Macarthur Rugby League: Chart toppers and big boppers, round 15 talking points

The identity of Macarthur Rugby League’s quickest player may never be confirmed, but one flyer stated his case in emphatic fashion in round 15. Chart toppers and big boppers, talking points.

Collegians playmaker Josh Bergamin was part of a high scoring contest with South West in round 15. Picture: Warren Gannon Photography

Now in the home straight towards the finals, Macarthur’s top footy players are starting to make their mark.

From props to wingers, there’s stunning plays and extraordinary stats. Relive some of the best efforts of round 15 and see which big man is ageing like fine wine.

All that and more, here’s what’s making news.

NEXT LEVEL

Last Sunday’s clash of the big men was one of the features at Kirkham Oval.

Tigers prop Joseph Ualesi rocked the Rams with several thundering charges, but it wasn’t all one way traffic according to his captain Mitchell Brasington.

“There’s a reason why Danny Fualalo is the best player in the comp,” he said. “He’s not slowing either, he seems to be running even harder this year.”

MOON BOOT CONCERN

Still on Brasington, and there’s serious concerns the playmaker faces a lengthy stint on the sidelines.

Wearing a moon boot on Monday following the loss to Camden, the Tigers skipper went for scans to determine the possibility of a fractured foot.

Sitting fourth on the ladder, The Oaks have four regular season matches remaining in their quest to make the top three.

HONA HITS TOP GEAR

There’s no shortage of speedsters in the Macarthur comp, and Picton’s Rua Hona must rank among the quickest.

When Thirlmere’s Marika Tuilau exploded off his own goal line against the run of play, the winger seemed destined to run the length of the field.

But with the backing of a vocal Magpies bench, Hona set off in pursuit from the other side of the field. And despite conceding a massive start, the centre rounded up the try-bound flyer in no time with 20 metres to spare.

Rua Hona found top gear against Thirlmere. Picture: Warren Gannon Photography

ORIGIN TACKLE

Oakdale carried a six-point advantage midway through the second half against Narellan, and if not for a miracle tackle by Jarrod Keppie, the Jets could well have caused a major boilover.

After grasping a Levi Dodd bullet pass, Joel Gadd seemed certain to dive into the left corner. That was until Keppie arrived from nowhere to freakishly roll the winger on his back inches short of the stripe.

NO EASY GAMES

The race to make the top five might be over, but the order of teams from second to fourth is far from settled.

Oakdale are currently second, but a loss to Camden this week could leave them at the mercy of the three sides below them.

Narellan are running last but in matching the Workers for the best part of 70 minutes, the Jets proved there’s no easy games in this year’s competition. City are ninth, but with success in two of their past three outings the Roos are coming good after a rough start.

Then there’s Collies and South West, both capable of wracking up big scores and spoiling the dreams of a complacent frontrunner.

Camden’s Eddie Aiono remains on target to score the most tries this season. Photo: Warren Gannon Photography

HEATING UP

Camden winger Eddie Aiono has topped the try scoring list for the majority of the season.

His four-pointer against The Oaks increased his tally to 15, one ahead of Collegians flyer Ray Mu and two more than Narellan’s Tyrone Harding.

In the run home, Mu is the man to watch. Back in round 11 he bagged four before missing the next four games with injury. He lost none of his touch on return, notching a hat-trick in Sunday’s dramatic victory over South West.

ROUND 16

The Oaks v East Campbelltown, Dudley Chesham Sports Ground

Campbelltown City v Campbelltown Collegians, Fullwood Reserve

Camden v Oakdale, Kirkham Park

Mittagong v Narellan, Mittagong Sports Ground

South West v Thirlmere, Onslow Oval

Levi Dodd and the Narellan Jets tackle Mittagong in round 16. Photo: Warren Gannon Photography

ROUND 15 WRAP

Round 15 of the Macarthur Rugby League kicked off in chilly conditions when Thirlmere hosted Picton on Saturday evening.

The weather was better on Sunday as East Campbelltown set about extending their finals charge. At Kirkham Park, The Oaks took on the unbeaten Rams while Oakdale hosted Narellan.

In terms of tries scored, Collies and South West went shot for shot in the most entertaining match of the weekend. Round 15 wrap.

CLASS ABOVE

Camden’s march towards the minor premiership continued after the Rams defeated The Oaks for the second time this season with a 26-10 victory at Kirkham Park.

Still unbeaten, Camden’s 12th win followed an even first half-hour before forwards Trent Peoples and Danny Fualalo shifted the momentum, paving the way for crucial tries to Steele Brown and Atini Gafa for an 18-10 halftime lead.

Following the loss, The Oaks slipped to fourth on the ladder but with a strong showing they showed enough to suggest they won’t look out of place among the top three come finals time.

After the Rams jumped early through winger Eddie Aiono and hooker John Martin, the Tigers struck twice along the left edge through Ragen Gilbert and Challis Tupuola to make it 10-all.

John Martin scored early for the Rams. Photo: Warren Gannon Photography

The only four-pointer of the second half came from the boot of Brad Speechley. The skipper’s perfectly placed bomb came down on the goal line where a high flying Vann English did the rest to open a 14-point margin.

