Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League: Wrap, results, gallery, talking points from round seven
A very different-looking ladder has emerged after a disrupted start to the season, while one incredible stat has highlighted one team’s utter domination during round seven.
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Round seven certainly wasn’t one for the faint-hearted in the NRRRL, with some late drama deciding a couple of nailbiting games over the weekend.
In one fixture, teams threw out the form guide in a hard-fought draw, while in another one of the competition heavyweights showed why they are so hard to beat with a stunning comeback.
Elsewhere, a couple of big guns flexed their muscles with some impressive performances.
Catch up with some of the top talking points, a wrap of the action and a collection of the best photos from Northern United’s and Casino’s home games below.
TABLE FLIPPED ON ITS HEAD
It might have been a disrupted start to the season with multiple teams only having played a handful of games, but a very different-looking competition ladder is starting to take shape in first grade following round seven.
Byron Bay, who finished eighth last season to miss the finals, are sitting clear at the top on nine points with an unbeaten record of four wins and a draw from its five games. The Red Devils have been incredibly impressive so far this season, knocking off the likes of the highly rated Northern United and Mullumbimby sides to take top spot.
Then in arguably the biggest surprise, Casino is sitting second on seven points, with the Cougars having impressed with a record of two wins, one draw, one loss and one bye from its four games. It is a far cry from the Casino teams of recent years, with the Cougars winning just two games in 2023 to finish second last on the ladder.
Behind the top two sits a quartet of competition heavyweights, with Northern United, Bilambil, Ballina and Cudgen all locked on six points.
Interestingly, the Seagulls remain the only team with a perfect record so far, having won all three of its games.
Meanwhile at the other end of the table, last year’s seventh-placed Tweed Coast and 2023 finalists Lower Clarence remain without a win in what has been a tough start to the season.
NORTHERN UTD’S FAST START
Arguably the most impressive team during round seven was Northern United, who piled on 12 tries to hammer Lower Clarence 60-22 at Oakes Oval.
And while the final scoreline was impressive, its was the Dirawongs’ fast start to the game that really blew the Magpies out of the water.
Receiving the ball from the kick-off, Northern scored in the very first set when a Tyrone Roberts bomb bounced fortuitously into the hands of his halves partner Wally Kelly.
It was utter domination in the early stages as the Dirawongs went back-to-back in the very next set when Damon Coldwell scored in the corner, with Lower having the wait seven minutes before they even got their hands on the football.
And while the Magpies scored in their first use of the ball, it was merely a temporary reprieve as Northern took complete control of the contest.
At the 14-minute mark Lower had only been tackled with the ball twice, while it took until the 30th minute of the game for the side to remarkably get a kick away and complete its full set of six.
In a stark contrast, Northern United completed 14 of its 17 sets in the first half while the Magpies had finished off just three from eight.
Unsurprisingly, this dominance in possession was translated onto the scoreboard, with Northern United running in seven tries in the first half to take a 40-6 lead into the break.
JETS FIRING UP
In addition to Northern United, Bilambil was one of the most impressive teams over the weekend as the Jets overcame an early 12-point deficit to beat Marist Brothers 44-12.
The victory took the Jets’ record to two wins and a loss from its opening three games as Bilambil warms into the season.
Following a disappointing 22-12 first-up loss to Evans Head, the Jets have bounced back with big wins over Murwillumbah (36-6) and the Rams (44-12), who had previously been impressive in their start to the season.
The team will look to continue its hot run against a strong Northern United side this weekend in what looms as the match of the round.
RAIDERS NOT GETTING BOUNCE OF THE BALL
As the old saying goes: sometimes the bounce of the ball does – or doesn’t – go your way.
And for the Tweed Coast Raiders, there’s a fair argument to suggest that the ball certainly isn’t bouncing their way at the moment, with the team conceding two tries after high balls took wicked turns in its 12-all draw with ladder leaders Byron Bay.
