Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League: wrap, results, standouts, talking points from round 11
One side has once again proved its premiership credentials, while a last-gasp moment of absolute magic has stunned the league during round 11 of the NRRRL.
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There was more than a sprinkling of magic on show during round 11 of the NRRRL, with some stunning tries and a brilliant moment of magic deciding key games during a huge weekend of footy.
Elsewhere, old boys have helped inspire a couple of big victories, while the ace for the finals has well and truly started to heat up.
Catch up with a wrap of the action and major talking points below with the NRRRL Seven-tackle Set.
1) Northern United prove premiership credentials – yet again
It’s been the case more or less all season, but Northern United once again showed that they are real deal with an excellent 46-26 victory over Evans Head over the weekend.
The Dirawongs led last year’s grand finalists 18-16 at halftime in what was a tight contest, but blew the Bombers away with some spectacular football after the break.
Northern scored three stunning long-distance tries as a party atmosphere descended on Clifford Park, with the excellent win against a tough Evans Head outfit once again confirming that the Dirawongs will be giving the competition a real shake this season.
2) Last-second magic gets Mullum home
It was perhaps the clutch play of the season. Mullumbimby, with an attacking scrum just 10 metres out from the Cudgen line, were down 16-14 with just seconds to go.
Picking up the ball at first receiver, Giants halfback Wayde Kelly put in a perfectly weighted kick to his right corner. With the full-time siren going off and watches on the sidelines beeping, the ball sailed over the heads of the Cudgen defenders and into the arms of his own winger Thomas Sowerby, who planted the ball down to seal one of the most remarkable finishes to a game in many years.
Pandemonium followed, with Giants players piling on top of Sowerby and fans going nuts on the sideline to celebrate the thrilling victory.
Not only did the win provide Giants fans with one of the moments of the season, but it also kept the team’s chance alive of qualifying for the finals.
3) Ballina veterans shine in front of old boys
Ballina returned to their winning ways on Saturday with a comprehensive 36-12 victory over Murwillumbah old boys’ day at Kingsford Smith Park.
However the club’s veterans weren’t just restricted to Yobbos Hill, with 2013 premiership-winning players Jess Perry, Anthony Colman and Dan Gibson all lacing the boots in the Seagulls’ win.
Gibson bagged a double and Colman also crossed for a four-pointer, with 2013 coach Greg Barnes – who returned to coaching this season – watching on with the clipboard in hand.
With strong elements of the champion 2013 team on board again in 2023, the Seagulls faithful will be hoping to channel that inspiration for the same result come the end of the season.
4) Big starts prove critical
Still on Ballina, the Seagulls provided the perfect blueprint for victory over the weekend, with a blistering opening to the match putting the game to bed before halftime.
It all started after just 63 seconds when centre Dan Gibson scored, with the home side taking a 24-0 lead after half an hour as the Seagulls ran in five tries.
And while the Mustangs fought back with three tries of their own, the damage had well and truly been done as Ballina maintained its spot at the top of the ladder.
It was a similar story down at Yamba, where Lower Clarence was also celebrating old boys’ day against Marist Brothers.
The Magpies scored four tries to none in the opening 34 minutes to race out to an 18-nil lead, before putting on another five in the second half to finish 42-16 winners.
5) Teams keeping their seasons alive
With just five rounds to go in the regular season, all games are crucial from here on in, with a string of teams keeping their seasons alive with crucial victories over the weekend.
From Mullumbimby’s last-gasp rabbit out of the hat, to Lower’s comprehensive win, some teams ensured that they remained in touch with the top six ahead of the run home.
Another team that picked up a crucial win was Byron Bay, who took down Casino 44-22. It was the Red Devils’ third win in a row and moves them to fifth on the ladder, up from ninth at the mid-season break.
The victory was an important one for Byron, who face one of the toughest runs home of all sides vying for finals spots.
With five rounds to go, the Red Devils must play ladder leaders Ballina twice, fellow frontrunners Bilambil and last year’s grand finalists Evans Head, while they also have the bye in round 15.
