Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League: Wrap, results, standouts from round 15
In a season full of outstanding performances, one club has surprised the NRRRL with an impressive record in its return season in the division.
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Despite there being three rounds left in the regular season, it was do-or-die time for a couple of sides during round 15 of the NRRRL.
For two teams the equation was simple: win and keep their finals hopes alive during a crucial Saturday night fixture.
Elsewhere, there were big swings, shifts and plenty of tries as two other teams battled it out an entertaining, high-scoring match, while another took another step towards claiming the minor premiership.
Catch up with some of the major talking points and a wrap of the action below.
FINALS RACE HEATS UP
It was another huge weekend in the race for the finals as some clutch performances made the picture a little clearer when it comes to who will finish in the top six.
Sitting just outside in seventh and eighth, Northern United and Mullumbimby kept their seasons alive after both posting impressive wins to sit just one point outside the top six with two rounds remaining.
It was a different story for Murwillumbah, who in falling to the Dirawongs 40-14 on Saturday night have likely fallen out of the race.
Inside the top six, you could throw a hanky over Cudgen, Bilambil and Evans Head as the sides remain locked in a three-way logjam on 20 points. Sitting three points behind leaders Ballina, the trio are separated by the finest of margins, with the Hornets’ goal difference of 130 putting the side in second, ahead of the Jets (118) and Bombers (111).
That order will be set for a shake-up this weekend, however, with Evans Head hosting Bilambil in a top-four blockbuster and Cudgen taking on a desperate Byron Bay.
Speaking of Byron, the Red Devils look increasingly in danger of falling out of the top six after suffering their fourth-straight defeat on the weekend with a 26-18 loss to Evans Head.
The competition leaders for the first half of the season, Byron has been in free fall over the past month and face a tricky run home consisting of Cudgen and Ballina.
TWEED SEAGULLS FLYING HIGH
When it comes to standout clubs in 2024, it’s hard to go past the Tweed Heads Seagulls, who have made a brilliant return to the NRRRL after close to a two-decade hiatus.
Entering teams in reserve grade, under-18s and league tag, the Seagulls – who are affiliated the Tweed Heads junior arm, rather than the Q Cup elite branch – have been formidable in their return to the division, with both the reserves and league tag teams leading the ladder and the under-18s sitting in fifth with two rounds of the regular season remaining.
“It’s been fantastic,” said Brian Cox, the president of the Seagulls’ NRRRL arm. “The whole club’s doing well, they’ve all gelled together and they’re supporting each other real well.”
In what is impressive reading, the reserve grade side has the best record of any team in the entire division, winning all 14 of its games and chalking up an impressive points difference of 338.
And while Bilambil as a club has won more games than Tweed Heads, owing to having entered more teams, the Seagulls have the best winning rate in the whole NRRRL at 86.1 per cent.
“It comes down to the coaches and players,” said Cox. “All three coaches have really worked hard and are getting the best out of the teams who are really buying in. They’re building the club for the future.”
He added: “We’re just in the background, they’re doing all the hard work. We’re just here to support them and hopefully push the right buttons and keep it going.”
Aside from the impressive results on the field, Cox said one of the highlights of the season has been creating a link with the junior club, to ensure that young Seagulls have a pathway to play senior footy.
“The junior coaches and teams are helping out on match days, doing the barbecue and everything. They’ve all been helping out. They all want somewhere to go in the future, so it’s been real good in that way. The support from the junior rugby league committee and players has been outstanding.”
In addition, Tweed Heads’ return to senior football at Northern Rivers level has also enticed some former players to make a comeback.
“There are guys who’ve come back to the club who haven’t played for years,” said Cox. “There’s one in particular, Lucas Willoughby, who hasn’t played since 2019 in reserve grade at Caba (Tweed Coast Raiders).
“He’s a local junior who’s come back to the club and he’s been outstanding – just his leadership in the middle with the forwards and looking after the young ones.”
He added: “Even his old man, Stumpy (Allan), he was at Seagulls for a lot of years and he’s even back at the ground. We’re doing an old boys’ day this weekend against Mullum and it’s amazing that a lot of the fathers of the kids playing now will be back watching the games.”
