Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League: Results, wrap, talking points from round eight
From playmaking masterclasses to four-try hauls and game-changing bursts, there were some truly outstanding individual performances during round eight of the NRRRL.
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Long-range tries, nailbiting finishes and some incredible drama were on the menu during an exhilarating round eight of the NRRRL.
In a round full of razzle dazzle football, teams across the board chanced their arm with some stunning tries, while two competition heavyweights slugged it out in one of the most entertaining games of local footy seen in a long time.
Elsewhere, the ladder leaders were pushed all the way, while a couple of sides broke winning droughts with impressive comeback performances.
Catch up with the main talking points and a wrap of the action below.
HALVES PUT ON PLAYMAKING MASTERCLASS
Whoever marked out the clash between Northern United and Bilambil as the game to watch during round eight certainly wouldn’t have been disappointed as the teams put on one of the most entertaining displays in recent NRRRL history, with a late surge seeing Bilambil claim victory 34-30 in the 11-try thriller.
And while there were plenty of highlights throughout the game, the two halfbacks really stood out with a playmaking masterclass.
In his first season in the NRRRL, Northern United halfback Tyrone Roberts continued to show that he is a class above with one try and two assists in another excellent performance.
The former Newcastle and Gold Coast playmaker’s running game in particular has been causing opposition sides trouble, with Roberts’ step and dummy helping the 32-year-old slice through the Bilambil defence for two tries.
However not to be outdone, Bilambil’s Harry Fitzhugh put in one of the most outstanding halves performances of recent seasons to guide his side to victory.
The halfback also scored one and set up two, with the highlight arguably coming late in the second half.
With his team trailing 30-18 with 15 minutes remaining, Fitzhugh put in a clever chip over the top into the Dirawongs’ in-goal area. Following through, the halfback won the race to the ball just inside the dead-ball line and threw it backwards over his head for winger Reiven Smallman to plant the ball down and score.
SMALLMAN’S GREAT RETURN
Another player to make a big impact in the clash at Crozier was Bilambil winger Reiven Smallman.
Causing havoc down the left edge with centre partner Caleb Nicholls, Smallman ran in four of his team’s six tries in the come-from-behind win.
The haul sent the winger to the top of the tryscoring list with a remarkable eight in just three games. He sits equal first with last year’s top tryscorer, Marist Brothers’ Mitchell Krause.
TRYSCORERS’ SHOOTOUT IN THRILLER
Smallman wasn’t the only one to cash in with a big bag of tries over the weekend, with Lower Clarence’s Callan Hollis and Ballina’s Kel Sheather both scoring four each as the Seagulls edged out the Magpies in a thriller at Yamba.
Hollis put in a masterclass at hooker, showing plenty of vision, speed and strength to score all four tries from dummy-half to keep his side in touch with the undefeated Ballina team.
Meanwhile Sheather, who had the number seven on his back in the absence of Hamish McClintock, showed off his incredible running game by stepping his way through the Lower left edge defence for four of his own.
The quintet featured a beautiful dummy to the inside and step to slice through the line for Ballina’s second try of the day, while he stepped past four defenders and squeezed through a couple more close to the line to level the scores with his third early in the second half.
BELL WINDS BACK THE CLOCK
In a round full of standout performances, few were better than Evans Head halfback Roy Bell, who was outstanding as the Bombers knocked over Tweed Coast 20-10.
Turning 40 later this year, Bell – who played for South Sydney nine times in the NRL in the mid-2000s – wound back the clock with a hand in three early tries to lead his side to its third victory of the season.
It all started in just the fourth minute when he helped orchestrate a nice spread to the left to put winger Zacharia Roberts over in the corner.
That combination struck again midway through the half when Bell put in a clever cross field for Roberts who leapt high to score his second of the afternoon.
Just a couple of minutes later he was pulling the strings again, catching the Tweed Coast defence off guard with a chip kick over the top on the first tackle from an attacking scrum for centre Torben Milton to score.
The scintillating opening period proved to be difference as the Bombers ran out 10-point winners to continue their strong start to the year.
ROUND EIGHT WRAP
There were some huge clashes during round of the NRRRL, with big guns Northern United and Bilambil facing off in a modern classic and Ballina and Lower Clarence going all the way in a 12-try thriller.
Elsewhere, a couple of teams broke droughts while there were contenders for try of the season as some sides turned on the fireworks with some scintillating football.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
EVANS HEAD BREAKS MONTH-LONG FOOTY DROUGHT IN STYLE
Evans Head has overcome a month-long break of football to defeat Tweed Coast 20-10 at Stan Payne Oval.
