Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League: Wrap, results, gallery from round six
Some of the competition’s big guns flexed their muscles with impressive performances while the wet weather has forced the NRRRL into making some changes to the season draw.
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It might have been wet and windy, but there was plenty of heat during round six of the NRRRL.
In a weekend where four of the six first grade fixtures were completed, the action was highlighted by a fiery local derby between Byron Bay and Mullumbimby as the undefeated rivals clashed in a top-of-the-table match-up.
Elsewhere, a couple of sides continued their strong start to the season while others bounced back from last-start losses.
Catch up with a wrap of the action, the top talking points and a gallery of the best pictures from the Byron Shire derby below.
PLENTY OF FEELING IN BYRON DERBY
There were no doubt plenty of sore bodies on Monday after a bruising Byron Shire derby between the Red Devils and Mullumbimby.
In a game with some huge hits, emotions boiled over at various stages as Byron held on for an exciting 14-10 win over the Giants.
The home side’s victory – its fourth straight to kick off the season – was even more impressive considering that the team’s starting halves Jack Rogers and Toby Marks were unavailable due to suspension and Tweed Seagulls duty, respectively.
Byron then lost fullback Riley Baharov to a head knock early, before Jesse Beauchamp was forced from the field in the second half with a shoulder injury.
They weren’t the only ones missing players, with Mullum forced into a late reshuffle after five-eighth Willie Hammond was ruled out.
But while some big guns might have been missing, both sides put on a classic country derby spectacle in front of a strong crowd at Red Devil Park.
NRL LEGENDS ON SHOW
While there was plenty of drama on the field, footy fans would have recognised some familiar faces on the sidelines, with a couple of NRL greats taking control of the respective sides in the derby.
In gold and blue, former premiership-winning player and coach Chris Anderson took charge of Mullumbimby, while former Dally M Medal winner Todd Carney – ruled out of playing until late in the season with a ruptured bicep – was controlling things for Byron.
The pair are two of a string of former NRL figures involved in the NRRRL, with several ex-professionals taking to coaching in this year’s competition.
DIRAWONGS FLEX THEIR MUSCLES
Northern United have given every indication that they will once again be one of the contenders in 2024 after a 42-6 hammering of Murwillumbah.
With former NRL playmaker Tyrone Roberts pulling the strings, the Dirawongs piled on eight tries against the Mustangs, including one after just 80 seconds on play.
The victory takes the team’s record to two wins from its three games, with the side bouncing back from a tight 27-22 loss to competition leaders Byron Bay a fortnight ago.
The addition of Tyrone Roberts in the halves and former Origin star James Roberts in the centres has given the Northern’s attack even more strikepower for the upcoming season.
The Dirawongs will take on Lower Clarence this Saturday at Crozier Field for what is remarkably the team’s first home game of the season.
WET WEATHER FORCES RESHUFFLE
It has been a very wet start to the 2024 season, with two full rounds plus a string of other fixtures already postponed due to the weather.
While we’re heading into round seven, some clubs like Ballina, Bilambil and Kyogle have played just two games so far.
Given the backlog in fixtures, the NRRRL has put out a revised draw for the rest of the season. The washed out round one games will be played on the weekend of July 20 and 21, which was initially set aside for the now cancelled Splendour in the Grass music festival.
Meanwhile in a change to the back end of the season, round five will now be played directly after the final round 16 on August 10 and 11. As a result the finals series will be pushed back a week, with the grand final now set for September 8.
However for the clubs with more than two catch-up games to play, they will have to look at other options to complete their fixtures.
“For those part rounds that have been called off, clubs are negotiating at the moment to play their games together,” said NRRRL secretary Josh Golan.
“What some are looking at is possibly the June long weekend: they may play on the Friday night or the Saturday, just to get some of the games out of the way, and others are looking at alternative options of whether they can do it on a training night and have a midweek game.”
He added: “Some teams are looking at whether they can do something going into a bye or coming off a bye. It’s all about negotiation – sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t – and then the NRRRL board will facilitate that if there is a little bit of a stalemate.”
ROUND SIX WRAP
RED DEVILS PREVAIL IN EPIC BYRON DERBY
Byron has overcome the loss of both starting halves and a dogged Mullumbimby side to prevail over their local rivals 14-10 in a pulsating and fiery Byron Shire derby at Red Devil Park.
Some incredible defence and a ruthless ability to convert their chances made it a happy old boys’ day on Mother’s Day for Byron, with the side forced to turn the Giants away time and again to claim the team’s fourth win from as many starts this season.
There were some huge hits and plenty of emotions flying about, while a couple of players could perhaps be nervously awaiting the match review panel’s findings in what was a bruising encounter between the two previously undefeated teams.
While the points came later in the match, the victory was arguably set up in the opening 20 minutes when the Red Devils’ defence held firm in the face of repeated Mullumbimby sets on Byron’s line.
