Macarthur Rugby League: Round eight wrap from all five games, 50+ GALLERY
In a fierce slugfest at Oakdale, the tide turned when a familiar face was given his marching orders. Full wrap of all five matches in round eight of the Macarthur RL, 50+ GALLERY.
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Under perfect skies, round eight of Macarthur RL delivered a thrilling weekend with all five games completed as scheduled.
Full wrap.
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OAKDALE OVERPOWER LIONS
Oakdale downed Mittagong 34-16, but the final score doesn’t do justice to a contest that remained in the balance for the majority of the second half—until Jake Steadman was sent to the sin bin.
Playing against his former club and trailing 16-12, the Mittagong five-eighth was penalised after becoming tangled in the ruck while completing a tackle.
In the end, his dismissal proved the circuit breaker, and with the extra man advantage the home side rattled off three tries in 10 minutes, blowing the score out to 34-12 in the 77th minute.
In an astonishing start, Oakdale struck within the first minute after Josh Carr broke clear in the opening set.
Looming in support, midseason recruit Oshay Tyerman steamed onto the prop’s pass and raced away to score under the posts with his first touch in an Oakdale jersey.
Recruited from South Sydney A-grade, the fullback finished with a double and showed the type of class that saw him in the Roosters pathways last season.
Alex Isdale was another to shine for the Workers. Elusive as ever around the ruck, the halfback picked his moments and finished with two try assists, both for winger Jackson Blatch.
Coming back from injury, Levi Dodd slotted into the Lions’ halves alongside Steadman, and the No.7 showed his magic, scoring two tries before halftime to give Mittagong a 12-10 lead.
Cooper Smith put Oakdale ahead just after the break, but the result could have gone either way until the visitors struggled to overcome the loss of Steadman in the 66th minute.
“It was a real arm wrestle after halftime,” said Oakdale player-coach Kyle Fraser, who commenced his return from a back injury with a stint in third grade and full game in reserves.
“I thought it was our best team effort of the season. It has taken us eight rounds, but I was impressed with how the boys played out the entire 80 minutes.
“Sometimes we can shoot ourselves in the foot, but our defence stood up under pressure - especially with the game on the line after halftime, and we were good enough to take our opportunities.”
Following a disrupted start to the season with injury, in good signs for Oakdale, Carr is showing more signs of returning to his mobile best.
“We’ve tried to simplify Josh’s game,” said Fraser.
“Emmitt Carlile and Jarrod Keppie have been excellent in the back row, so we moved Josh upfront and have asked him to tuck the ball under his arm and run hard.”
In outright second spot, Oakdale have next week off, while the sixth ranked Mittagong host The Oaks next Sunday in a rescheduled round seven fixture.
COLLIES TOO STRONG
Campbelltown Collegians moved to fourth spot on the ladder after Collies recorded their fourth win of the season with a 50-16 victory at Narellan.
Winger Ray Mu notched a hat-trick, and alongside centre Blake Clayton who finished with a double, the pair turned on the razzle in the opening stages.
Despite losing fullback Ken Sio to the sin bin in the opening minutes, Collies struck first when prop Carson Lealuga-Puhotau raced away under the posts. Mu scored next, before Clayton added two within the space of five minutes.
The Jets trailed 20-6 when Eddy Fono powered over just before halftime.
Collies went on with the job after the break posting another six four-pointers, but it was Narellan who came up with a try of the year contender in the 50th minute.
After reeling in a midfield bomb, winger Isaiah Tuiaki kept the play alive before Henare Reti kicked again towards the left corner, where Tomasi Tavui appeared from nowhere to complete a miraculous try.
In a scrappy ending, Narellan finished the match with 11 players. After Mu dived over to complete his hat-trick in the 71st minute, Fono was sent off following a touch judge report, and they lost Reti to the sin bin in the final few minutes.
RAMMER BAGS FOUR
A four-try haul to rising Ram Riley Oitmann has seen Camden breeze past Thirlmere 50-12 on Sunday afternoon.
A regular in the Wests pathways, the teenage fullback showed his unrelenting pace, hitting top gear to score three sizzling tries in the first 20 minutes as the premiers headed to the sheds with an unassailable 28-6 lead.