Playing in the team’s first game since April 28, the Bombers didn’t appear to be affected by their three straight washout games as they ran in five tries to two to down the Raiders.
It all started in just the fourth minute when a nice spread from Roy Bell and Michael Roberts put winger Zacharia Roberts over in the corner.
The Bombers went to the same corner for their second on the 20-minute mark, with Roberts leaping high to take a clever cross field kick from Bell for his second of the afternoon to make it 8-0.
Just a couple of minutes later an error from the Raiders coming out from their own end gave Evans Head another great chance.
With an attacking scrum 20m out from the line, Bell was in the thick of the action again, this time putting in a lovely chip kick over the top on the first tackle for speedster Torben Milton to race through and score.
It had been a tough half for the visitors but they managed to get themselves on the board just before halftime when Dan Willoughby burrowed over from close range to make it 12-4 at the break.
While the Raiders took some momentum into halftime, any advantage they might have had evaporated merely seconds into the second half.
Kicking off into the wind to start the half, Evans Head fullback Michael Roberts put the ball up high. The Raiders allowed the ball to bounce and five-eighth Brayden Evans then knocked it on into the hands of oncoming Bombers winger Brandon Anderson. He passed it off to Jordan Sly on the outside, who in turn did very well to find Justin Bleakley on the inside to score after just 12 seconds of play in the half.
With the wind causing havoc, the Bombers had failed to kick a goal all game, and Tweed Coast veteran Michael Gordon made the scoreline closer than many thought it would have been 10 minutes later by crashing over to make it 16-10 with half an hour to play.
However the Bombers continued their free-flowing football with another lovely spread from Sly and Michael Roberts putting Anderson in space down the right for the winger to dive in and score in the corner.
And while the Raiders pushed hard to get back into the game, the Bombers held on for their third win from four starts this season.
Evans Head 20 def Tweed Coast 10
RAZZLE DAZZLE RAMS DOWN KYOGLE
Marist Brothers have bounced back from last week’s hammering at the hands of Bilambil to record the club’s third win of the season with a 30-20 victory over Kyogle at New Park.
A scintillating burst either side of halftime, which included two spectacular length-of-the-field tries, helped the Rams seal the win and moved the team into sixth spot on the ladder.
The visitors kicked off the scoring on 13 minutes. With a scrum 10m out from the Turkeys’ line, the Rams put the ball through the hands for strike centre Mitchell Krause go over.
Kyogle hit back five minutes later with a nice spread of its own, putting the ball through five sets of hands for centre Brock Westerman to level things up at 6-all.
And while the contest was fairly even, the Rams took the lead once again on the half-hour mark when a clever blind side play put Joseph Fisher over in the corner.
They then went bang, bang immediately after in one of the contenders for try of the season.
Winding up from the back fence, Marist forward Temesia Nemani collected the ball from the kick-off and burst through the Kyogle defence. Showing some impressive speed, he charged up field before passing the ball on to five-eighth Jye Davis, who just showed enough toe to put the ball down in the corner for a spectacular 100m effort to make it 14-6 at the break.
The momentum continued in the second half as Krause went over for his second within three minutes of the resumption of play, before the Rams once again went coast to coast directly from the kick off.
Catching the ball 10m in from the right-hand touchline, the Rams put the ball through the hands on their own goal line, with Nemani getting a crucial offload away to Krause, who used his pace to speed down the left touchline. With the Kyogle fullback ahead, he kicked the ball forward for Davis to once again score a brilliant length-of-the-field try.
Marist piled on more points in the 57th minute when halfback Shallin Fuller put the ball on his toe twice to score an excellent solo effort and stretch the scoreline out to 30-6.
And while the Turkeys showed plenty of resolve to hit back with three unanswered tries in the final 20 minutes, the damage had well and truly been done as Marist Brothers closed out a 10-point win.
Marist Brothers 30 def Kyogle 20
CUDGEN GO BACK-TO-BACK WITH CASINO WIN
Cudgen has recorded back-to-back victories for the first time this season after defeating Casino 24-10 at Ned Byrne Oval.
A dominant opening hour laid the platform for the Hornets’ win, with the side in particular finding plenty of success down the right edge as it ran in five tries to two.
After a cagey opening, Cudgen opened the scoring on 14 minutes when halfback Max Liles put a clever grubber in behind for centre Joel Hare to score.
The Hornets then went over again on about half an hour in with an excellent long-range effort.
