Group 2 Rugby League: Wrap, results, standouts from round 12

It was a case of deja vu in Group 2 as one side backed up last week’s stunning performance with another huge result.

Woolgoolga continued its outstanding season in round 12. Picture: Leigh Jensen

The minor premiership has been claimed as the competition’s big guns surged to the front during round 12 of Group 2 Rugby League.

It was a case of deja vu for teams, who all played against the same opponent for the second week in a row following last weekend’s rescheduled round five.

Check out a wrap of the action below.

WOOLGOOLGA SEALS MINOR PREMIERSHIP

Woolgoolga sealed the minor premiership with two games remaining. Picture: Leigh Jensen

Woolgoolga has secured the minor premiership with two rounds of the regular season remaining after easily accounting for Grafton 38-8 at Frank McGuren Field.

Ethan Duncombe and Dane O’Hehir both bagged doubles as the Seahorses really pulled away in the second half to record their ninth straight win of the season to take an unassailable lead at the top of the table.

In what was a clash between first and last on the ladder, the competition leaders got off to a fantastic start, with an early penalty helping the side up field before Ethan Duncombe shot out of dummy-half and took on the blind side to score the opener in just the fifth minute.

However a knock-on from the first hit-up after the kick-off handed the ball over in dangerous territory and the Ghosts wasted no time hitting back as winger Lockie McLaughlin got on the end of a Brandon Williams grubber to make it 6-4.

With the game played in slippery conditions, there were plenty of handling errors in the opening stages.

However Woolgoolga was winning the battle of the middle and after earning a repeat set the team shifted it wide to put winger Sharnae Perham over in the corner to make it 10-4 after 28 minutes.

The Seahorses continued to press, and when fullback Dane O’Hehir finished off a clever grubber from skipper Jake Elphick, the team was ahead 16-4 at the break.

The competition leaders had taken a decisive lead in the latter stages of the first half and added to that almost immediately after the restart.

After his team charged up field in the first set of the half, Woolgoolga five-eighth Isaiah Cochrane put in a grubber that was knocked on by the Ghosts, which allowed Michael Curnow to slide in to score just 60 seconds into the second half to stretch the lead out to 18.

The Seahorses then made it two from two and more or less put the game to bed in the very next set. The team once again charged up field from the kick-off before centre Stephen Prince got on the end of a perfectly weighted kick from Cochrane to slid in and make it 28-4.

The visitors were running riot and almost went in for three in a row after making a break down the right touchline, only for winger Michael Golsby to be bundled into touch just metres out from the line.

Brandon Williams provided a spark for the Ghosts. Picture: D Wigley

But Woolgoolga was well on top and wouldn’t be denied for long as Duncombe took advantage of some slack defence close to the line to go over for his second to make it 34-4 with 25 to play.

It had been a difficult day for the Ghosts and it got worse 15 minutes from time when centre Austin Cooper went down and was ultimately stretchered off with what looked like a serious lower leg injury.

Shortly after Woolgoolga’s Dane O’Hehir added to the pain with an excellent pick-up from a kick and 70m run to score a great solo try.

And while Jake Vickery got on the end of another grubber from Williams for a late try, it was nothing but a consolation as Woolgoolga ran out comfortable winners.

The Seahorses have claimed the minor premiership after a flawless season so far. The team has been a clear standout in the competition with a record nine wins from nine games, with the round one clash with South Grafton abandoned after attempts to schedule a catch-up game proved unsuccessful.

Woolgoolga 38 (Duncombe 2, O’Hehir 2, Perham, Curnow, Prince tries; Elphick 5 goals) defeated Grafton Ghosts 8 (McLaughlin, J Vickery tries)

NAMBUCCA PUNISHES REBELS – AGAIN

Nambucca ran riot again with another huge win. Picture: Leigh Jensen

Nambucca has shown that lightning can strike twice after completing its second thrashing of South Grafton in consecutive weeks with a 68-14 hammering of the Rebels at Coronation Park.

Halfback Logan Jones stretched further ahead at the top of the tryscoring charts with a double as the Roosters ran in 12 tries to three to chalk up another big win, which came just seven days after the side invoked the mercy rule with a 60-0 victory over their opponents.

“I was happy with our attitude,” said coach Warwick Jones. “It’s sometimes tough to play the same team back to back, especially when you have a convincing win the week before, but we were able to put on a good performance.”

The coach was particularly happy with the intent his team showed at the beginning of the game, which set the tone for the rest of the match.

“The most pleasing thing is that they showed up with the right attitude. We went out to an 18-0 early and we showed that we were switched on in those early stages,” he said,

“We got some really nice go-forward from the pack and they laid the platform again for the backs.”

Indeed, Nambucca wasted no time getting going with tries to Jacob Welsh, Declan Rooney and Jack Margetts getting the tea off to a lightning start.

The Roosters have solidified second place on the ladder. Picture: Leigh Jensen

South Grafton’s Nicholas McGrady pulled one back midway through the half before Jones’ first and another try to Beau Langford gave the Roosters a 28-4 lead at the break.

Any hope the Rebels had of getting back into the game were quickly dashed early in the second half as Nambucca put on three quick tries to stretch the scoreline out to 44-4.

Kieron Johnson-Heron got another one back for South Grafton, however the pain kept coming as Khan Jarrett, Rooney and Logan Jones all crossed to make it 62-10.

The mercy rule was potentially on again, however the teams traded tries late to see the Roosters finish 54-point winners.

It capped off a remarkable fortnight for the side, which scored a remarkable 128 points and conceded just 14 in the last seven days. The win was Nambucca’s fifth in a row, with the team now giving itself a four-point buffer in second place with just two rounds of the regular season remaining.

“I’ve been happy with them all year, to tell the truth,” said Jones. “But I’m really happy to see the boys really starting to come into some good form at this stage of the season.”

Nambucca 68 (Rooney 2, L Jones 2, Welsh, Margetts, Langford, Saunders, Simon, I Jones, Jarrett, Inglis tries; Roberts Jarrett 10 goals) defeated South Grafton 14 (McGrady, Johnson-Heron, Boehme tries; Petch 1 goal)

In the other round 12 clash, Sawtell bounced back from a disappointing last-start loss with an impressive 32-4 win over local rivals Coffs Harbour.