Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League: Wrap, results, talking points from round 12
After tearing up the form guide, one side has revealed what it was like to pull off one of the upsets of the season in the NRRRL.
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The competition ladder shifted once again during round 12 as teams continued to make their charge towards the finals.
One side reclaimed top spot on the ladder while another broke a six-year drought with arguably the upset of the season.
Elsewhere, two finals contenders went toe to toe in a clash that had a dramatic finish.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
LADDER KEEPS SHIFTING
Round 12 was another huge one as far as the ladder was concerned, with a host of teams trading places as the race for the finals heats up.
Following Ballina’s loss to Tweed Coast, Byron Bay reclaimed the top spot it has enjoyed for much of the season thanks to the Red Devils’ victory over Cudgen.
The Seagulls were also leapfrogged by Evans Head, who continued its excellent season and jumped up to second on account of its blistering 60-0 mercy rule victory over Kyogle.
Elsewhere, Bilambil broke a two-game losing streak to jump ahead of Tweed rivals Cudgen into fourth, while the draw between Marist Brothers and Murwillumbah allowed Northern United – who enjoyed the easy two points with the bye – to sneak up into the last finals position in sixth.
TRYSCORERS’ RACE HEATS UP
There was also some movement in the race to become the leading tryscorer, with some strike players putting in star performances over the weekend.
Despite not crossing the stripe, Bilambil winger Reiven Smallman remains on top with 15 tries, one ahead of Marist Brothers skipper Mitchell Krause, who closed the gap with a crucial double in his side’s draw with Murwillumbah.
The big mover was undoubtedly Evans Head flyer Brandon Anderson, who shot up into third place after crossing for a remarkable four tries in the Bombers’ 60-0 rout of Kyogle.
He headlines a group of four players – featuring teammate Torben Milton, Cudgen’s Jett Forbes and Northern United’s Hezekiah McKenzie – on 11 tries.
While the tryscorer’s race is tight, there is one clear leader in the race to be the leading pointscorer, with Northern United star Hezekiah McKenzie way out in front with 110 points, a whopping 48 ahead of Bilambil’s Alex Fitzhugh and Casino’s Eddie Walker-Williams on 62.
RAIDERS BOYS ‘ABSOLUTELY BUZZING’
It was party time on Sunday for the Tweed Coast Raiders after the team pulled off arguably the upset of the season with a 26-16 victory over big guns Ballina at Kingsford Smith Park.
Coming into the game with just one win and one draw to their name, the Raiders stunned the ladder-leading Seagulls by racing out to a 16-0 lead before keeping the home side at bay to run out 10-point winners.
And while Tweed Coast tore up the form guide with the win, Raiders five-eighth Owen Fredericks said the performance wasn’t a complete surprise.
“We’ve been really unlucky with a lot of games, just losing by a try or a couple of points. There’s always been a 10- or 15-minute period in a game where we can’t complete or we miss too many tackles and compound our errors,” he said.
“The boys we just so fired up. I don’t know if it was because we had no pressure – I was personally so relaxed before the game – but it was just good to see that when it did get tough and Ballina were throwing everything they had at us and we were defending our line for four or five sets in a row that we just kept turning them away. The boys were absolutely buzzing.”
In particular, Fredericks was pleased with how his young side kept Ballina at arm’s length and nipped any potential comeback in the bud.
“A lot of the games we’ve been up by 10 or 14 points and when the other team starts to score points we compound our errors.
“That’s the thing we spoke about after the game that we were really proud of: normally when other teams score they’re next to score as well, but behind the tryline we were saying ‘Boys, this is a different game, we have to hit back and change the momentum. Let’s really rip in and learn from our mistakes in the other games.’
“And then five minutes later we got back in the grind and scored. I thought ‘Bloody hell, how good’s this!’”
It was the Raiders’ first A-grade win at Kingsford Smith Park since the club claimed the 2018 NRRRL grand final and ended a recent lean run in Ballina.
“They beat us there last year by 50 points or something (50-10) and we got dusted the year before as well,” said Fredericks.
And with the team full of good vibes on the trip back home, Fredericks said they were greeted with a pleasant surprise when they arrived back at Cabarita Beach.
“The local Caba bowlo had a band on and a DJ, so it was perfect timing really.”
YOUNG AND OLD TURN IT ON
There was a welcome return to the NRRRL on Sunday as one of the competition’s highest profile players made his first appearance for the season.