6) Do or die for Mur’bah
While some teams kept touch with the top six, another side that fell further away is Murwillumbah, who went down to Ballina 36-12.
Sitting in 10th position, three points behind sixth-placed Evans Head, the Mustangs are in do-or-die territory now if they want to be playing finals football in 2023.
With two games against Bilambil – as well as fixtures against Tweed Coast and Cudgen – to come, Murwillumbah will need to draw on all their quality if they are to make another charge at the finals this season.
7) Casino star picked for Origin
One of the Northern Rivers’ favourite sons will once again don the sky blue jersey, with South Sydney five-eighth Cody Walker selected for the NSW State of Origin side for game three in Sydney next Wednesday.
A Casino junior – whose brother Ryan is the Cougars’ captain-coach in 2023 – Walker will play his sixth game for NSW as the Blues look to avoid a Maroons whitewash in front of their home fans.
ROUND 11 WRAP
There was once again plenty of drama during round 11 of the NRRRL, with a piece of brilliance giving one side a thrilling last-gasp victory, while another snapped a three-match losing streak with an outstanding first half display.
Elsewhere, one semi-final hopeful notched up its third-straight win, while a main contender once again proved its credentials with some razzle dazzle football.
Catch up on the action with the round 11 wrap below.
Dirawongs break Bombers’ resistance
Northern United has once again proved its premiership credentials after a 46-26 victory over an in-form Evans Head at Clifford Park.
Four unanswered tries early in the second half proved crucial in the match, which saw the lead change multiple times in the first half.
The Dirawongs got off to a flyer, with winger Damon Coldwell taking advantage of a wicked bounce from a Des Ferguson grubber to give his side the lead after just six minutes.
In what was a very even opening, the Bombers fought back four minutes later when a great offload from prop Josh Beech found Matthew Toole, who caught the Northern United defenders napping and scored next to the sticks to even things up at 6-all.
A penalty goal then put Evans Head two points up, before Northern United reclaimed the lead on the half-hour mark with a wonderful solo effort from Allan McKenzie.
In what was a topsy-turvy first half, the Bombers took the lead again when Tom Milton crashed over from short distance, before Ferguson scored in the corner to give the home side an 18-14 lead.
Then, just on the stroke of halftime, Northern United’s Hezekiah McKenzie and Evans Head’s Lachlan Kennedy were both sent to the sin bin after getting into a scuffle, with the Bombers’ goalkicker Roy Bell slotting the subsequent penalty goal to leave scores at 18-16 at the break.
While the first half went blow for blow, the Dirawongs asserted their authority after the break with four tries in the first 20 minutes to seal the match.
It started in the 42nd minute when forward Alwyn Roberts crashed over from close range, while they extended the lead four minutes later when Clarence Kelly dived on a clever grubber from Hakeem Torrens to make it 28-16.
Ten minutes later Northern United well and truly put the game to bed with a couple of spectacular tries.
Taking the ball from dummy half, hooker Jamahl Roberts caught the Bombers off guard to make a break before putting in a kick over the Bombers’ fullback for Hakeem Torrens to catch and score under the sticks.
The razzle dazzle continued a couple of minutes later when Torrens chipped the ball to his winger Coldwell, who then returned the favour with a lovely grubber back on the inside for his playmaker to score a brilliant try and stretch the scoreline out to 40-16.
And while Evans Head hit back with a quickfire double to centre Torben Milton in consecutive sets, the Dirawongs put the icing on the cake with arguably the try of the match just a couple of minutes before full-time.
With a scrum inside his own half, Torrens kicked in behind the Evans Head defensive line. Hezekiah McKenzie won the race to the ball, toed it ahead again and then got a friendly bounce to score, much to the delight of the home fans in what was very much a party atmosphere at Clifford Park at full-time.
Northern United 46 (Torrens 2, Coldwell, A McKenzie, Ferguson, Roberts, Kelly, H McKenzie tries; Ferguson seven goals) def Evans Head 26 (Torben Milton 2, Toole, Tom Milton tries; Bell five goals)
Seagulls bounce back against Mustangs
Ballina has bounced back from its first defeat of the season last weekend with a comprehensive 36-12 victory over Murwillumbah.
