Macarthur Rugby League: Round seven wrap from two catch-up games
An electrifying blink-and-you-miss-it moment ultimately swayed the all Campbelltown clash on Sunday, while a touch of unexpected magic shifted the momentum at Mittagong. Macarthur wrap, R7.
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Originally scheduled as a gap in the Macarthur RL calendar, the King’s Birthday long weekend saw two of three catch-up games from round seven competed on Sunday.
Collegians hosted cross-town rivals Campbelltown City in a match that doubled as a battle for the Vardy Family Cup, while at Mittagong, the Lions faced The Oaks.
Full wrap from both venues.
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REAL DEAL ROOS
City’s transformation into a legitimate finals contender grew another leg after the Kangaroos landed consecutive big scalps, downing Collies 30-20 to move to fifth spot on the ladder.
Arriving at Bradbury with a 3-3 record following a last start upset win over Oakdale, a confident Roos caught the home side on the hop, opening a healthy 14-point buffer early in the second half before they were forced to dig deep during a nervous finish.
With Tyrone Harding in the mood for scheming, Collies started sharp and struck after seven minutes when the halfback assisted Leon Longbottom across for the opening try.
In a fierce battle between two highly credentialed forward packs, veteran City prop Junior Moors raised the bar, tearing through Collies’ left edge to give his side a 6-4 lead.
Sensing dominance, the Roos kept the pressure on from close range, with lock Bryce Shaw burrowing over from dummy-half. Then, with a move that is fast becoming a signature play, young Queensland tearaway Dane Ransom powered over for a 16-8 scoreline just after halftime.
In a slugfest between the big boppers, Collegians captain Tifa Iuta ramped up his presence after the break.
Down 22-8 on the hour, the barnstorming backrower crashed over, only to have his effort offset by City No.8, Luani Tuifua.
As tensions escalated, Iuta narrowed the margin to eight points with 10 minutes to play when the menacing No.11 thundered clear to score under the posts.
After holding their composure for the best part of 70 minutes, City’s efforts began to crumble under a barrage of unforced errors as a Collies comeback seemed a formality.
Feeling the pinch on the sidelines, City assistant coach Nathan Wilson breathed a sigh of relief when fullback Anthony Leatham landed a penalty goal to close out the 10-point win in the final minute.
“We’re happy to get away with that,” said Wilson.
“Obviously, Collies are going to be there or thereabouts come finals. So to take the two points at their home ground is a big result.
“I think the best thing was the result, we’ve still got plenty of things to improve.”
Despite the danger of Iuta threatening to snowball in the second half, Wilson said he was generally pleased with how his charges measured up with the man mountain.
“They’ve got a pretty stacked left edge, and we worked really hard this week on our right side defence being able to do the job there,” he said.
“Apart from the end there, I thought they managed to do pretty well.”
FREAK TRY, NOT SO FREAKISH
In a contest where forwards scored six of the nine tries, it was tough for the outside men to get a look-in, but City five-eighth Sadee Sub Laban was one who did.
In one of the season’s most extraordinary plays, the former St Marys fullback slipped on his dancing shoes to produce a try-of-the-year contender.
After Ransom’s four-pointer put City up 16-8, the No.6 grabbed the restart on the full, skipped around several rushing defenders, and outpaced the cover in an incredible solo effort that turned the match and silenced a raucous home crowd.
After the final whistle, the fleet-footed half was asked if he’d ever scored a try like it in senior footy.
“I actually have,” he said, still sporting a massive grin.
“Back at St Marys three years ago against Moorebank. That’s where I got the idea from.
“Usually big boys are looking for big contact, and they don’t expect that off a small guy like me.”
INJURY UPDATE
Collies started the day without midfield enforcer Jokatama Dokonivalu and backrower Tim Crawford, both sidelined by injuries.
In a blow to their scoring stocks, winger Ray Mu failed to finish and hobbled past the bench during the final 10 minutes.
Sitting fourth with four wins and three losses, Collies are back in action next week when the host Mittagong on Sunday.
In a blow to City’s forward stocks, backrower Brayden Topine was assisted from the ground midway through the second half.
“Brayden hurt his ankle,” said Wilson, who’s side travel to Thirlmere next week. “We’ll have a look at it during the week – hopefully he’s all good.”
TIGERS EXTEND GOLDEN RUN
The Oaks were never headed as the Tigers extended their winning streak to five, defeating Mittagong 42-10 with a dominant performance that has lifted them to second place on the ladder.
Elusive as ever, Daniel Payne and Mitch New once again led the way in the eight tries to two victory.
New only needed two minutes to stamp his authority, exploding from the ruck and through the heart of the Lions defence in a bust that led to first points when Payne muscled across from the next play.
In a frantic opening, backrower Joshua Van Der Meulen made it 10-0 after as many minutes before the tables turned.
Starved of possession, Mittagong made the most limited chances and mounted a comeback when Levi Dodd cruised through to score the Lions’ first.
With his tail up, the former Narellan skipper’s presence around the ruck almost led to further points, only for winger Jayden Sorouni to be brought down inches from the try line.
After almost drawing level, the home side were rocked by a fortuitous play nearing half time which blew the score out to 16-6.
In a desperate bid to offload while on attack, Nathan Rumsby’s pass looked headed for the turf until he flicked it off his boot into the waiting arms of New, who dived over for a simple four-pointer.
In a clear message to the rest of the competition, the Tigers kept the foot on the accelerator, returning after the break with a quick double that saw the margin blow out to 28-6.
Payne held up a nice pass for prop Neil Begovich, then after slick foot work, the No.7 dished off for New’s second.
The magnitude of Mittagong’s task became insurmountable when Jack Phillips was sent to the sin bin for tackling New off the ball.
After offloading for his side’s second try, Matthew Brasington made the most of the one-man advantage, adding his name to the scoresheet before Payne and fullback Daniel Smith joined the party in the closing minutes.
With consecutive games under his belt, Dodd added another solo effort after the break, signaling a potential return to his best form for the Lions, who slipped to seventh place with a 4-4 record.
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