Northern Rivers regional Rugby League (NRRRL): Wrap, results, standouts from round 12

A clutch play at the death and a playmaking masterclass from one of the competition’s biggest names has given a couple of teams a big boost in the race for the NRRRL top six.

Mullumbimby’s Chanse Perham had a day out against his former club in round 12.

There were clutch late plays and some crucial wins to keep teams in touch with the top six during round 12 of the NRRRL.

Catch up with a wrap of the action below.

MORE LOCAL FOOTY COVERAGE

Central Coast - Penrith - Group 2 - Penrith U19s - Local Footy Wrap

MARIST IN COMEBACK OF THE SEASON

Marist Brothers pulled off a stunning comeback to defeat Murwillumbah.

Marist Brothers have continued their incredible run of form with a spectacular come-from-behind victory over Murwillumbah at Crozier Field.

Trailing 24-0 after a disastrous opening half an hour, the Rams flipped the game on its head with a stunning reversal to pull off arguably the comeback of the season.

Entering the game inside the top six and coming up against the form team of the competition, Murwillumbah got off to a flyer when Adam Walker leapt high to take a cross-field kick from Kade Hill, before holding off two defenders to plant the ball down for the opener after just five minutes.

The high ball was causing Marist plenty of problems and when winger Damon Coldwell spilled the ball it was toed forward for Matt Bollard to double the Mustangs’ lead midway through the half.

The try was the beginning of a stunning little period that saw Murbah pile on three tries in nine minutes and take a decisive lead.

In the next set it was Rams fullback Noah King who put down a kick, with Mustangs winger Blake Marrison racing through to score.

Then when Lachlan Adamson sliced through the line and put Hill over, Murwillumbah had raced out to a stunning 24-0 lead after half an hour.

Marist had been absolutely dominated but pulled one back five minutes before halftime when winger Andrew Ferguson-Fitzgerald went over out wide.

They then went back to back when Mitchell Krause strolled over in the next set to get the team back into the game and make it 24-10 at the break.

Marist’s burst late in the first half had given it a sniff and they made the perfect start to the second half as the team charged up field in its first set of the game before Krause got on the end of a grubber from halfback Shallin Fuller to make it 24-14.

Kade Hill scored for the Mustangs as they raced out to a 24-0 lead.

The Rams had suddenly scored three consecutive tries and slashed the deficit to 10 points, however Murwillumbah still had its chances and almost went over twice in quick succession as Bollard was stopped just centimetres short and Adamson was held up over the line.

Then when Marist winger Damon Coldwell was penalised while in possession, Hill added another two to put the Mustangs ahead by 12.

In the next set Hill was hit late after kicking the ball, with the halfback throwing over another goal to make it 28-14.

With just 15 minutes left to play, the Rams were in need of a breakthrough fast and they managed to create an overlap to put centre Kye Cooper over out wide.

The home side now had all the momentum and after earning a repeat set backrower Jack Elmore muscled his way over. Cooper inexplicably missed the conversion attempt from directly in front as Marist trailed 28-24.

Apart from kicking, everything was going the Rams’ way as a penalty helped them up field and a 50-50 call handed the side another fresh set.

Mitch Krause scored a hat-trick in the thrilling victory.

With the Murbah defence tiring, Marist hooker Paul O’Neill threw a big dummy to dive over from close to the line. Cooper’s goalkicking troubles continued as the centre remarkably missed his second kick from in right front within a matter of minutes as scored were locked up at 28-all with six minutes on the clock.

Despite missing a couple of simple conversions, the Rams marched up field once again in the very next set.

And when Murwillumbah allowed a Fuller bomb to bounce, the ball took a wicked turn and Krause shot through to slam it down inside the dead-ball to claim his hat-trick and put Marist ahead for the first time in the game.

With just three minutes on the clock, the Rams played it smart and pinned Murwillumbah down in its own end to seal a remarkable comeback.

The victory keeps Marist’s magical run of form going, with the team having now won seven games straight as it keeps it hold on second spot.

Meanwhile Murwillumbah slipped from sixth to eighth, but importantly remain equal on points with sixth-placed Casino as the battle for the finals heats up.

Marist Brothers 34 (Krause 3, Ferguson-Fitzgerald, Cooper, Elmore, O’Neill tries; Fuller 2 goals, Cooper 1 goal) defeated Murwillumbah 28 (Walker, Bollard, Marrison, Hill tries; Hill 6 goals)

CASINO PREVAILS WITH LAST-GASP PLAY

A late play has secured a crucial win for Casino.

Casino has jumped up into the NRRRL top six after a thrilling 20-14 victory over Lower Clarence at Queen Elizabeth Park.

With scores level and just three minutes left on the clock, winger Harry Cusack pulled off a brilliant grab from a high ball to score the winner in front of a strong home crowd on Old Boys’ Day.