A five-try blitz from the Seagulls in the opening half an hour blew the Mustangs away as Ballina maintained its spot at the top of the ladder.
It all started after just 63 seconds when centre Dan Gibson powered his way over on the left edge.
The lead was extended 10 minutes later when Ethan Roberts crashed over from close range before the Seagulls made it 14-0 midway through the half with a stunning long-range try.
Deep inside his own half, Ballina five-eighth Hamish McClintock kicked early in the tackle count towards the towards his team’s right wing. Rhys Riches won the race to the ball and toed it back inside for McClintock who regathered the ball and then spread it wide to the left for Gibson to score his double.
This wasn’t the end of the first half damage, with Fred Pitt and Riches both scoring to give Ballina a 24-0 lead after half an hour.
To their credit, Murwillumbah hit back with two tries late in the half to James Parker and Robert Shepherd, and then scored the first of the second half through Kade Hill to bring things back to 24-12.
However that was as close as they got, with Riches and Anthony Colman both scoring late tries to cap off the win.
Ballina 36 (Gibson 2, Riches 2, Roberts, Pitt, Colman tries; McClintock four goals) def Murwillumbah 12 (Parker, Shepherd, Hill tries)
Giants claim thriller at the death
Mullumbimby has claimed one of the most dramatic wins of the season, with the team scoring a spectacular try on the bell to defeat Cudgen 16-14 at Les Donnelly Field.
The match was decided with the final action of the game, with Thomas Sowerby catching a perfectly weighted cross kick from Wayde Kelly to seal the all-important win.
The home side opened the scoring in the 11th minute with an excellent long-range try.
Still in his own half, Tommas Gibson kicked early in the tackle count in behind the Cudgen defensive line. The Giants got a friendly bounce to regather the ball before Robbie Newtown showed enough strength the put the ball down for a 6-0 lead.
A couple of minutes later the Hornets hit back, with Connor Ziebell showing too much size and strength for the Mullum defence to crash over and level things up.
It was a tight contest throughout the first half, with the Giants in particular relying on some strong goal line defence to keep Cudgen out and ensure that things remained locked at 6-all at halftime.
The game was delayed for several minutes in the first half when Mullum backrower Newton was injured in a tackle and brought from the field, and while Cudgen had several sets with good field possession, they were let down by ball handling at crucial moments.
The game took a turn midway through the half when Cudgen prop Shannon Green was sent to the sin bin for a late hit on Mullumbimby forward Aidy Gleeson, with Wayde Kelly adding the extras to give the Giants an 8-6 lead.
However a mistake from the kick-off gave the Hornets another golden opportunity and this time they duly obliged, with a very smart backline play putting Connah Mills over in the corner.
Cudgen then extended its lead with 12 minutes to play, with Caleb Ziebell far too strong for the defenders on Mullum’s left edge to stretch the scores out to 14-8.
However just as they have done in recent weeks, the Giants fought back, with Sean Watkins getting on the end of a clever grubber kick from Gibson at dummy half to bring the scores back to 14-12 and set up a grandstand finish.
The home side peppered the Cudgen line and were given a golden opportunity very late in the game after a Hornets error coming out from their own end.
While Cudgen was able to hold Mullum skipper Cody Nelson up over the line, they weren’t able to stop the Giants in what proved to be the final play of the game.
With an attacking scrum 15 metres out from the Hornets’ line and the siren ringing, Kelly put in a lovely cross field kick to the right, with winger Thomas Sowerby catching the ball and planting it down to give the Giants a thrilling victory and send the home fans wild.
Mullumbimby 16 (Newton, Watkins, Sowerby tries; Kelly two goals) def Cudgen 14 (Connor Ziebell, Mills, Caleb Ziebell tries; Moase one goal)
Lower down Rams to snap streak
Lower Clarence broke a three-match losing streak with a 42-16 victory over Marist Brothers at Yamba.
