Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL): Wrap, results, standouts from round 10

There were some serious fireworks as two rivals produced some absolutely stunning tries in an entertaining NRRRL clash. Watch one of the brilliant tries here.

Caleb Ziebell came up with one of the plays of the season in Cudgen’s win over Kyogle. Picture: DC Sports Photography

One team has continued its hot run of form to be a big mover during round 10 of the NRRRL. Elsewhere, the competition leader have bounced back from their first loss of the season with a comprehensive win.

Check out a wrap of the action below.

CASINO MOVES INTO THE TOP SIX

Casino continued its good run of form by defeating Evans Head.

Casino has jumped up into the NRRRL top six after edging out Evans Head 26-22 in a seesawing clash at Queen Elizabeth Park.

On the back of an excellent first half the Cougars surged out to a 14-point lead on two separate occasions before being forced to hold off the fast-finishing Bombers in a game where both sides finished with four tries apiece.

Coming off a strong run of form that had seen the team lose just one of its past five games, Casino got off to a great start when it forced an error out of the Bombers in just the second set of the game.

The Cougars played it smart in the early stages, earning three straight repeat sets as they peppered the Evans Head.

However the visitors were excellent in defence and managed to weather the early storm despite some entertaining second-phase footy from Casino.

The Bombers had spent most of the opening 10 minutes camped on their own line defending but when they finally got the ball they went up field and put on first points, with hooker Matt Toole taking advantage of some sloppy marker defence to go over from dummy-half.

The Cougars hit back 20 minutes in when the Bombers spilled a cross-field kick from Waylon Caldwell and Jacob Mayer was on hand to pick the scraps.

Within the blink of an eye Casino was in front when another Evans Head knock-on, this time while in possession, was pounced on by Caldwell, who ran 50m to score and make it 12-6.

Matthew Toole scored the opener for the Bombers. Picture: DC Sports Photography

The Bombers were having a horror show, with yet another knock-on from a Casino kick in the very next set handing over possession in dangerous territory.

Casino took full advantage as a short side play put Harry Cusack over for the team’s third try in 10 minutes to stretch the scoreline out to 18-6 after half an hour.

Ill-discipline was also starting to hurt Evans as one penalty allowed Casino to surge up field before another gave Eddie Walker-Williams the chance to slot a goal and give the home side a 20-6 lead at halftime.

There was a sense that Evans Head needed to score first if it was a chance of getting back into the game and that’s exactly what the team did eight minutes into the half when Casino’s Harry Cusack failed to take a cross-field kick and Zach Roberts caught the rebound to slash the deficit to eight points.

The Bombers charged up field in the next set and were on the attack again until Casino centre Tim Torrens showed great anticipation to take an intercept and run 80m to make it 26-12 with just under half an hour to play.

Down on the scoreboard, Evans Head pushed hard to get back into the contest and they thought they were over through Brandon Anderson when he ran away with the ball after a Casino error, however play was called back and the Bombers were penalised for a strip.

Eddie Walker-Williams in action for the Cougars. Picture: DC Sports Photography

The visitors continued to apply the pressure with several sets in the Cougars’ red zone.

And while Casino did well to repel plenty of attacks, the pressure eventually told as backrower Brody Waters crashed over on the edge with five minutes to play to once again cut the deficit to eight.

Evans Head then made things very interesting after going the distance in the next set and crossing through Anderson out wide to make it 26-22. Gibbons declined the conversion attempt to give the Bombers one last throw of the dice.

With two seconds remaining on the clock, the Bombers tried their luck with the final play, but Casino did well to clean up a chip kick to seal the win.

The victory, which has seen Casino win four and draw one of its past six games, pushes the side up into sixth place ahead of Sunday’s fixtures.

Meanwhile fourth-placed Evans Head has left itself vulnerable of getting caught in the mid-table logjam after back-to-back defeats.