Coming into the game stuck in a busy mid-table logjam, Casino got off to a flyer as an intercept from Eddie Walker-Williams helped the team up field. With the Lower defence still not set, Jacob Mayer picked up the ball from dummy-half and crashed over to score the opener after just two minutes.Lower got into the rhythm of the game and hit back 14 minutes in when some clever work from Nathan Hollis out of dummy-half put Peter Hammond through a gap, with the fullback showing a clean pair of heels to run 50m to score.

The game then developed into a grind before an almighty falcon helped put Lower ahead.

Following through on a bomb from teammate Jacob Cameron-Clarke, Magpies five-eighth Josh Donovan was knocked off balance and the ball bounced right on top of his head.

Fortunately for Lower, it ended up back in their hands, with winger Craig Mercy Bushell putting in a grubber and chase to score and put his side up 8-6 at the break.

With the Magpies having taken the lead late in the first half, they got off to a dream start to the second as the Cougars knocked the ball on from the kick-off.

Lower Clarence took a crucial lead early in the second half. Picture: DC Sports Photography

Two plays later, backrower Sanjae Ulu-Kini showed incredible strength to carry three defenders over the line to score just 70 seconds after the restart to surge ahead 14-6.

Both sides lacked a bit of polish and it seemed like the game was drifting until a Lower error was pounced on by Walker-Williams, who put on the afterburners to shoot down the touchline and run 60m to score for Casino.

He then slotted the conversion to make it 14-12 with 20 minutes to play.

The game was on a knife’s edge and when Casino received a penalty for lying in the ruck, Walker-Williams kicked the goal from 30m out to level things up with nine to go.

With the clock ticking down, both sides had a crack at field goal attempts, however shots from Walker-Williams and Cameron-Clarke went wide.

Then with ball in good territory, Casino’s Roy Bell put the ball to the air and Harry Cusack outjumped his opposite man to cleanly take it and score an outstanding try, much to the delight of the home fans.

And while Lower had one last chance, the Cougars held them out to record a crucial win that takes the side into sixth place on the ladder.

Casino 20 (Mayer, Walker-Williams, Cusack tries; Walker-Williams 4 goals) defeated Lower Clarence 14 (Hammond, Mercy Bushell, Ulu-Kini tries; Brown 1 goal)

MILLER MASTERCLASS FOR MULLUM

Jacob Miller was outstanding in Mullumbimby’s win.

Mullumbimby has given its chances of playing finals football a huge boost after defeating Bilambil 30-16 at the East Bilambil Sports Field.

Former Jet Chanse Perham scored a hat-trick against his old side and star halfback Jacob Miller was in everything as the Giants led from start to finish to record an impressive win.

Mullum came firing out of the blocks as a break from Miller helped the team down field. In the next play they shifted right for Perham to score the opener after just four minutes.

That combination struck again on the quarter-hour mark as Perham got on the end of a grubber from Miller to put the Giants up 12-0.

Mullumbimby was on a roll and went in again almost straight away when a beautiful flick pass from Cody Nelson found fullback Thomas Sowerby to put the visitors ahead 18-0 after just 20 minutes.

The Jets had been stung by their opponents’ fast start but pulled one back through Alex Fitzhugh shortly after.

They started to work themselves into the game and built some pressure through repeat sets before backrower Jacob Hind charged through a gap to make it 18-10 at the break.

Both teams had their chances early in the second half but it was Mullum’s star recruit who once again came up with a big play to push his side further ahead.

Alex Fitzhugh picked up a double for Bilambil.

With Bilambil working its way out of its own half, Miller rushed out of the line to force a knock-on. The ball then found its way to Perham, who palmed off the cover defenders to complete his hat-trick and put the Giants ahead 24-10 with 25 minutes remaining.

The Jets needed points fast and they got them with their next use of the footy as a clever chip from Caleb Nicholls put Fitzhugh through for his second to slash the deficit to eight points.

However dropped ball was proving costly for Bilambil and another knock-on was pounced on by the Giants, who went up field to score through prop Michael McKinnon to put the team in a very convincing position at 28-16 with just under 15 minutes to play.

A penalty for taking out the kicker then allowed Mullum to push the margin out beyond two converted tries as the Giants recorded a crucial victory.

The two points pushes the team into ninth on the ladder, but crucially equal on points with sixth-place Casino.

As for Bilambil, the defeat continues a worrying trend that has seen the team lost four games straight, falling from second on the ladder to fourth.

Mullumbimby 30 (Perham 3, Sowerby, McKinnon tries; Davies 5 goals) defeated Bilambil 16 (Fitzhugh 2, Hind tries; Hill 2 goals)

BALLINA GOES FIVE FROM FIVE

Ballina has moved up to third on the ladder after a win over Tweed Coast.

Ballina has continued its mid-season charge and surged into third place on the ladder after defeating Tweed Coast 24-10 at Les Burger Field.

After shooting out to an early lead, the Seagulls saw off a bound from the Raiders before putting the game to bed in the second half to record their fifth win in a row.

Ballina took the lead in just the seventh minute when winger Fred Pitt found space down the right-hand touchline and squared the ball inside to Tyrone Roberts in support to score.

Five minutes later the Seagulls were knocking on the door again and went over when a cut-out ball found its way to Pitt to score in the corner for a 12-0 lead.