Former NRL star and Dally M Medal winner Todd Carney – playing in his first game of the campaign after rupturing his bicep in the pre-season – put on a show as the Red Devils returned to the top of the table with a win over Cudgen.
The 38-year-old captain-coach had a hand in four tries, including laying off the final ball for three, in what was an excellent return in red and black. He showed off his repertoire with a lovely double cut-out to put Michael Thomas over in the first half before coming up with a clever short ball for Sherwin Tanabi to go over midway through the second half.
He wasn’t the only playmaker to make an impression during round 12, with Casino young gun Waylon Caldwell shining in the Cougars’ 32-18 win over Lower Clarence.
The 18-year-old came up with three assists and showed great anticipation to score a 70m intercept try as Casino broke a four-game losing streak.
The playmaker – who is dual-registered with the Tweed Seagulls in the Q Cup – has been a revelation for the Cougars, coming up with a string of big players to help the club enjoy its best season in several years.
A GAME OF FINE MARGINS
It’s often said that rugby league is a game of fine margins and the weekend’s action proved that once more with two teams experiencing differing fortunes in round 12.
At Murwillumbah, Marist Brothers once again demonstrated their never-say-die attitude with a late try and then penalty goal four minutes from time to earn a 12-all draw against the Mustangs.
It was the second time the Rams had scored late to claim a late draw, with the side scoring five minutes from time to similarly finish up 12-all with Mullumbimby back in round three.
The side has also won five games by 10 points or less to be sitting seventh on 12 points, equal on points with the sixth-placed Northern United.
Meanwhile Mullumbimby felt the familiar feeling of a narrow loss when the team went down to Bilambil 22-16.
Falling on the other side of the coin, the Giants have twice let in late tries – including an after-the-bell intercept – to be held to draws, while the side has also lost three games by six points or fewer.
And while Mullum has been impressive this year, the result leaves the side down in 10th place on eight points, two wins behind Marist and a potential finals spot.
However, looking beyond wins and losses, the teams have remarkably similar records so far in 2024.
Marist Brothers have scored 190 points and conceded 193 for a points difference of -3, while Mullumbimby has run in 194 points and conceded 204 for a differential of -10.
Despite these strikingly similar records, the fine margins of winning tight games or securing draws means that they find themselves in very different positions heading into the final few rounds of the season.
ROUND 12 WRAP
It was a round of extremes in the NRRRL as two sides played out a thrilling draw while another forced full-time to be called prematurely after an utterly dominant display.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
MERCY RULE INVOKED AS EVANS RUN RIOT
Evans Head sent out another warning to the competition and in the process chalked up the biggest victory of the season following a 60-0 rout of Kyogle at Stan Payne Oval.
Winger Brandon Anderson scored four of the Bombers’ 12 tries as the mercy rule was called 16 minutes from time in what was one of the biggest drubbings in recent NRRRL history.
Unsurprisingly, the scoring started early with centre Liam Anderson going over after just three minutes.
His namesake Brandon cross for his first in the ninth before going over again in the corner shortly after to make it 14-0 after a quarter of an hour.
The Bombers were having plenty of success down the right and on 29 minutes Anderson turned provider when he fired away the final pass inside for Justin Bleakley to score.
It all seemed too easy for Evans Head, who were making line breaks at will through the hapless Kyogle defence.
Zacharia Roberts planted the ball down in the left corner in the 36th minute, before another on the stroke of halftime gave the Bombers a commanding 24-0 lead at the break.
Things were excellent for Evans Head and catastrophic for Kyogle going into the sheds, and the situation only got worse early in the second half when Anderson scored his third just two minutes after the restart.
The Bombers were scoring points in a flurry, with Jordan Sly pouncing on a dropped bomb to score four minutes later, before the Bombers crossed in back-to-back sets in the 52nd and 55th minutes to race out to a remarkable 52-0 lead.
Anderson bagged his fourth on the hour mark after a nice spread to the right and then when Aidan Kennedy charged over in the 64th minute, the Bombers had cracked 60 and the game was called off due to the mercy rule.
The victory continued Evans Head’s excellent recent run of form and pushed the side into second place on the ladder, just one point behind Byron Bay. Meanwhile for Kyogle the defeat was a return to the bad old days as the side remains rooted to the bottom of the table alongside Lower Clarence with nine straight losses in 2024.