Casino 26 (Mayer, Caldwell, Cusack, Torrens tries; Walker-Williams 4 goals) defeated Evans Head 22 (Toole, Roberts, Waters, Anderson tries; Gibbons 3 goals)

ELECTRIC CUDGEN BLOW KYOGLE AWAY

Jackson Rohweder crossed as Cudgen pulled away from Kyogle in the second half. Picture: DC Sports Photography

Cudgen has bounced back its first loss of the season in style, putting on a second-half clinic to defeat Kyogle 38-16 at New Park.

After both teams went into the break level, the Hornets ran in five unanswered tries in 20 minutes – including three in a remarkable seven-minute burst – to blow the game open in a contest that featured two contenders for try of the season.

Stinging after last week’s hammering at the hands of Marist Brothers, Cudgen got off to a dream start by crossing in just the second minute.

After receiving six fresh tackles from a chargedown in the first set of the game, the Hornets marched down field where five-eighth Elliott Speed put up a bomb.

Just as he’s done so often this season, winger Malachi Dunas once again showed why he is one of the best in the competition under the high ball with a brilliant leap and take before offloading for hooker Jackson Rohweder to score.

It had been a slow start for the Turkeys, who took more than eight minutes to complete their first set. However they hit back in the 18 minute when two of their young guns combined for a stunning long-range effort.

Working the ball out of his own line, five-eighth Lynton Close put centre Layne Hardy into space with a nice cut-out ball. After palming off two defenders and speeding down the touchline, Hardy offloaded back inside to Close, who showed great skill to chip the ball over Cudgen fullback Jett Forbes, regather the ball and then once again pass back to Hardy to finish off a spectacular try.

Kyogle turned on the fireworks in the early stages. Picture: DC Sports Photography

A Cudgen error opened the door again for Kyogle as Close racked up his second assist in four minutes with a clever grubber for Zion Kamana to score and give the side a 10-6 lead midway through the half.

Kyogle was on fire and almost went in during the next set, however Hardy dropped the ball over the line.

Cudgen appeared slightly stunned by the Turkeys’ onslaught but slowly worked their way back into the contest with good yardage and then earned repeat sets. From here they struck late in the half as Joel Hare got on the end of a nice grubber from Forbes to lock things up at 10-all at the break.

The Hornets had started the game in perfect fashion with a try right at the beginning and Kyogle paid that back in return with a blistering start to the second half.

In the first set of the game Close put up a towering bomb that deceived the Cudgen back three. Kamana was on hand to pick up the scraps and then offload back to Close for a well-deserved try just 90 seconds after the restart to put the home side up by six.

However an error just a couple of plays after the kick-off gave Cudgen a golden opportunity to hit back right away and that’s what they did when Parker Bryant crashed over from close range to lock the scores up at 16-all.

Then what followed will go down as another contender for moment of the season.

Collecting the kick-off just a couple of metres out from his own line, Cudgen lock Caleb Ziebell wound up, ran straight and hard and busted right through the defensive line. Showing great speed, he continued to charge up field where he sidestepped Kyogle fullback Juwaan Terekia and then passed on to teammate Jett Forbes to finish off what was a brilliant length-of-the-field try.

Suddenly the Hornets had turned a six-point deficit into a six-point lead. The visitors had all the momentum and five minutes later surged even further ahead when hooker Chaz Bond caught the markers napping and darted over from dummy-half for the team’s third try in just seven minutes to make it 28-16 with just under half an hour to play.

It was all one-way traffic and Cudgen put the game to bed 20 minutes from time when Dumas found space down the right before chipping the ball over the top and regathering for another outstanding try to put the Hornets ahead by 16.

Ethan Schultz then put the icing on the cake with the Hornets’ fifth try in 20 minutes to run away 38-16 winners.

The victory takes Cudgen to a record of nine wins and one loss to remain clear at the top of the ladder, while the loss sees Kyogle drop out of the top six.

Cudgen 38 (Rohweder, Hare, Bryant, Forbes, Bond, Dumas, Schultz tries; Speed 2 goals; Moase 3 goals) defeated Kyogle 16 (Hardy, Kamana, Close tries; Close 2 goals)