It was an eventful opening to the game and Tweed Coast got on the board midway through the half when a nice shift right put winger Dennis Jones out wide.

Then half an hour in the Raiders crossed again when a nice offload put Ethan Ferguson over to make it 12-10 at halftime.

Tweed Coast had pegged Ballina back late in the first half but the Seagulls came firing out of the blocks after the break and stretched further ahead just three minutes in when hooker Caleb Kinna burrowed over from dummy-half to put the Seagulls ahead by eight.

The defending premiers then sealed the win 10 minutes from time when Charlie Strong charged over.

After a sluggish start to the season Ballina has now won five games in a row and has moved up to third place on the ladder. And while Tweed Coast remains in 11th, the team is only two points outside the top six.

Ballina 24 (Roberts, Pitt, Kinna, Strong tries; Roberts 4 goals) defeated Tweed Coast 10 (Jones, Ferguson tries; Ferguson 1 goal)

FINAL PLAY SECURES THRILLING DRAW

Brandon Anderson scored a double in Evans Head’s draw with Kyogle. Picture: DC Sports Photography

A stunning penalty goal from halfway after the full-time siren has secured a point for Evans Head as the Bombers and Kyogle played out an entertaining 24-all draw at New Park.

Trailing by two with just seconds remaining, Evans Head received a penalty after a player was taken out without the ball.

Lining up from 50m out and with a chorus of jeers from the local crowd, Roberts showed no signs of nerves as he struck the ball sweetly and watched it sail through the sticks to seal a dramatic draw with the last play of the game.

It was somewhat ironic that goalkicking rescued a draw for the Bombers, with the team having converted just one of its tries in the match and trailed late on despite outscoring the Turkeys five tries to four.

It was a dramatic finish to a seesawing clash that went back and forth all afternoon.

Zach Roberts slotted a penalty goal from halfway to seal a draw. Photo: Elise Derwin

The first points of the game came against the run of play.

With Kyogle attacking Evans Head’s line, Bombers’ winger Brandon Anderson showed great anticipation to pluck a pass from Turkeys’ fullback Juwaan Terekia out of the air and run 90m up field to open the scoring after seven minutes.

It didn’t take the home side long to hit back as a break from James Torrens helped Kyogle up field before young five-eighth Lynton Close beat one would-be tackler and then followed through on his own grubber to score under the sticks and put his side ahead 6-4.

The Turkeys then went back to back, with a penalty putting the team on the attack and a nice short ball from Torrens feeding Thomas McGrady through a hole to stretch the lead out to eight.

Kyogle was on a roll and made it three tries in eight minutes when hooker Ashton Harley shot over after an offload to make it 16-4 midway through the first half.

It had been a busy opening to the game and the Bombers continued this trend when some nice hands gave Anderson his second to remarkably score the fifth try of the game inside 23 minutes.

After the early onslaught both sides muscled up in defence and the Turkeys took a 16-8 lead into the break.

The Bombers were on the lookout for early points and that’s exactly what they got when fullback Zach Roberts beat four defenders to slide over just four minutes after the restart to cut the deficit to two points.

Not long after Evans took the lead as Roberts showed off his skills close to the line. Picking the ball up from dummy-half, the fullback hit the defence, spun and then planted it down with an excellent finish to score in the corner.

A penalty goal to Kyogle dragged things back to 18-all, however within the blink of an eye Evans Head was in front again.

It started when the Turkeys allowed a David Gibbons bomb to bounce, with the ball taking a wicked turn and landing perfectly into the arms of Bombers backrower Nemani Matirewa to make it 22-18 with 18 minutes to play.

Ashton Harley crossed as Kyogle took a lead into the break.

The Bombers had been the better team for the second half and Anderson had a great chance to claim a hat-trick after some nice work from teammate Kiedan Hartley, but the winger couldn’t get his hands on a grubber with a tryline begging.

With the clock ticking down Kyogle went up the other end and made them pay. After several sets on the Evans line, the pressure eventually paid off as prop Dean Bianchetti wound up and charged over to level the scores. Oliver Walker then slotted the conversion to put the Turkeys up 24-22 with two minutes to play.

However in a game that had gone back and forth all day there was one last twist.

Bianchetti took out Evans’ decoy runner Liam Anderson without the ball and penalty was awarded on the halfway line.

From here Roberts did the rest to ensure that the teams shared the points.

The draw snaps a three-game losing streak for Evans Head and keeps the team in fifth place, while Kyogle is in seventh, just one point behind the Bombers and equal on points with sixth-placed Casino in what is an incredibly tight ladder.

Kyogle 24 (Close, McGrady, Harley, Bianchetti tries; Walker 4 goals) drew with Evans Head 24 (Anderson 2, Roberts 2, Matirewa tries; Gibbons 1 goal; Roberts 1 goal)

In other results, the Tweed Seagulls moved within striking distance of the top six with a 32-12 victory over Northern United and Cudgen maintained its spot at the top after hammering Byron Bay 54-8.