And with 2024 a runaway success so far for the Seagulls, the club is pushing full-steam ahead with plans to enter a side in the first grade competition in 2025.
“We’re already in preparations to try and put the coach in place and we’re about to start looking for sponsorship to move forward,” said Cox.
“The following we’ve had and the crowds we’ve had at the games have been outstanding, so we’re pushing 100 per cent ahead at the moment.”
DEJA VU FOR COMEBACK KINGS BALLINA
There was a sense of deja vu on multiple levels as Ballina edged closer to its second successive minor premiership with a 22-18 victory over a stubborn Marist Brothers side at Kingsford Smith Park.
The scoreline was exactly the same as the round two clash between the sides as Ballina was forced to come back from 12-0 down at halftime to secure a thrilling victory.
Indeed, while the team often lead from the front and dominated its opponents from the outset last season, the Seagulls have been forced to dig deep with a string of comeback victories throughout 2024.
In round seven Ballina was trailing Murwillumbah 22-8 before storming home with three tries in the last 15 minutes to take out a crucial victory.
Similarly, the team trailed Lower Clarence 24-16 at halftime in round eight before a four-try second half got the side home 36-30, while it was behind 22-18 in the final quarter of the match against Bilambil in round 10 before piling on three tries to finish 36-22 victors.
The Seagulls were also staring down the barrel of defeat in the round 14 clash with Murwillumbah, with a Jordan Lee try on the bell and Hamish McClintock conversion after the siren salvaging a 12-all draw.
Those late comebacks have been crucial in sending Ballina to the top of the table, with a win against last-placed Kyogle this weekend enough to secure the club’s second A-grade minor premiership in a row.
EVANS HEAD DOES THE DOUBLE
Speaking of deja vu, there was a big sense of history repeating itself after Evans Head defeated Byron Bay for the second week in a row to take a crucial step forward in its quest to play finals footy.
Remarkably, the Bombers’ 26-18 win saw the team post its second successive eight-point victory after last weekend’s 20-12 triumph at Stan Payne Oval.
The twin victories over the Red Devils have made Evans Head one of the big winners of the past fortnight, with the side leapfrogging Byron and joining Cudgen and Bilambil in a three-way shootout for second spot.
“It was crucial. It has probably hurt Byron a little bit and obviously we would have been in that same position if the roles were reversed,” said Evans Head football manager Nathan Williams.
“Getting that first win over them at home definitely paved the way for this week. We knew we had Kyle Kennedy back, he was suspended, plus we had Brandon Anderson coming back in, so that boosted the squad.
“We knew we were in for a tough one up there but it was definitely a confidence boost beating them the week before. It was massive.”
And while the side is right in the hunt for a top-two finish that would give it a week off in the first round of the finals, the tight nature of the competition means that the Bombers could also fall out of the top six if they lose their remaining games against Bilambil and Northern United.
“If we were coming off two losses we’d be feeling a lot more under pressure,” said Williams.
“The boys have got a bit of confidence back with the two wins, we play at home this week against Bilambil. We’re even on points, so it’s one of those games where if we beat them, we jump ahead of them on the ladder, which is crucial.
“We definitely can’t sit back and say that we’ve already done it all. There are probably eight teams that can technically still make it. We’ll have to go out and do a job but I think the boys are confident.”
ROBERTS STEPS UP INTO BIG BOOTS
While the Bombers have impressed this season, they haven’t always done it easy, with team forced to fill some big gaps due to injuries and absences.
Indeed, one of the Bombers’ star performers in the second half of the season has actually been a fill-in playing out of position.
Normally a winger or centre, Zacharia Roberts has been a revelation at fullback following Michael Roberts’ mid-season departure to Northern United and with Connor Storck away for work.
“Probably in the last month his football has gone ahead in leaps and bounds,” said Williams.
“He’s been asked to play fullback in the last three games and he hasn’t played a lot of fullback before, but in a way it’s brought him ahead even further because he’s getting his hands on the ball.
“His carries are really good. I think two weeks ago he had 30 hit-ups, which is unbelievable. He’s not a small boy either, so he can definitely take it to them.”
Fullback isn’t the only hole the team has had to plug, with halfback and on-field leader Roy Bell having missed the last two games after breaking his jaw against Cudgen in round 13, forcing the Bombers to adapt.