“We played really good in patches, but Camden were better at capitalising on their opportunities,” said Tigers captain-coach Mitchell Brasington.

“We started slow in typical Oaks fashion,” he said with a laugh. “But we worked our way back into the game and had several chances in the second half but they scrambled well in defence.

“Daniel Payne was out best player. He was scheming the entire game. Our right edge was good too, and I thought our young guys, Chad Daniels and forwards Kohan Lewis and Ryan Polsen all played well.”

COLLIES RUN DOWN GOANNAS

Campbelltown Collegians have brushed aside the heartbreak of several narrow defeats after Collies sprung from the clouds to sink the Goannas 44-38 at Bradbury Oval.

In all 15 tries were scored on an afternoon where South West enjoyed several healthy buffers. After opening a 20-6 halftime lead, the Goannas crossed again through Brad Takairangi, Tyler Ah-Chong and Eddie Faalua to open a commanding 16-point advantage with 20 minutes to play.

New recruit Josh Bergamin and Norwin Latu scored two of the final four tries as Collies charged towards an unlikely victory. Latu stepped through in the 73rd minute and with Bergamin’s conversion it was 38-all.

With the result on the line, Hosea Leuea proved the hero for Collegians. After breaking away, the halfback watched on as winger Ray Mu loomed in support to wrap up the victory with his third try of the day.

Collies half Hosea Leuea put on the winning play. Picture: Warren Gannon Photography

PICTON FIGHT HARD ON RETURN

It was old boys day at Thirlmere and after a rough week Picton gave their rivals a fright, finishing full of running to almost reel in a 16-point deficit before going down 26-20.

Seven days after forfeiting both grades to Camden, Picton returned to the field on a cold and windy Saturday evening. The home side led 16-6 at the break and looked like going on with the job when hooker Rielly Smith burrowed over in the 43rd minute.

Veteran Michael Lett was in the thick of Picton’s revival. The centre sliced through to score a try, and when he threaded a magic ball through traffic for Kobe Tooala’s second, Picton trailed by six with seven to play.

And they almost pulled off a miracle through Matthew Dengate, only for the winger to be caught short in the left corner by desperate scrambling defence.

Thirlmere’s James Lee was the star of the first half. The fullback sent winger Marika Tuilau across for two tries on the left edge and made several breaks, including a long range four-pointer against the run of play.

James Lee was a standout for Thirlmere. Photo: Warren Gannon Photography

Now in equal fourth with The Oaks on 21 points, Lee believes the Roosters are slowly building to a complete performance.

“It’s just the way we’ve been playing, we start well but then at the back we’ve fallen away,” said Lee.

“It’s something we have to keep working on. The loss to Mittagong hurt and City came back against us last week. With the finals coming up we need to put together an 80-minute performance.”

And on his own form, the fullback was grateful for some extra assistance.

“Each time I saw a gap, I thought I’m just going for it,” he said. “With the wind behind me it gave me a bit more speed – I’m not as quick as I once was.”

WORKERS GET IT DONE

Oakdale got the job done at Sid Sharpe Memorial Oval scoring five tries to two in a 26-10 win over Narellan.

In a scrappy affair, two Jets players and one from Oakdale spent time in the sin bin before the Workers put the contest to bed with three tries in the closing 12 minutes.

Narellan landed the first blow in the 27th minute when Levi Dodd picked out winger Tafa Brown with a perfectly placed kick. Winger Jackson Blatch stepped back inside to level the scores at halftime.

Weighed down by poor handling, both sides struggled for momentum in the second half. Francis Tuigamala barged over for Oakdale, but Narellan trailed 12-10 on the hour when Tyrone Harding raced away for a trademark four-pointer.

Needing a win to retain second spot, Oakdale closed out the result in style. Centre Elliott Moaga struck in the left corner, and they went that way again through hooker Jermaine Haule before Alex Isdale sent Josh Carr across in the last minute.

Jermaine Haule has returned to Oakdale in fine form. Photo: Warren Gannon Photography

CITY CRASH EAGLES’ PARTY

Campbelltown City have almost certainly put a line through East Campbelltown’s finals hopes with a gritty 22-18 victory at Waminda Oval.

Coming off a season best performance at Mittagong, the Eagles were expected to get the better of their lowly placed neighbours and remain within touching distance of the top five.

A game ending injury to Brett Lahey in the 13th minute set the Eagles on the backfoot, and the Roos immediately pounced through Lawdez Taurerewa-Yucel on the way to opening a commanding 16-0 lead.

Bryce Shaw was joined on the score sheet by captain Ava Seumanufagai, but home side weren’t without hope when an acrobatic effort by winger Bose Serukalou narrowed the deficit to 10 points at halftime.

Sensing an upset, City landed a penalty goal after the break, but with tries to Amanono Tovio and Jeremiah Leatigaga the Eagles quickly levelled at 18-all after 55 minutes.

Fighting to save their season, the Eagles looked to be finishing strong but it was City who grabbed a lead they’d never relinquish when winger Nathan Lynch cleaned up spilt bomb to score in the right corner.