Evans Head 60 defeated Kyogle 0
RAIDERS TOPPLE LEADERS TO END SIX-YEAR HOODOO
Tweed Coast has pulled off arguably the upset of the season and in the process broken a six-year drought with a very impressive 26-12 victory over competition leaders Ballina during an emotional clash at Kingsford Smith Park.
A blistering start helped the Raiders to their first in win Ballina since 2018 on a day when the home side paid tribute to local legend and life member Allan Johnston, who passed away earlier in the week.
Coming into the game with just one win and one draw from eight games, the Raiders got off to a perfect start when halfback Riley Lack found touch from the kick-off to regain the ball. Four plays later hooker Dan Willoughby put Michael Gordon through a gaping hole for the game’s first try after just 64 seconds.
Tweed Coast had started brightly and a Ballina error deep in its own half gave the Raiders another chance to go ahead, with back-rower Zion Kamana brushing off some sloppy defence to make it 12-0.
A few minutes later the visitors were in again after another error gave Tweed Coast excellent field position and Brandon Matthews crossed out wide to put his team up 16-0 after 20 minutes.
The Seagulls had been stunned by the Raiders’ quick start but they pulled one back on 28 minutes when Jordan Lee showed incredible strength to shrug off four defenders and plant the ball down on the line.
The try ultimately didn’t prove to be the beginning of a comeback though, with some more sloppiness from Ballina allowing the kick-off to go dead in goal. In the following set a great cut-out ball from Gordon put Matthews over for his second to put Tweed Coast up 22-6.
And while Jake Petty stepped his way over for Ballina late in the half, Tweed Coast still took a well-deserved 22-12 lead into the break.
There had been a flurry of points late in the first half but things settled down after the restart as both sides fought for field position.
The deadlock was eventually broken midway through the half when a dangerous cross-field kick from Lack was spilled by Ballina and allowed Tweed Coast to cross for their fifth and stretch the lead out to 26-12.
And while Seagulls forward Ben Mathiou crossed for a consolation try, it was too little too late as the Raiders ran out comfortable winners to chalk up their first win in Ballina since 2018.
The victory sees the team edge closer to the mid-table logjam, while the Seagulls slipped to second with what was their second loss of the season.
Tweed Coast 26 (Matthews 2, Gordon, Kamana tries; Lack three goals) defeated Ballina 16 (Lee, Petty, Mathiou tries; Petty two goals)
CALDWELL STARS AS CASINO BREAK STREAK
Casino has broken a four-match losing streak and kept in touch with the top six after a 32-18 victory over Lower Clarence at the Yamba Sporting Complex.
Young playmaker Waylon Caldwell continued his excellent rookie season in the competition with three try assists and a four-pointer of his own as the Cougars ran in six tries to three for the side’s third win of the season.
Although coming into the game still looking for its first win of the season, Lower got off to the perfect start when hooker Callan Hollis took advantage of a quick play-the-ball to scoot over for the game’s first try inside two minutes.
However with plenty of attacking talent at its disposal it didn’t take long for Casino to hit back, with back-rower Thomas Walker running on to a perfectly weighted grubber from Caldwell to level things up at 6-all in the ninth minute.
The game was going back and forth until a moment of brilliance from Caldwell broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark. With Lower attacking the edges in Casino’s half, the young playmaker plucked a Luke Douglas pass out of the air and ran 70m for a key intercept try to give the Cougars a 12-6 lead at the break.
The intercept had given Casino a crucial lead going into the sheds and five minutes after the restart they were in again with another try that had Caldwell’s fingerprints all over it.
Shifting the ball to the Cougars’ dangerous left edge, the halfback delayed a pass and the laid off a beautiful ball for Walker to run through a gap for his second of the day.
Suddenly Lower was trailing 16-6 but the team hit back straight away with Magpies halfback Vincent Williams showing his guile with a nice short ball for Joshua Hippi to crash over.
Lower had pulled it back to a four-point game, however Casino’s attack once again proved how dangerous it can be with an excellent cut-out ball from Eddie Walker-Williams landing on winger Gairo Kapana’s chest to run over untouched.
The Cougars then sealed the match 15 minutes from time by going to the left again when Caldwell laid on the final pass for centre Harrison Cusack to go over and put his side up 28-12.