On what was old boys’ day for the Magpies, centre Tyler Essex bagged a hat-trick as the team put on a clinic in the first half an hour to seal the win.
The points started in the 14th minute when front rower Ethan Foster proved too strong for the Rams’ defence to barge over from close range.
The lead extended six minutes later when Tyler Essex crossed on the right edge, with the centre bagging his second shortly after following some nice passing from the backline.
The Magpies were on a roll, and in the 34th minute Vincent Williams went down the blind side from dummy half and crashed over for the team’s fourth try to give them an 18-0 lead.
It was a tough first half for the Rams, however they managed to pull one back just before halftime, with Harrison Brown doing well to cross in the corner to leave scores at 18-4 at the break.
Sadly the second half didn’t get any better for Marist Brothers, with the Magpies putting on five tries to two to claim the big win.
It was started with Essex, who claimed his hat-trick after backing up on a Tyrhys Brown line break.
And while Walter Kelly brought the scores back to 24-10, another four tries to Liam Foster, Craig Mercy-Bushell, Brian Quinlan-Randall and Daniel Mitchell put the exclamation mark on a great day for the club.
Lower Clarence 42 (Essex 3, E Foster, Williams, L Foster, Mercy-Bushell, Quinlan-Randall, Mitchell tries; Williams three goals) def Marist Brothers 12 (Brown, Kelly, Krause tries; two goals)
Byron beat Casino to go three straight
Byron Bay has won its third game in a row and jumped into fifth on the ladder after a 44-22 victory over Casino at Queen Elizabeth Park.
The Red Devils crossed for eight tries to the Cougars’ four as the team blew the hosts away with a strong period either side of halftime.
It started well for Byron, who scored through centre Michael Thomas in just the sixth minute. The team doubled the lead 10 minutes before both sides went tit for tat in an action packed 10 minutes that saw four tries scored.
It started with Casino going through the hands on the right for Jake Roberts and bring the scores back to 12-4.
However Thomas bagged his second four minutes later to re-establish the Red Devils’ lead, before Kirhys Walker hit back again for Casino to make it a six-point ball game once more.
Just as the Cougars were applying the pressure, Byron edged further ahead through James Whitby to give the team a 22-10 lead at halftime.
The visitors then took control of the game after the break, with three tries inside the first 20 minutes putting the result beyond doubt and moving the Red Devils into fifth place on the ladder.
Byron Bay 44 def Casino 22
Raiders round Turkeys for top-four spot
Tweed Coast has jumped into the top four with a 28-16 victory over a dogged Kyogle side at New Park.
Four straight tries either side of halftime ultimately proved to be the difference for the Raiders as the Turkeys showed plenty of resilience to work themselves back into the match late on.
It was the perfect start for the visitors, who crossed through fullback Juwaan Terekia after just one minute.
Kyogle, who have put in some improved performances in recent weeks, hit back on 15 minutes when Thomas Carlill crashed over from close range to give the side a 6-4 lead.
The game remained in the balance until the Raiders took control with what proved to be a pivotal period in the match.
It started in the 32nd minute when Peter Tekura-Tengahue scored in the right corner, while Tweed Coast scored its third just a couple of minutes later when Kyogle dropped a cross field bomb and Josh Bowden picked the scraps for another four pointer to give the side a 12-6 lead at the break.
The Raiders’ dominance continued in the second half when Owen Fredericks brought back memories of the first half by scoring in the first minute after the break. The lock then scored a remarkable double in the very next set to give Tweed Coast a 22-6 lead.
While it appeared as though the visitors were about to run away with the game, Kyogle launched a spirited comeback, first crossing through Xavier Pereka on 47 minutes and then Brock Westerman with 13 to go to bring the scores back to 22-16 and set up an exciting finish.
However once again Tweed Coast showed its superiority, scoring through Anetere’a Tiplady to seal the match and take the two points home with them.
Tweed Coast 28 (Fredericks 2, Terekia, Tekura-Tengahue, Bowden, Tiplady tries; Evans two goals) def Kyogle 16 (Carlill, Pereka, Westerman tries; Loose-Morris two goals)
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