Coming out of his own end, Cudgen lock Caleb Ziebell picked the ball up at first receiver and floated a cut-out pass over to winger Jett Forbes, who showed great speed to get on the outside of his opposite number and then did very well to find centre Malakhi Donovan on the inside to cap off the excellent 75m effort and put his side up 10-0.
Ziebell was at it once again just after the break, looping a 20m cut-out ball out to the right wing to once again find Forbes, who strolled over to score the team’s third.
The Hornets were having plenty of success down the right and when Forbes made another break down the right to give his side good field position, fullback Jacek McLaurin stepped through some tired defence to put the Hornets up 20-0 inside an hour.
And while Thomas Walker pulled one back for Casino shortly after, any hopes of a comeback were extinguished with 15 minutes to go when Cudgen scored another brilliant long-range try.
Receiving the ball 40m out form his own line, Donovan showed some excellent footwork, speed and strength to beat four Cougars before passing on to Liles, who himself got past three more defenders and then put a nice ball on the chest of Forbes to cross for his second.
The highlights continued late in the game when Casino playmaker Eddie Walker-Williams hit Isaiah Freeburn with a lovely ball to put the centre through for the Cougars’ second try of the match, however it was too little too late as Cudgen closed out a comfortable victory.
Cudgen 24 def Casino 10
BILAMBIL DOWNS NORTHERN UNITED IN ALL-TIME CLASSIC
Bilambil has come back from a second half deficit to defeat Northern United 34-30 in a classic NRRRRL encounter at Crozier Field.
Down by 14 at halftime and then 12 late in the game, the Jets scored three late tries to seal a spectacular come-from-behind win in what is a contender for match of the season.
Both teams played some sparkling football in the 11-try thriller, with an incredible six long-range tries scored in the seesawing clash.
The highlights reel started in just the fifth minute when a nice shift to the right put Northern United winger Luke Simpson into space, with five-eighth Wally Kelly backing up on the inside to score under the sticks.
Bilambil hit back with a long-range effort of their own just five minutes later when a shift to the Jets’ left edge put Chanse Perham into the space. The fullback then palmed off a Dirawongs defender and passed back inside for Harry Fitzhugh to score.
The highlights reel continued a quarter of an hour in when Tyrone Roberts showed his class with a brilliant show and go to slice through the Bilambil defence. The halfback ran 40m up field before passing off to Hezekiah McKenzie to finish off under the sticks and make it 12-6.
The Dirawongs then surged further ahead in the 29th minute when a lovely short ball from Kelly put back-rower Theo Hippi through half a gap to score. A penalty for a late shot then allowed Northern United to kick a penalty goal just before halftime and take a 20-6 lead into the break.
The Jets were desperate to start the half on the right foot and crossed just five minutes in when a lovely cross field chip kick from Harry Fitzhugh picked out winger Reiven Smallman to score.
Suddenly it looked like Bilambil had the momentum and just a couple of minutes later a nice interchange of passing between Perham and Smallman gave the side good field position before hooker Tom Rowles found prop Jacob Hind with a nice ball to crash over and cut the deficit to just two points.
The Jets had turned the match on its head in the space of five minutes, however in the seesawing nature of the clash, the Dirawongs hit back again shortly after with yet another long-range effort.
Starting in their own half, Northern’s backline put together some nice second-phase play to put McKenzie into space. The fullback found Roberts in support, who then looped the ball over to Alistair Faulkner to cross out wide for a 24-18 lead.
Then with 20 minutes to go the home side took a decisive lead when Roberts once again showed how dangerous his running game is with a dummy and step to break through the Bilambil defence to put his side up by 12 points.
Just when it looked like the Dirawongs were getting out of reach, Bilambil playmaker Fitzhugh came up with one of the most brilliant plays seen in a long time in the NRRRL.
Attacking the Northern United line, he put in a clever chip over the top into the in-goal area. Following through, the halfback won the race to the ball just inside the dead-ball line and threw it backwards over his head for Smallman to plant the ball down.
A penalty then gave the Jets more good field position, with a clever blind side play from Caleb Nicholls putting his Smallman over for a hat-trick. Nicholls then slotted the conversion to make it a 30-28 with eight minutes to play.
Bilambil was throwing caution to the wind and with the third tackle of the very next set the team shifted the ball to the left, with some fast hands from Nicholls putting Smallman once again into clear air. The speedster showed too much toe for the chasing defenders and then squeezed past Northern fullback Hezekiah McKenzie to claim his fourth, take the lead for his side and cap off a brilliant team try.