Lighting down back, the No.1 ran the length of the field in the fifth minute and did it again midway through the opening half when he pounced on attacking Thirlmere grubber to bring up his hat-trick.
With nine tries, Camden extended their unbeaten start to seven on a day when winger John Ryan scored either side of halftime.
Tim Simona orchestrated both Thirlmere tries. The five-eighth put in a kick for backrower Justin Smith, and opened the scoring after the break with a long range intercept.
EAGLES LIGHTNING START
A blistering opening has seen East Campbelltown draw level with South West on two wins after the Eagles defeated the Goannas 36-26.
Back on home turf, the Eagles had the locals in full voice at Waminda Oval, racing in six first half tries to lead 34-6.
Having already come from the clouds to sink Narellan earlier in the year, the Goannas appeared to be brewing another comeback when winger Verbanel Moemoe and Brad Takairangi closed the gap to 18 with back-to-back tries straight after the break.
A Sean Connor penalty goal broke South West’s momentum, and even though they scored two more including a second to winger Shaun Va’alepu, it was a bridge too far as the home side held on to win.
With the addition of Tyran Pettit-Young, the Eagles were unstoppable in the first half. Super quick, the No.1 kicked ahead for Connor to score, and then backed up winger Bose Serukalou to make in 18-0 in the 11th minute.
Serukalou and winger Bryce Ball kept the points coming, and a cricket score loomed as the score ticked over to 28-0 by the 25th minute.
TIGERS HOLD ON
They made it four straights wins, but The Oaks didn’t have it all their own way as Picton remained within touching distance for most of the day despite going down 30-16 at Dudley Chesham.
In a hard-fought contest, the Tigers shot 12 points clear in the 50th minute. But Picton refused to rollover in pursuit of their fifth victory, and narrowed the margin to 24-16 through winger Justin Stowers before the home side landed the killer blow with a last-minute try to Tom Tyquin.
In a day out, Ragen Gilbert finished with a stunning hat-trick for the Tigers, cementing his place among the best edge back rowers in the competition.
Picton set the early running when second rower Joel Etherington scored the first of his two tries in the seventh minute. But with Daniel Payne and Gilbert in the mood for points, The Oaks struck twice to lead 14-4 at halftime.
Gilbert scored the first. Making nothing into something, the No.12 broke through centrefield then outpaced the cover defence, before Payne loomed in support to score the next, finishing off slick work from Joshua Van Der Meulen and fullback Daniel Smith.
With injured captain-coach Mitchell Brasington on the sidelines, Payne tormented the Magpies with a mix of kicks and proved tough to handle on the right edge in combination with Gilbert.
After forcing a drop out, the No.7 sent Gilbert on an inside line to make it 20-8. And he was there again, throwing the final pass for the second rowers third with 20 minutes to play.
“That was a good, tough battle,” Gilbert said of the five tries to four win.
“Picton are always a good team to play against, but I have to give it to our middles. They did all the hard work for us outside guys to do all the pretty work.”
A member of last season’s grand final side, Gilbert has evolved into a key part of the Tigers’ top 13 and continues to push new barriers with every outing.
“I think that’s my first hat-trick in first grade,” he said.
“I’ve scored a double here and there, but one hat-trick feels good. As always, it comes down to the team.
“It’s a great club. The boys are really family orientated, and we keep it tight with each other and that’s what I love about The Oaks.”
CAN’T BUY A GOAL
Picton weren't far off the pace all day, and with more luck from the kicking tee may well have forced a different outcome.
Up until the final play of the game where the margin blew out, the Magpies shared the spoils at four tries apiece with the difference coming down to Smith’s three conversions and one penalty goal.
DAY OF THE PLAYMAKER
They didn’t get the win, but Picton continued to show why they’re on track for a return to the finals.
With Luke Keppie returning to his best form, the Magpies’ attack continues to improve in the absence of the injured Daniel Roberts.
Playing halfback, Keppie delivered a perfect ball to initiate Etherington’s first try, and came up with a double-pump play for his second. His third try assist was a pinpoint kick into the waiting arms of winger Kynan Clough.
PHOTO GALLERY
Oakdale v Mittagong
The Oaks v Picton
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