The first was on the stroke of halftime when a Harvey Whiteley midfield bomb was allowed to bounce, with the ball kicking on to evade three Tweed Coast players as Byron’s Jesse Beauchamp ran through and won the race to score.
And then 15 minutes into the second half Red Devils’ five-eighth Jack Rogers found green space with another high ball that once again took a dangerous turn to allow Byron to toe the ball through and score its second try.
“That’s the frustrating thing: in all of our games we’ve had two tries (conceded) off kicks, so structurally and in scrambling our defence is really good. We just clock off for a couple of minutes and good teams penalise you,” said Raiders backrower Owen Fredericks.
While the draw with the ladder leaders was a positive result, Tweed Coast remains winless so far this season after losing its opening three games.
“We just can’t put together 80 minutes,” said Fredericks. “On the weekend it was very promising but we just haven’t made it work yet. It’s frustrating because in the trials we played so well.
“In every game we’ve averaged eight errors and six penalties in the first half, which is obviously not good enough. We know we can play good footy and we’ve done that for 10- or 15-minute periods, but we’re trying to train hard and to fix that and continue to improve.”
ROUND SEVEN WRAP
Local footy returned from some wet weather over the weekend as round seven of the NRRRL was played. Five of the six first grade fixtures were played, as Mullumbimby’s clash with Evans Head the only one to fall victim to the weather.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
BALLINA DOWNS MUSTANGS WITH STUNNING COMEBACK
A stunning late comeback has helped Ballina to a thrilling 26-22 victory over Murwillumbah at a very windy Kingsford Smith Park.
Trailing 22-8 with just over 15 minutes remaining, the Seagulls remarkably scored three tries in the final stages to snatch the win and keep their unbeaten start to the season alive.
Perhaps even more remarkably, the comeback started as the Mustangs were looking to deliver a knockout blow.
Attacking the Seagulls’ line, Murwillumbah put the ball through the hands in search of a try, only for Ballina back-rower Anthony Colman to intercept a pass and then show plenty of speed to run 95m to score. Goalkicker Jared Lofts then slotted the conversion to make it 22-14.
If the Seagulls got slightly lucky with the intercept, then their next try was arguably even more fortuitous.
Kicking against a strong wind, Mustangs halfback Kade Hill put up a midfield bomb that got caught in the breeze. While Ballina allowed the ball to bounce, Murwillumbah knocked the ball back, but only as far as a Seagulls player.
In the ensuing tackle the ball then spilled onto the ground, with Jake Petty picking up the loose ball and passing off to flying Ballina centre Liam Green, who sped around the Mustangs’ defence and stepped past winger Zach Johnston to run 70m and score under the sticks.
Suddenly the scores were 22-20 and Ballina thought they were over in the very next set when Carl Lolohea crossed, only for the referee to pull the play back for a knock-on.
The momentum was all with Ballina and as the game went into the final minutes a clutch play from half Jared Lofts forced a line drop-out. The Seagulls were knocking on the door as Reece Summer was held up over the line, only for fellow young prop Will Bates to crash over two plays later to seal the dramatic win with just a couple of minutes remaining.
It was a thrilling end to what had been somewhat of a frenetic game, with five tries scored in the opening half an hour as the Mustangs had the better of the first half.
Lock Connor Kirkwood scored one, five-eighth Aaron Booth a double and Hill kicked two penalty goals to put the side 14 points clear and seemingly in touching distance of its second win of the season.
However the Seagulls showed just how dangerous they are with a stunning comeback to extend their record to three from three for the season.
Ballina 26 def Murwillumbah 22
NORTHERN PUT ON CLINIC IN LOWER DEMOLITION
Northern United has issued a warning to the rest of the competition after demolishing Lower Clarence 60-22 at Oakes Oval.
Some magic from former NRL stars Tyrone and James Roberts helped the Dirawongs lay on an incredible 12 tries to four in what is the most points scored by one team in a match so far this season.