“For one, his experience. But two, his game management, kicking game, is massive,” said Williams.
Following Bell’s injury, the Bombers have moved five-eighth Jordan Sly into halfback and put back-row/utility Jared Waters in the number six jersey.
“We’ve obviously had to change that up a bit. We had to pull Jared Waters into five-eighth. Jared can play anywhere really, but ideally he’d probably play in the forwards so that changes our structure a bit. But they’ve adapted well and the forwards have been doing their job,” said Williams.
“Early on in the game against Byron, it might have even been our first set, we trudged the whole length of the field on Byron. They’re a reasonably big side as well but we found good metres. Our forwards are doing a great job. And then obviously you can score tries if you’re up that other end, you give yourself a chance.”
RAIDERS CONTINUE GIANT-KILLING RUN
The Tweed Coast Raiders have further enhanced their reputation as the giant killers of the NRRRL after defeating local rivals Cudgen 22-12 at Les Burger Field.
The win put a huge dent in second-placed Cudgen’s quest to challenge for the minor premiership, with the defending premiers slipping three points behind Ballina.
While the victory over the Hornets was just the Raiders’ fourth win of the season, it continued a trend that has seen the side knock over some of the competition’s big guns.
Back in round seven Tweed Coast put an end to Byron Bay’s perfect start to the season by holding the then ladder-leaders to a 12-all draw, before beating the second-placed Red Devils 20-10 in round 14.
The Raiders also produced a huge shock by beating first-placed Ballina 26-16 in a stunning performance in round 12.
And while Cabarita side won’t play finals footy in 2024, it will be looking for a strong finish to the year when it takes on Murwillumbah and Kyogle in the last two rounds of the season.
ROUND 15 WRAP
There were plenty of fireworks in round 15 as the battle for the top six went up to another level with a couple of crucial fixtures over the weekend.
catch up with a wrap of the action below.
BALLINA GOES CLEAR AFTER COMEBACK WIN
Ballina has moved to within touching distance of its second-straight minor premiership after an excellent second half helped the side to a tense 22-18 victory over Marist Brothers at Kingsford Smith Park.
Down 12-0 at halftime and trailing for more than an hour of the contest, the young Seagulls side pulled off a remarkable comeback to put it three points clear at the top of the ladder with just two rounds remaining and claim the Denis Meaney Shield.
Buoyed by its nailbiting local derby win last weekend, Marist Brothers were quick out of the blocks and got off to a strong start when halfback Shallin Fuller put Henry Lee through a gap on the right edge, with the centre then finding Hezron Moses on his outside to score after just three minutes.
Ballina bounced back after conceding early and should have levelled things up a quarter of an hour in when half Hamish McClintock fed Anthony Colman through a gap, only for the skipper to drop the ball cold with the line begging.
While Ballina was winning the battle for field position, the team was struggling to convert that into points. Shortly after Fred Pitt dropped a McClintock cut-out ball with nothing but fresh air ahead of him to bomb the team’s second try of the afternoon.
The Rams then hit Ballina with the ultimate sucker punch late in the half. Working his way out of his own end, Fuller broke the line with a clever show and go, before passing to Jye Davis in support to give his side a 12-0 lead at the break.
Stunned by conceding a late try, Ballina was after a strong start to the second half and Colman provided just that by creating a try out of nothing two minutes after the restart.
Receiving the ball 30m out from the Marist line, the skipper ran over the top of Fuller and then stepped and powered past a couple more for an excellent solo try to get his side on the board.
Ballina was well on top and five minutes later the side cut the deficit to two with some intuitive second-phase footy to put Lachlan Offley over in the corner.
The Seagulls were coming home strong, however it was in fact Marist Brothers who struck next with one of the more fortuitous and spectacular tries seen in recent memory.
Receiving the ball 40m outside his own line on the last, Fuller was again in the thick of it as he put on a right-foot step to get past the chasing defenders before skipping out to the left and firing a ball over to Andrew Ferguson-Fitzgerald. Without too many options in front of him, the winger shanked an innocuous-looking high kick into the wind.
Remarkably, Ballina let the ball bounce, with the Rams somewhat fortuitously toeing the ball forward again with a kick that sat up perfectly for opposite winger Moses to race through and make it 18-10.