Williams scored a late consolation for the Magpies with an excellent stepping effort before Cusack bagged his second to cap off the win for Casino.
The victory moves the Cougars up to ninth, three points outside the top six, while the Magpies remain winless in what was been a difficult season so far for Lower.
Casino 32 (Walker 2, Cusack 2, Caldwell, Kapana tries; Walker-Williams four goals) defeated Lower Clarence 18 (Hollis, Hippi, Williams tries; Brown three goals)
MUR’BAH AND MARIST SPLIT THE POINTS
Murwillumbah and Marist Brothers have kept in touch with the top six after playing out a tense 12-all draw at the Murwillumbah Leagues Club ground.
After both sides struggled for attacking fluency in large parts, the game came to a thrilling and exciting end as both sides pushed hard for the win.
Coming into the contest on the back of a three-game winning streak, the Mustangs drew first blood when a spread to the left and lovely double cut-out ball from Aaron Booth put winger Danyon Wise over in the corner to make it 4-0.
Gradually Marist Brothers started to enjoy some good field position and the team thought it was in on 11 minutes when winger Andrew Ferguson-Fitzgerald found some space down the flank, however he was dragged into touch by some excellent scrambling defence.
The Rams did strike 12 minutes later when Mitchell Krause showed plenty of speed and strength to muscle his way over and score in the corner to lock things up at 12-all.
While both teams had sets on their opponents’ lines, a combination of poor execution and strong defence ensured the teams remained even at halftime.
After the break Murwillumbah started the brighter as they camped up in Marist Brothers’ half.
And while many of the same issues with the ball remained, the Mustangs broke the deadlock 10 minutes after the restart with an excellent long-range try.
Receiving the ball 40m out from his own line, Mur’bah halfback Aaron Booth found teammate Brandon Ewing with a nice inside ball. Ewing then used his speed to burst through the line before returning the favour to Booth to finish the try off under the sticks.
The Mustangs had a spring in their step and almost went in seven minutes later when the team regathered a midfield bomb and put the ball through the hands, only for the last pass to go to ground with the try line begging.
The team did however receive a penalty shortly after, allowing Booth to add the two points to put the side up 12-4 with 20 minutes remaining.
The home side might have been well on top but the Rams launched a fightback, with centre Henry Lee held up over the line.
The team had multiple sets in a row on the Mustangs’ line and Krause once again showed off his speed and strength with a determined dummy-half run to score. Halfback Shallin Fuller then added the extras to make it 12-10 with 12 minutes remaining.
Suddenly it was Marist Brothers with the momentum and the team went close on numerous occasions as it bashed on the door in the final stages.
The pressure did eventually pay off as the Rams received a penalty after Lee was taken out after putting in an attacking grubber. The visitors then added the two to level things up at 12-all with four minutes to go.
In what was a dramatic final stage, Fuller had the chance to win it for Marist with a field-goal attempt 25m out but sprayed his shot wide, before a chaotic last play almost saw Murwillumbah steal the points.
Gunning for the win themselves, Murwillumbah took a field goal shot from distance that landed well short, allowing Rams’ halfback Fuller the chance to try and find a hole in the defensive line. Still inside his own 20, he threw a ball towards his outside men that was dramatically intercepted by Murwillumbah’s Jake Vickery, who charged for the line before being pulled down just a couple metres short to ensure that both teams took one point home.
Murwillumbah 12 (Wise, Booth tries; Booth two goals) drew with Marist Brothers 12 (Krause 2, Fuller, Hawkins goals)
BILAMBIL BOUNCE BACK AGAINST MULLUM
Bilambil has bounced back from two straight losses and in the process kept pace with the competition frontrunners with a hard-fought 22-16 victory over Mullumbimby at Les Donnelly Field.
Tyson Donnelly bagged a double as the Jets were forced to come from behind with a couple of crucial late tries to defeat the Giants for the team’s sixth win of the season.
The visitors might have come into the game with back-to-back defeats, but Bilambil broke through first on 10 minutes when a line break from Kalani Hensby and short side play put Donnelly over.
The Giants hit back with one their own 10 minutes later when back-rower Owen Brock was put through a gap before laying the ball off to Cooper Nelson in support to put Mullum up 6-4.
The lead didn’t last long however, with a Giants’ error coming out of their own end giving Bilambil the ball in a dangerous area. Brenton Daley-Holten then caught the markers napping and burrowed over from dummy-half to put the Jets up 8-6 after 25 minutes.