The rout started before the Magpies had even touched the ball, with Tyrone Roberts putting up a bomb in the first set of the game that landed in no man’s land, before the ball took a wicked bounce over Lower fullback Nathan Hollis’ head and then sat up perfectly for oncoming Dirawongs five-eighth Wally Kelly to sweep through and score after just one minute of play.
Northern was at it again with its next use of the football as a penalty helped the team up field and a spread to the left put winger Damon Coldwell over in the corner for a 12-0 lead inside six minutes.
Remarkably seven minutes of play had passed before Lower even got their hands on the footy. But when they did they made it count straight away, with forward Cody Walker charging over with just the team’s second charge of the ball.
The try was only a temporary reprieve, however, as Tyrone Roberts showed how dangerous his running game is with a try in the 11th minute before another to Coldwell put the Dirawongs up 22-6 inside 20 minutes.
Former Origin centre James Roberts wasn’t going to let his cousin steal all the limelight with a fantastic piece of anticipation midway through the half.
With Lower attacking Northern’s line, ‘Jimmy the Jet’ read that a long ball was coming from dummy-half so he sprung up quickly off the line to intercept the ball and then ran 95m to score.
His try was one of seven in the first 40 as the Dirawongs were keeping up the clock to chalk up a 40-6 halftime lead.
The former Origin centre was at it again early in the second, breaking from the back of a scrum, drawing in two defenders and then getting a beautiful flick pass away for young winger Luke Simpson to complete his double.
And while Lower managed to rally and cross for three tries in the second half, they were merely consolation efforts as Northern ran in five more of their own to finish 60-22 victors.
Northern United 60 def Lower Clarence 22
CASINO DOWN KYOGLE IN LOCAL DERBY
Casino has surged into second place on the ladder after an eight-minute blitz late in the first half helped the team to a 26-10 victory over local rivals Kyogle at Queen Elizabeth Park.
The Cougars overcame a slow start and the loss of a man to the sin bin to ensure that it was a happy old boys’ day for the home side as they continued their strong start to the season.
Despite being forced to defend its own line several times in the early stages, Kyogle showed plenty of spark with the ball in hand as a nice break through the middle and kick over the top almost saw the team score in the seventh minute.
They did however cross five minutes later when prop Joshua Beech took advantage of some sloppy goal line defence to charge over and put his side up 4-0.
The Turkeys were piling on the pressure and went close to doubling their lead a few minutes later when winger Harry Waddington was caught just short of the line.
Kyogle was also frustrating Casino in defence, with fullback Oliver Regan pulling off three brilliant legs tackles on separate occasions to halt three Cougars’ line breaks.
And while the visitors were able to hold out for half an hour, Casino finally broke through when halfback Waylon Caldwell put back-rower Thomas Walker through a gap on the left edge to even things up at 4-all.
It was the start of a blistering eight-minute spell for the Cougars, who marched up field from the kick-off and scored through Harrison Cusack in the very next set.
The home side then ensured they went into halftime on a high after a brilliant long-range effort on the bell. Attacking on the left edge, Caldwell put Gairo Kapana into space with a nice cut-out ball, before the winger found Tyrhys Williams in support to cap off an excellent 70m try and give the side a 16-4 lead at the break.
On top for much of the first half, Kyogle would have felt the scoreline wasn’t a true reflection of the game going into the sheds and the team hit back nine minutes into the second when five-eighth Ryan Walker went on a weaving run that bamboozled and beat six defenders to score and bring the scoreline back to 16-10.
Things then got even more interesting midway through the half when Casino hooker Billy Opa was sent to the sin bin for a dangerous lifting tackle.
But despite being a man down, Casino crossed just a couple of minutes later, with a Nick Morrissey offload and Harrison Cusack cut-out ball putting Luke Barnett over in the corner. Eddie Walker-Williams then slotted the conversion from the sideline to stretch the lead out to 22-10.
Kyogle’s frustration boiled over when back-rower Kaleb Dorsman was sent to the sin bin for dissent. Casino then added to the disappointment by putting the ball through six sets of hands with a spread from right to left to put Kapana over in the corner and seal the victory.