The Rams had skipped out to an eight-point lead but Ballina continued to grind away and struck again when young prop Will Bates charged over from close range to bring it back to 18-16 with 18 minutes remaining.
The Seagulls then stormed into the lead in the very next set with a stunning long-range try. With the team working its way out from its own end, hooker Michael Dwane spotted some sloppy marker defence and burst out of dummy-half to break the line.
With the fullback approaching, Dwane did well to slow down and find Liam Green on his outside, with the fullback running 40m down the right to finish the job. McClintock then slotted the conversion to make it 22-18 with 15 minutes remaining.
The try added to the tension as Marist Brothers threw the ball around in search of late points of their own while Ballina kicked to the corners to try and pin the Rams down in their own end.
With two minutes remaining Marist had a golden opportunity to try and steal the game at the death with a penalty and full set of six on the Seagulls’ line.
As the Rams shifted it to the left prop Sia Nemani was stopped just one metre short by three Ballina players. Marist then spread the ball to the right, and while Moses was unmarked on the wing, the Rams knocked it on under pressure from Ballina’s rushing defence and the Seagulls held on for a crucial victory.
The two points takes Ballina three clear at the top of the ladder with two games remaining, while the result puts an end to Marist Brothers’ unbeaten run as the team stays in fifth, two points clear of finals safety.
Ballina 22 (Colman, Offley, Bates, Green tries; McClintock three goals) defeated Marist Brothers 18 (Moses 2, Davis tries; Fuller two goals, Hawkins one goal)
EVANS COMPLETES BYRON DOUBLE
Evans Head has taken a huge step towards playing finals footy and condemned Byron Bay to a final fortnight shootout after prevailing 26-18 in a tense clash at Red Devil Park.
A dominant first half put the Bombers in an excellent position before Evans Head held off a late Byron comeback to record its second win over the Red Devils in as many weeks.
Both sides must have had a sense of deja vu four minutes in when Evans Head hooker Matthew Toole found a gaping hole in Byron’s goalline defence and dummied through for the first try of the match in what was a carbon copy of the final, match-sealing try in last weekend’s clash between the two sides.
A couple of minutes later the Bombers were in again after a one-on-one strip from Justin Shillingsworth caught Byron off guard as the backrower made a break up field. With the Red Devils’ defence all over the place, Evans shifted the ball right for Brandon Anderson to score in the corner.
The Bombers were running riot and shortly after they were in again when Jared Waters put Nemani Matirewa over to make it 14-0 after 16 minutes.
It was well and truly party time for Evans, with back-rower Brody Waters breaking the line with some nice footwork, before palming off another and showing enough speed to run 50m for the team’s fourth to extend the lead to 20.
It had been one-way traffic for much of the half but Byron gave themselves a chance just before the break when hooker Jesse Beauchamp dummied and scooted his way over from dummy-half to make it 20-4 at halftime.
The Red Devils had pulled one back late in the half, however the Bombers were the first to score after the restart when prop Aidan Kennedy crashed over from close range to put his side 22 points ahead.
Just when the game looked gone, Byron launched a comeback to lift the home crowd and get itself back in the game.
It started midway through the half when Beauchamp once again showed how dangerous he is out of dummy-half with a dummy and run to barge over for his second from close range.
The Red Devils enjoyed better field position and went in again when winger Kai Saric finished off a nice spread to the left. Unfortunately for Byron, wayward goalkicking meant the team still trailed 26-12 with 15 minutes remaining.
And while the team went over through Brett Kelly at the death, it proved to be too little, too late as the Bombers ran out eight-point winners for the second week in a row to move up to 20 competition points.
“It was crucial. It has probably hurt Byron a little bit and obviously we would have been in that same position if the roles were reversed,” said Evans Head football manager Nathan Williams.
“Getting that first win over them at home definitely paved the way for this week. We knew we had Kyle Kennedy back, he was suspended, plus we had Brandon Anderson coming back in, so that boosted the squad. We knew we were in for a tough one up there but it was definitely a confidence boost beating them the week before. It was massive.”