The Byron team – which was without suspended five-eighth Jack Rogers and halfback Toby Marks, who was on Tweed Heads Seagulls duty – soaked up the early pressure before breaking through late in the half to take a lead into the break.
The Red Devils then extended their lead before holding off a late charge from the Giants to claim the derby and the two competition points.
The Mullumbimby onslaught started in just the second minute when winger Cooper Nelson found space down the right wing but was bundled into touch just before he could put the ball down.
The Giants built pressure with repeat sets and almost broke through in the seventh minute when Cody Nelson put Corey Morris in a gap with a lovely short ball. However with the line begging the fullback was brought down by the ankles with a brilliant tackle and his flick pass couldn’t find a teammate.
Byron compounded the pressure by making errors coming out of their own end as the Giants kept knocking on the door. However the Red Devils’ defence held firm, with Byron holding up Mullum prop George Orry and stopping Morris once again just short of the line.
The Giants thought they had finally cracked the wall on 20 minutes when Matt Parata burrowed over from dummy-half. The referee appeared ready to blow the whistle but a call from one of the touch judges resulted in a penalty for Byron, with Tommas Gibson ruled to have impeded the markers after playing the ball.
The decision marked somewhat of a turning point as Byron worked itself into the match. The home side went close in the 34th minute but was bundled into touch before making the breakthrough with an excellent try three minutes before halftime.
It started with a powerful run and line break from forward Sherwin Tanabi, who passed the ball on to Michael Thomas, who in turn found Jesse Beauchamp in support to score the first try of the match and take a 6-0 lead into the break.
The opening to the second half almost seemed to be a reversal of the first, with Mullum forced to hold out several sets on their own line.
While the Giants managed to repel the repeat sets, they were undone by Byron’s sharp work around the ruck, with a great late offload from Jacob Kernick putting Jesse Beauchamp into space. The interchange hooker then found a charging James Whitby on the right, who did well to pass back inside for Michael Thomas to score and put his side up 10-0.
There was plenty of feeling in the game, with the players breaking out into some push and shove as the match went on.
Then midway through the half Mullumbimby was penalised for a lifting tackle and Byron’s Elliott Farrell slotted the goal to put his side up by 12.
The Giants were pushing hard to get on the scoreboard and they thought they did with 20 to go when Tyrone Harding found himself over the line after a charge from dummy-half, only to be ruled to have been held up.
Byron’s Beauchamp came from the field clutching his shoulder in what was a physical game. In particular, Giants prop Jyde Dwyer was putting on some bruising hits. However when he hit Red Devils hooker Ben Webber high, he allowed Farrell to stretch the scoreline out to 14-0 with 10 minutes remaining.
But Mullum weren’t dead, with Harding showing some nice footwork to charge over for his team’s first. Then just a couple of minutes later Sam Lewis put in a cross field kick for Nelson, who leapt high to take a brilliant AFL-style grab and score to suddenly leave things at 14-10 with four minutes remaining.
As the margin narrowed the tension rose, and in the first tackle after the kick-off Mullumbimby’s Lewis dragged Webber off the ruck, resulting in a melee that brought more than a dozen players into the middle. Remarkably, play resumed with a simple play-the-ball.
Things then spilled over again at the death when Mullumbimby halfback Tommas Gibson, in the hope of forcing the ball loose, up-ended Webber in a dangerous lifting tackle.
Despite the visitors’ best efforts, Byron held on for a narrow four-point win to remain at the top of the table.
Byron Bay 14 defeated Mullumbimby 10
MARIST BROTHERS EDGE OUT CASINO
Marist Brothers have continued their strong start to the season with a 24-18 victory over Casino at Oakes Oval.
A dominant first half laid the platform for the Rams’ five-tries-to-three victory, however some wayward goalkicking almost opened the door for the Cougars and made for a tense finish.
Fresh from a playmaking masterclass in his team’s last-start win over Tweed Coast, Marist halfback Shallin Fuller got the ball rolling in just the fourth minute with a nice solo try. Attacking the Casino line, he brushed off one defender, palmed off another and then beat two more to open the scoring.
The Rams then went further ahead on 10 minutes when winger John Paden showed plenty of anticipation – and enough toe – to intercept a Waylon Caldwell cut-out ball and run 85m to put his side up 8-0.
Casino has been one of the most improved teams so far in 2024 and the Cougars showed why they can be so dangerous midway through the half when young five-eighth Caldwell found fullback Eddie Walker-Williams with a nice banana kick, before backing up on the inside to finish off the move with a try under the sticks.
However a Casino error coming out from their own end gave the Rams excellent field position almost immediately, and Marist centre Mitchell Krause capitalised on some sloppy defence to score his team’s third of the afternoon and re-establish its eight-point lead.
The Rams had been on top for much of the half and landed a crucial blow on the stroke of halftime, with a nice spread to the left finished off by Will Hawkins in the corner to give his side an 18-6 lead at the break.