Casino 26 def Kyogle 10
TWEED COAST, BYRON SHARE SPOILS
The Tweed Coast Raiders have flipped the form guide by holding competition leaders Byron Bay to a thrilling 12-all draw at Les Burger Field.
In a match between the undefeated Red Devils and winless Raiders, the home side scored a late try, slotted a conversion from the sideline and even had a chance to snatch victory at the end of what was a pulsating contest.
After kicking off their campaign with three straight losses, Tweed Coast started strongly and scored first when Brayden Evans found a rampaging Zion Kamana on the edge, who burst through a tackle to charge over.
The Raiders’ defence was frustrating Byron as the table-topping Red Devils struggled for fluency in the first half an hour.
The home side looked like going into the sheds with a lead until Byron struck right on halftime. The Raiders made the mistake of allowing a Harvey Whiteley midfield bomb to bounce, with the ball taking a dangerous turn to evade the Tweed Coast fullback as Byron’s Jesse Beauchamp ran through and won the race to score. Jack Rogers then kicked the extras to lock things up at 6-all at the break.
The high ball proved to be a dangerous weapon for the Red Devils and they went to sky again 15 minutes into the second half, with another big midfield bomb, this time from Rogers, once again wreaking havoc.
Just like in the first half, the bomb was allowed to find green space, with a wicked bounce allowing Byron’s winger to toe the ball forward for teammate Jay Baker to score and surge ahead 12-6.
Tweed Coast pushed to equalise and the team’s job was given a boost with just five minutes to go when Byron centre Clarence Kelly was sent to the sin bin for a swinging arm on Raiders back-rower Owen Fredericks.
Tweed Coast took full advantage of the overlap as two plays later the Raiders crossed in the corner to make it 12-10. Brayden Evans then drained a conversion from the sideline to lock things up with two minutes to go.
Tweed Coast made great yards up field and when Byron was penalised for holding on in the tackle, the Raiders found touch deep into Byron’s half and had a great chance to try and steal the win. However with the clocking down, Evans’ field goal attempt fell well short to ensure the points were shared.
Tweed Coast 12 drew with Byron Bay 12
JETS PUT ON AFTERBURNERS TO HAMMER RAMS
Bilambil has shown that it has well and truly clicked into gear in this year’s competition with an impressive 44-12 thumping of Marist Brothers.
After a first-up loss to Evans Head and strong 36-6 victory over Murwillumbah, the Jets played some scintillating football as they overcame a slow start to pile on 44 unanswered points in the win.
While Bilambil finished strong, it was Marist Brothers who came out of the blocks firing as a Mitchell Krause double put the Rams up 12-0 inside the opening six minutes.
However the Jets worked their way into the game, with hooker Tom Rowles putting dummy-half Jacob Hind over after a quarter of an hour and a raid down the right three minutes later locking things up at 12-all.
Suddenly the momentum was all with Bilambil, and when Kalani Hensby crossed in the 27th minute after a nice break from Caleb Nicholls, the Jets were up 18-12.
The home side then extended its lead on the stroke of halftime when a crusher tackle allowed Alex Fitzhugh to kick a penalty goal and give the side a 20-12 lead at the break.
While the first half was an arm-wrestle, it was all one-way traffic in the second, with the Jets piling on five unanswered tries to well and truly run away with the match.
The pick of the bunch arguably came in the 66th minute when long-range specialist Reiven Smallman created another one for the highlights reel.
Receiving the ball just a couple of metres out from his own line, the winger showed incredible speed to burn past the Rams defenders on the outside before running 95m down the left touchline to score a spectacular try.
The victory is Bilambil’s second from three starts, while the heavy defeat is a reality check for Marist Brothers, who had made an impressive start to the season and now hold a record of two wins, two losses and one draw from its five games.
Bilambil 44 def Marist Brothers 12
PHOTO GALLERY
Northern United v Lower Clarence at Oakes Oval
Casino v Kyogle at Queen Elizabeth Park
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