As for Byron, the loss – the team’s fourth in a row – leaves the side just one point ahead of seventh-placed Northern United and eight-placed Mullumbimby and puts it in a dogfight to make the semis with two crucial rounds of the regular season remaining.
Evans Head 26 (Toole, Anderson, Matirewa, Waters, Kennedy tries; Sly one, Gaiter two goals) defeated Byron Bay 18 (Beauchamp 2, Saric, Kelly tries; Farrell one goal)
10-TRY MULLUM HAMMERS KYOGLE
Mullumbimby has kept its finals hopes alive in emphatic fashion with a 52-10 hammering of Kyogle at Les Donnelly Field.
Prop Jyde Dwyer crossed for a hat-trick while both Tyrone Harding and Creedence Kelly Donovan bagged doubles as the Giants ran in 10 tries to move to within one point of the top six.
Entering the game fresh from a bye, Mullum came out of the blocks firing and Dwyer opened the scoring when he crashed over after eight minutes.
The powerful prop made it a double just a couple of minutes later with a damaging run that saw him break the line from 30m out and then show plenty of speed to sprint to the line and put the ball down in the corner.
After a tough start Kyogle got a look at Mullum’s line a quarter of an hour in with an attacking scrum 10m out. The Turkeys shifted the ball left and looked to have created an overlap before Giants winger Thomas Sowerby intercepted the final pass and ran 90m for the team’s third of the day and a 14-0 lead.
The rout continued on 28 minutes when a brilliant chip and chase from Kelly Donovan found space in behind the Turkeys’ line. The halfback regathered and then found Cody Nelson in support, who in turn passed the ball on to Tyrone Harding to score.
It was more or less the perfect start for Mullumbimby, however a little shine was taken off half an hour in after prop George Orry was sent to the sin bin for an overzealous reaction to a tackle on teammate Tommas Gibson.
Being one man down didn’t seem to affect the Giants though, with Dwyer once again proving to be too big and strong for the Kyogle defence to claim a first-half hat-trick and give the side a 26-0 lead at the break.
Unfortunately for the Turkeys, the momentum remained the same in the second half, with Sam Lewis crashing over from dummy-half eight minutes after the restart.
The try triggered another avalanche as the Giants marched up field in the next set to put Harding over for his second. Mullum then made it three tries in three sets when some nice hands saw Cooper Nelson speed through a gap.
In an attempt to try and win back the ball, Kyogle went for a short kick-off but put it out on the full. This gave the home side great field position once again, with Kelly Donovan making it a remarkable four tries in four sets after dummying and stepping through the line to make it 46-0 after just 57 minutes.
Things were looking ominous for Kyogle after conceding 20 points in nine minutes, however the team bounced back shortly after when some good kick pressure forced an error and allowed forward Oscar Kennett to crash over for the Turkeys’ first of the afternoon.
Kyogle then made it two in row a couple of minutes later when a charge from Joshua Beech got the team up field and a spread to the left put winger Brock Westerman over in the corner to make it 46-10.
While the points had flowed in the first hour of the game, the Turkeys showed plenty of resolve in the final quarter to turn away Mullumbimby’s attacks and make their own breaks up field.
However despite Kyogle’s best efforts, Kelly Donovan burst through the line late to run 80m for his second and put a cherry on top of a huge win for the Giants.
The win takes Mullumbimby to 16 competition points, just one behind sixth-placed Byron Bay, while the margin of victory provided the side with a big boost to its points difference as the fight for finals spots looks likely to go down to the wire.
Mullumbimby 52 (Dwyer 3, Harding 2, Kelly Donovan 2, Sowerby, Lewis, Nelson tries; six goals) defeated Kyogle 10 (Kennett, Westerman tries; Walker one goal)
RAIDERS STUN HORNETS IN TWEED DERBY
Tweed Coast has continued its late-season charge and in the process severely damaged local rival Cudgen’s hopes of challenging for the minor premiership after defeating the Hornets 22-12 in a Tweed derby clash at Les Burger Field.
Centre Darcy Earle bagged a hat-trick while four penalty goals to Riley Lack helped the Raiders pull away from Cudgen to chalk up the team’s fourth win of the season.
While Cudgen had set the competition alight in recent weeks with big wins over finals contenders Evans Head and Murwillumbah, it was Tweed Coast who started strongly and took an early two-point lead after receiving a penalty for a dangerous lifting tackle.