But that’s not where the drama ended. The Northern United kick-off was allowed to bounce and ultimately went dead, handing the Dirawongs another golden opportunity. However the Bilambil defence held firm in the final minutes and the Jets walked away with a famous win in Lismore.
Bilambil 34 def Northern United 30
BALLINA SEE OFF LOWER IN DRAMATIC TRYFEST
Ballina has overcome a halftime deficit and spirited Lower Clarence side to keep its unbeaten run alive with a 36-30 victory at the Yamba Sporting Complex.
In what was a clash between the undefeated Seagulls and winless Magpies, Ballina trailed at halftime before a four-try burst early in the second half helped seal the win.
It was a match of outstanding individual performances, with Ballina halfback Kel Sheather and Lower hooker Callan Hollis both scoring four tries for their respective sides in the entertaining 12-try clash.
Despite coming into the game still looking for its first win, Lower started brightly, with Hollis burrowing over to give his side the lead in just the third minute.
Despite the early try, errors coming out from their own end put the Magpies under pressure as Ballina earned repeat sets. Billy Dwane then levelled things up at 6-all with a try in the 12th minute.
Ballina jumped ahead six minutes later when halfback Kel Sheather put on a lovely dummy to the inside to slice through the line and then step past the fullback to score.
However the Magpies were very competitive and hit back again on 25 minutes when halfback Vincent Williams hit centre Zachariah Williams with an excellent flat ball to level things up at 12-all.
A couple of penalties in the very next set gave Lower excellent field position, with Hollis once more showing his strength and guile with another try from hooker to put his side 18-12 on the half-hour mark.
However in what was proving to be a seesawing clash, another Lower handling error coming out from its own end gave Ballina a golden opportunity to hit back, with Sheather once again showing off his footwork to slide through for his second to make to 18-16.
There had been six tries inside the first 35 minutes, and just when it looked like both sides would see out the half, a mistake from Ballina in just the second tackle after the kick-off gave the Magpies a chance to snag a late try.
Catching the markers slightly off-guard, Hollis darted out of dummy-half, showing excellent speed and strength to slide through for a first half hat-trick and give his side a 22-16 lead at the break.
The Seagulls were desperate to score first in the second half and they turned to Sheather to get them going again, with the halfback proving as elusive as ever as he stepped past four defenders and squeezed through a couple more close to the line to level the scores with his hat-trick.
It was the start of a dominant period for Ballina, who ran in four straight tries to race out to a 12-point lead.
Sheather continued his hot streak, remarkably crossing for his fourth just a couple of minutes later to put Ballina’s nose in front. Harry Sivewright scored in the corner with 20 minutes to go before a lovely set move from an attacking scrum put Liam Green over to give the side a 36-24 lead with 12 minutes to go.
And while Hollis remarkably crashed over for his fourth with four minutes to go to set up an exciting finish, Ballina held on for a six-point win to keep its perfect record alive.
Ballina 36 def Lower Clarence 24
MUR’BAH BACK IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Murwillumbah has snapped a three-game losing streak with an impressive 24-10 victory over Mullumbimby at the Murwillumbah Leagues Club ground.
A dominant first half helped lay the platform for victory as the Mustangs ran out four-tries-to-two winners.
With the home side looking for a bright start in front of its fans, a couple of early penalties gave Murwillumbah good field position, with a quick play-the-ball from prop Melvin Dawson allowing hooker Brandon Ewing to sneak through for the game’s opening try after just 95 seconds.
The Mustangs then went in again on 19 minutes when centre Adam Walker showed far too much speed and strength from an attacking scrum to cross over on the edge for a 12-0 lead.
It was all going Mur’bah’s way and when Sam Saville sliced through the line half an hour into the game, the Mustangs were up 18-0 and took that lead into the break.
Mullumbimby knew they needed something early in the second half to get back into the game and the team’s skipper duly delivered, with Cody Nelson – playing in the centres – leaping to intercept an Aaron Booth cut-out ball to get his side on the board just three minutes after the resumption of play.
The Giants were working their way back into the game, however an error from Mullum winger Cooper Nelson in attempting to catch a Murwillumbah grubber allowed Mustangs five-eighth Aaron Booth to score under the sticks and re-establish the team’s 18-point lead.
And while Cody Nelson did break through for his and the team’s second with 13 minutes to go, it ultimately wasn’t enough as the Mustangs broke a three-match losing streak for their second win of the season.
Murwillumbah 24 def Mullumbimby 10
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