The momentum was all with Marist Brothers and they made the Cougars pay again just two minutes after the resumption of play. A clever chip kick from Fuller led to a Casino fumble, with five-eighth Jye Davis on the spot to scoop up the scraps and score for a 24-6 lead.
The game was slipping away from Casino and they needed to turn the tide. In the 57th minute some nice hands from the middle forwards put Caldwell into space, with the young five-eighth putting Thomas Walker through a gap, who then found Tim Torrens to finish off the try in support on the outside.
Then when Harrison Cusack scored with 20 minutes to go, suddenly the Cougars were well and truly back in the contest at 24-18.
Now it was the Cougars who had a spring in their step as they pushed hard to level things up.
Their task took a hit 10 minutes from time when lock Peter Dagi was sent to the sin bin for a late tackle on Krause, and Marist Brothers held on for the team’s second win of the season.
Marist Brothers 24 defeated Casino 18
DIRAWONGS HAMMER MUR’BAH
Northern United has bounced back from its last-start loss to Byron Bay with a 42-6 demolition of Murwillumbah.
Back-rower Theo Hippi bagged a double as the Dirawongs ran in eight tries to one on what was a very wet and muddy Murwillumbah Leagues Club ground.
The rout started after just 80 seconds, when Northern winger Luke Simpson – with just his team’s second touch of the ball – palmed off a couple of would-be defenders and then used his speed to burn down the outside to score a brilliant 60m solo try.
A clever grubber from Tyrone Roberts put Tayden Hickling over a couple of minutes later, while Hippi did really well to leap high and take a Wally Kelly bomb to put his side up 14-0 inside 12 minutes.
It all seemed too easy for the Dirawongs, who surged further ahead after a nice spread to the left put Alistair Faulkner over, while Hippi crashed over on the right edge for his second to give the side a 24-0 lead at the break.
There was no reprieve in the second half, with Hezekiah McKenzie finishing off a 90m team effort just two minutes after the resumption of play, while further tries to Jamahl Roberts and Tyrone Roberts put Northern United up 42-0 with more than 20 minutes to go.
Fortunately for the Mustangs the team rallied in the final quarter and scored through Jake Vickery. However it was nothing but a consolation for the side, which suffered its second heavy loss in a row after round four’s 36-6 defeat at the hands of Bilambil.
Meanwhile it was a return to winning ways for Northern United, who bounced back from a 27-22 loss to Byron Bay a fortnight ago to sit well placed with a record of two wins and one loss from its opening three games.
Northern United 42 defeated Murwillumbah 6
11-MAN CUDGEN CLAIM TWEED DERBY
Cudgen has survived a late scare and the dismissal of two players to defeat Tweed Coast 18-16 in a passionate Tweed derby at Ned Byrne Oval.
The Hornets appeared to be cruising until an incident late in the contest left the team with just 11 players on the field and triggered a Raiders comeback.
Despite conceding two tries and seeing their lead fall from 14 points to two, Cudgen managed to hold on for the team’s second victory of the season and in process condemn Tweed Coast to their third loss from as many starts.
In what was a cagey opening, the first points didn’t come until just shy of the half-hour mark.
Attacking the Raiders’ line, Cudgen’s Jacek McLaurin put in a grubber, which bounced off two different Tweed Coast players’ hands, before Jye Barton swept through to put the ball down for a try.
The Hornets then took a huge advantage into the break with their second on the stroke of halftime to lead 12-0.
The momentum was all with Cudgen going into the break and they carried that out on the field in the second half, with a couple of quick play-the-balls and a nice spread to the right putting Jett Forbes over in the corner for an 18-0 lead five minutes after the resumption of play.
The Raiders had struggled to break down the Cudgen defence in what had been a frustrating afternoon. That was until Owen Fredericks put Spencer Jackson through a gap on the right edge to finally get his team on the board with 15 minutes to go.
While the game had been relatively tame until then, the try was the first of a series of events that turned the match on its head.
In the first set after the try, Cudgen’s Jackson Owen was penalised for laying his elbow into the face of Tweed forward Drew Lanston. The incident sparked some push and shove, with multiple players from both teams getting involved.
During the altercation, Cudgen winger Jett Forbes was judged to have led with the head in confronting an opponent.
The referee subsequently gave Owen 10 minutes in the sin bin and sensationally sent Forbes off to leave Cudgen with just 11 players on the field.
Playing with a two-man advantage, Tweed Coast ruthlessly exploited the gaps in the Hornets’ defensive line, crossing through Jayden Martens with around seven minutes remaining.
The Raiders were making yards at will, and when Fredericks was put into a gap on the right edge and then ran through to score, it was suddenly 18-16 with two and a half minutes on the clock.
And while Tweed Coast pushed hard to find a late winner, Cudgen held on to claim the two points and bragging rights over their close rivals.
Cudgen 18 defeated Tweed Coast 16
PHOTO GALLERY
Byron Bay v Mullumbimby at Red Devil Park
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