of-the-table clash in Group 2.
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They say one week is a long time in rugby league, so two seasons must feel like an eternity.
It was less than two years ago, in round 13 of the 2022 season, that Nambucca and Sawtell faced off in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon. The teams were sitting at the bottom of the table with just one win between them all season. After the 80 minutes Sawtell walked away with a 16-10 victory to hand the Roosters the most unwanted prize in sport.
But this weekend the ladder has been flipped on its head as the two sides meet in a top-of-the-table clash during round six of the Group 2 competition.
“It’s good to see. Both clubs spent a bit of time in recess but now they’re back doing well,” said Nambucca coach Warwick Jones.
The meeting between the two undefeated sides at Coronation Park in Nambucca Heads caps off a quite remarkable revival.
After folding at the end of the 2018, the Roosters spent three seasons in recess before returning to the competition in 2022. They went through their return season without a win en route to collecting the wooden spoon before bouncing back strongly to finish fourth last year and play finals football for the first time in a decade.
Meanwhile it’s been a similar story for Sawtell, whose first grade team won just three games over the course of the previous two seasons after sitting out the Covid-affected 2021 campaign.
But now the two teams find themselves at the top of the ladder after an excellent start to 2024.
In first place is Nambucca, who have been outstanding so far by winning all three of their games in convincing fashion.
With the likes of former Gold Coast Titans outside back Tyronne Roberts-Davis lining up at fullback and a string of locals like hooker Jacob Welsh, forward Peter Conroy and centre Willy Baker returning to the club, the Roosters have been electric with the ball in hand.
The team has chalked up more than 40 points in each game, starting off the season with a 42-10 win over defending premiers Woolgoolga before easily accounting for local rivals Macksville (44-8) and last year’s beaten grand finalists South Grafton (46-12).
And while the points have been flowing, the Roosters are also the best defensive team in the competition, conceding just 30 points so far.
“I’ve been pretty impressed with their defence, to tell the truth,” said Jones. “They’ve been really committed and they’re scrambling really well. They’ve been able to maintain that during the whole game and then our points come.”
After three strong victories, Jones said his team is excited to take on the resurgent Panthers.
“I’ve seen a little bit of them and they’re a good side,” he said.
“But we’re just going to concentrate on ourselves and what works well with us and adapt as the game goes on. We’ve been doing that rather well so far.”
Jones added: “We’re really looking forward to it, another game at home in a top-of-the-table clash.”
Indeed, with the Roosters flying high, the local community has well and truly jumped on board.
“It’s been good, the town’s buzzing. It was exciting last year but this year’s gone up another level,” said Jones. “We’ve been getting some really good home crowds and I’d expect them to show up again this weekend. Sawtell should have a good following too so it should be a good day.”
Looking to spoil the party is a resurgent Sawtell team. Bolstered by the signing of new captain-coach Sam Johnstone, who previously played at both NSW and Q Cup level, and the likes of exciting outside backs Jake Thornton and Jayden O’Shannessey, tough middle forward Luke Hetherington and halfback and former Cronulla lower grader Corey Willis, the Panthers lay a strong claim to being the most improved side in 2024.
After having won just three games in two years, the side has recorded two wins and a draw in its first three matches of the current campaign to establish itself as an early frontrunner.
While the new recruits have added some flair to the line-up, Johnstone said there is one thing that has impressed him the most about his side.
“I think it just comes back to our defence. Defence is very much an attitude and we just keep turning up for each other,” he said.
And although the last couple of seasons certainly haven’t been viewed as successful, the skipper said he believes that the challenges the team faced have held his current squad in good stead.
“We’re fit, which is helping us get through those tough periods, but with those couple of tough years the boys have had to be resilient, and even though they knew they were going to go out there and have a tough game, they still turned up every week and that’s paying dividends now.
“They learned a lot through those tough years – coming up against better sides, they had to defend a lot – so that’s really helping us this year,” he added. “I’m really excited to see where we’re going.”
After kicking off the season with a 12-all draw against Grafton, the Panthers come into the game with back-to-back wins over Woolgoolga (32-12) and Coffs Harbour (30-18). And while they are still undefeated, the players know they’ll be up for a different challenge against the Roosters.
“I’ve been down to watch a couple of games at Nambucca and they’re a quality side. They’re coming first for a reason and have been beating some good sides by a lot of points,” said Johnstone.
“They definitely have a lot of attack in them and that’s where our defence is important. It’s going to be our biggest test of the year, two undefeated sides going at it. And down at Nambucca, I reckon the crowd’s going to be pumping so it’s going to be a really good test to see where we’re at.
“We sort of know that if we want to win a premiership this year Nambucca is a team that we’re going to have to beat at some stage in the finals. So we’re looking forward to going down there and trying to play our game and see if they can play a bit of grind footy instead of scoring a lot of points.
“We’ll try and keep it a low-scoring affair, make them earn their tries and do a job on their better players. We’re really excited, it’s going to be a really tough game but the boys are flying and we’ll be looking to upset them at home.”
Nambucca hosts Sawtell at Coronation Park on Sunday May 26 at 2:40pm.
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