And while Mullumbimby almost scored with a stunning long-range effort, Bilambil’s defence held firm and the visitors took a two-point lead into the break.
The first half had been tight but Mullum surged ahead again just four minutes after the restart.
Bilambil fullback Daley-Holten was unable to hold onto a bomb from Giants halfback Creedence Kelly-Donovan, with the loose ball finding its way to centre Robbie Newton to put his side ahead 10-8.
Six minutes later the Giants stretched their lead out to eight with a play that featured a mix of excellent skill, comical errors and a case of mistaken identity.
Attacking the Jets’ line, Mullumbimby’s Cooper Nelson stuck his nose through the defensive line and did very well to get an offload away to Matt Parata.
With the line begging, Parata fired a ball back on the inside. The only problem was that there were no Giants players within sight. The ball landed on the chest of Bilambil’s Hayden Hansen and then bounced back into the in-goal area. However the lock forward juggled the ball once again, allowing Kelly-Donovan to sweep through to slam it down to score.
Leading 16-8, the home side seemed to have all the momentum, however an error coming out of its own end handed possession over to Bilambil in dangerous field position.
With plenty of runners on his outside, halfback Harry Fitzhugh stepped and went through himself to bring it back to a two-point ballgame with 25 minutes to play.
The Jets then reclaimed the lead with 18 minutes remaining when Fitzhugh fired off a lovely flat ball for Donnelly to run through for his second of the day to make it 20-16.
And while the Giants pushed hard to find a winner, handling errors and mistakes ultimately let the down, with a late penalty to the Jets giving the visitors a six-point win.
Bilambil 22 (Donnelly 2, Daley-Holten, Fitzhugh tries; three goals) defeated Mullumbimby 16 (Nelson, Newton, Kelly-Donovan tries; Nelson two goals)
CARNEY RETURNS AS BYRON GO TOP
Byron Bay has reclaimed top spot on the ladder after recording a 30-20 victory over Cudgen in a top-four blockbuster at Red Devil Park.
Captain-coach Todd Carney had a hand in four tries in what was the former Dally M Medal winner’s first game of the season after a lengthy injury lay-off.
Coming into the game on the back of three straight wins, Cudgen got off to the perfect start as a penalty in the first set sent the team up field, before a beautiful cut-out from Caleb Ziebell put winger Alec Williams over untouched in the corner.
Byron hit back just five minutes later though when a spread to the right put centre Michael Thomas over.
The Red Devils then took the lead in the 17th minute when a lovely double cut-out ball from Carney – playing in his first game in the 2024 campaign after rupturing his bicep in the pre-season – put Thomas over for his second to give the side an 8-4 lead.
If Byron’s experience got the team its second try, then it was Cudgen’s youth that saw it cross for the second time, with hooker Chaz Bond showing incredible speed to break from the back of a scrum on halfway before putting on the afterburners to slice through the line and streak away to score.
Cudgen had a two-point lead but an error in its own danger zone late in the half put Byron on the attack. Then when Carney’s cross-field kick was charged down, the ball bounced favourably into the arms of five-eighth Brett Kelly, who ran through to give the home side a 14-10 lead at the break.
The late try had given Byron the edge in what been an even first half and the team stretched even further ahead just three minutes after the restart when Jacob Kernick came back across the grain with a clever run to cross under the posts.
The Red Devils had taken a decisive 10-point lead, however a knock-on directly from the kick-off handed over the ball cheaply, and a couple of plays later Jett Forbes step his way through to bring the scoreline back to 20-14.
Although the match was in the balance Byron showed once again why they have prevailed in so many tight contests this season. Carney was in the thick of the action once more with a clever ball to put back-rower Sherwin Tanabi over in the 58th minute.
The home side then sealed the match 10 minutes from time when Abele Atunasia crashed over to make to 30-14.
And while Cudgen halfback Harvey Moase scored an excellent chip and chase with a couple of minutes remaining, it was merely a consolation as the Red Devils ran out winners to reclaim top spot on the ladder.
Byron Bay 30 (Thomas 2, Kelly, Kernick, Tanabi, Atunasia tries; Farrell three goals) defeated Cudgen 20 (Williams, Bond, Forbes, Moase tries; Moase two goals)
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