That two then became six midway through the half when skipper Daniel Ross snuck his nose through the line and offloaded to Earle, who powered his way over in the corner.
Cudgen had been tearing teams apart in recent weeks, however the Raiders were doing well to contain their rivals’ threats and put pressure back on the defending premiers.
This pressure then turned into more points in the 34th minute when some nice second-phase footy and a lucky bounce helped Earle cross for his second to give the side a 12-0 lead at the break.
Cudgen had been second best in the first 40 and sought to turn it around shortly after the restart. A couple of strong charges got the team up field before prop Luke Toon brushed off some would-be defenders to crash over next to the sticks in just the 43rd minute.
The Hornets were enjoying more possession and better field position but Tweed Coast was showing plenty of steel in defence, with the Raiders pushing Joel Hare into touch as the Cudgen centre looked to dive over in the corner 12 minutes after the restart.
Tweed Coast was frustrating Cudgen with its defence and the side went up the other end to put on more points in the 58th minute when a nice spread to the left and charging run from Earle saw the centre send Hornets halfback Harvey Moase flying and crash over for his hat-trick to make it 16-6.
Unfortunately for the home side a mistake directly from the kick-off invited Cudgen down into its end once more and the Hornets took full advantage as Jett Forbes collected his own grubber to score a nice try and make it a four-point ball game.
While Cudgen kept attacking the Tweed Coast line, a string of penalties released the pressure value on the Raiders and saw the team edge away once again.
The first came 16 minutes from time after a high shot on skipper Daniel Ross. Then when Riley Lack was hit late after putting up a mid-field bomb, the halfback slotted the goal to put his side up 20-12 with seven minutes remaining. Another penalty for a ruck infringement at the death allowed Lack to slot another goal and hand his side a 10-point win.
While the victory didn’t do anything for the 11th-placed Raiders’ finals hopes, it did put a huge dent in Cudgen’s chances of challenging Ballina for the minor premiership. The Hornets are now three points behind the Seagulls and have been drawn into a three-way logjam on 20 competition points with two rounds of the regular season remaining.
Tweed Coast 22 (Earle 3 tries; Lack five goals) defeated Cudgen 12 (Toon, Forbes tries; Moase two goals)
NORTHERN KEEPS SEASON ALIVE
Northern United has kept its season alive and in the process all but ended Murwillumbah’s hopes of playing finals footy after a comprehensive 40-14 victory over the Mustangs at Crozier Field.
Former NRL stars Tyrone and James Roberts starred for the Dirawongs with three tries between them as Northern bounced back from last week’s last-gasp loss to Marist Brothers to move just one point behind sixth-placed Byron Bay.
In a clash between two teams coming into the round level on 14 points and with it all to play for, the home side started brighter as back-rower Tayden Hickling showed plenty of athleticism to leap high and outjump Murwillumbah’s outside backs to catch a Tyrone Roberts bomb and score after just three minutes.
The Dirawongs then crossed for their second 18 minutes in when a nice offload by Theo Hippi and clever work from young fullback Jakequan Roberts Welsh put James Roberts over out wide for a 12-0 lead.
Murwillumbah was in need of something and hooker Brandon Ewing duly provided a spark 24 minutes in. With the team working its way out of its own line, Ewing sold the Northern defence with a dummy to break the line before passing off to Matt Bollard in support to cap off the 90m effort.
A Northern error shortly after gave the Mustangs another chance, with centre Jake Vickery muscling his way over from close range to suddenly make it 12-10.
However just as Mur’bah got itself back in the game Northern United struck again with its next use of the football, with half Desmond Ferguson putting James Roberts through a hole on the right edge and ‘Jimmy the Jet’ turning the ball inside to his cousin Tyrone Roberts to score under the sticks.
The try proved to be somewhat of a turning point, as the Mustangs dropped a bomb in the next set and Roberts dummied his way over two plays later to complete a quick-fire double and give his side a 24-10 lead at halftime.
The Dirawongs had all the momentum going into the break and carried that out into the second half, with winger Reshawn Brown crossing just five minutes after the restart.
Leading 28-10, Northern United started to bring out the razzle dazzle, with Theo Hippi leaping high to take a Roberts bomb to score, before Roberts Welsh showed electric speed to burst through the line late on before putting in a perfect grubber for Alistair Faulkner to finish off a wonderful try.
And while Vickery scored his second for Murwillumbah after the bell, Northern United ran out comfortable winners with a crucial victory that saw the side remain in seventh and move just one point behind Byron Bay, who are scheduled to play on Sunday.
As for Murwillumbah, after an excellent mid-season run that saw the side go six games unbeaten, back-to-back defeats now makes it incredibly unlikely that the Mustangs will qualify for finals footy in 2024.
Northern United 40 (T Roberts 2, J Roberts, Hickling, Brown, Hippi, Faulkner tries; Ferguson six goals) defeated Murwillumbah 14 (Vickery 2, Bollard tries; Hill one goal)
CASINO DOWN LOWER IN HIGH-SCORING SHOOTOUT
Casino has bounced back from two straight losses and once again demonstrated how much the team has improved in 2024 after coming from behind to pull off a 40-24 victory over Lower Clarence at Queen Elizabeth Park.
Trailing 20-6 late in the first half, the Cougars put on a scintillating display of attacking footy either side of the break to surge to the lead and ultimately take the two points in the seesawing clash.
After a 32-18 victory in round 12, the result secured Casino’s double over the Magpies in 2024, which reversed the head-to-head record between the two sides last season when Lower claimed two wins from their two clashes.
The Cougars started brightly and crossed first when lock Peter Dagi crashed over from close range inside the first five minutes.
Lower hit back shortly after when Christian Whittaker got on the end of a clever grubber from Vincent Williams to score.
A penalty directly after the kick-off sent the Magpies up field again, with Williams then putting on a nice blindside play from an attacking scrum to go in himself and put his side ahead.
Another Casino error coming out from its own end gave Lower another golden opportunity and a smart short ball from Luke Douglas put Joshua Hippi go over for his side’s third try in 10 minutes.
The Magpies weren’t done, and Hippi crossed for his second and his team’s fourth straight try on 27 minutes after Casino allowed a Williams bomb to bounce, with the visitors streaking out to a 20-6 lead.
Despite dominating the game, Lower gave away a couple of cheap penalties to give Casino a piggyback up field. From the ensuring set Casino’s Nic Morrissey broke through some soft defence to pull one back for his side.
The try triggered a swing in momentum as Billy Opa sliced through for an easy four-pointer a couple of minutes later. Then when Tim Torrens took advantage of Lower’s inability to catch a Waylon Caldwell bomb to swoop through to score late in the half, the Cougars themselves had scored three in 10 minutes themselves and remarkably took a 24-20 lead into the break.
Compounding its poor finish to the first half, Lower started the second half in a similar fashion, allowing the kick-off to go dead in-goal to hand over possession from the outset.
The Cougars duly took advantage of the opportunity, with Dagi barging over for his second of the evening.
Casino continued its advantage early in the second half when Connor Lynes burrowed over from dummy-half. And while the game had seen both sides have their moments in the ascendancy, the Cougars had skipped out to a crucial 36-20 lead with half an hour to play.
And while Lower pulled one back through Callan Hollis shortly after, the sharp goalkicking of Casino fullback Eddie Walker-Williams – combined with the Magpies’ kicking difficulties – saw the Cougars enjoy a 36-24 lead despite having scored just one additional try.
Lower Clarence was given some hope of pulling off a comeback when Casino’s Dagi was sent off for a swinging arm tackle with 13 minutes to play, however the Magpies just couldn’t crack the defensive line.
The Cougars then put the cherry on top at the death when Caldwell put Lynes over for his second in the corner with a bullet-like cut-out ball to seal the win.
While the team remains in 10th, Casino’s return of five wins and one draw has seen the side consolidate its place as one of the most improved teams in 2024. Meanwhile for Lower, the team remains locked in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon with two rounds remaining.
Casino 40 (Dagi 2, Lynes 2, Morrissey, Opa, Torrens tries; Walker-Williams six goals) defeated Lower Clarence 24 (Hippi 2, Whittaker, Williams, Hollis tries; Williams two goals)
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