Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League: results, standouts, takeaways from round seven

One club put on an epic performance in all grades, another really turned it on for their fans, while blistering starts proved critical during round seven of the NRRRL.

There were points galore during round seven of the NRRRL, with one club putting on an incredible display in all grades and another turning it on for their fans at home during an exciting weekend of football.

Elsewhere, blistering starts proved critical in key match-ups, while one club breathed a huge sigh of relief after a last-minute thriller.

ROUND SIX: all the action and key takeaways

LOWER CLARENCE: NRL star has Magpies flying

Catch up with the key takeaways and a wrap of the action with the NRRRL Seven-Tackle Set.

1) Big guns flex their muscles

It certainly was a weekend for some of the competition’s big guns, who piled on the points during round seven.

At New Park, Ballina scored 12 tries in their 66-6 victory over Kyogle, with Hamish McClintock and Liam Green both scoring hat-tricks and Tim Cassidy bagging a double.

Meanwhile Bilambil bounced back last weekend’s loss to Northern United in style, scoring 10 four-pointers of their own in the 60-4 victory over Mullumbimby. Hayden Hansen bagged a hat-trick for the Jets, while Oliver Regan was in fine form with the boot, kicking 10 from 10.

The Seagulls remain in first place with seven wins from seven, while the Jets are just two points behind in second.

2) Jets put on epic display

It was a particularly dominant performance by Bilambil, who made it a clean sweep of the Giants in all four grades.

All up, they won the day with a combined points total of 222 to 14.

The Jets’ league tag team kicked off the rout with a 60-0 victory in the morning. This was then followed by a 40-10 win in the under-18s and a 62-0 victory in reserve grade, with the first grade side putting the icing on the cake with a 66-6 win.

3) McClintock piles on the points

One name in particular certainly kept the scorekeepers busy on the weekend, and that was Ballina’s Hamish McClintock.

The young half had a field day against the Turkeys, scoring a hat-trick and kicking nine goals for a personal tally of 30 points.

The haul saw him maintain top spot on the NRRRL point-scorer’s table with 86 points, 20 ahead of Bilambil’s Regan in second and a whopping 44 clear of Brandon Anderson of Evans Head in third.

McClintock is also closing in on the try-scorer’s leaderboard. He is currently in second place with eight tries, three behind Anderson who leads the pack.

4) Magpies turn it on for their fans

The Lower Clarence Magpies put on an excellent first half performance. Photo: Lower Clarence Magpies RLFC

Saturday certainly was a great day if you were a Lower Clarence fan, with the Magpies putting on a five-star first half to defeat Byron Bay 28-14 in Yamba.

Lower blew the Red Devils off the park in the opening 40 minutes, scoring five tries to take a 28-0 lead into the break.

The victory was the Magpies’ fourth of the season, and was done even more impressively without their captain-coach Luke Douglas.

The team is currently in fifth position on the ladder with a record of four wins and three losses.

The strong start to the season is even more impressive considering that the club was forced to pull out of the first grade competition last season due to a lack of players, having recorded zero wins in the first seven rounds.

5) Key periods prove critical

The Magpies weren’t the only team to come out of the blocks firing on the weekend, with Tweed Coast blowing Marist Brothers off the park with a blistering opening spell.

The Raiders scored four tries in the first 16 minutes to take a commanding 22-0 lead against the Rams, who never came back from the damage, ultimately losing by 24 points.

Northern United also prevailed after winning the key moments in their clash with Murwillumbah.

The scores were locked at 16-all early in the second half after the Mustangs had scored either side of the break.

And while the visitors had all the momentum, the Dirawongs once again took control of the match by scoring three consecutive tries to run out 34-22 winners.

6) Bombers finally win a close one

The Bombers prevailed 17-16 against Cudgen. Photo: supplied.

There were more than a few sighs of relief at Stan Payne Oval on Saturday when Evans Head defeated Cudgen 17-16 in a thriller.

A late Trevor Bolt field goal sealed the win for the Bombers, who finally prevailed in a close match.

Indeed, while the side has only three wins to its name so far this season, it could have been a different story, with Evans Head losing a string of close encounters in what has been a testing start to the season.

It started in round two when the team lost 26-22 to competition leaders Ballina, before they fell 22-14 in a tight match against defending premier Bilambil.

The tough run continued the following week when they were edged out 30-26 by Murwillumbah, before going down to Tweed Coast 24-18 last weekend.

The Bombers will be delighted with the two points against Cudgen, and will enjoy the bye before taking on Marist Brothers in a fortnight.

7) Marist Brothers looking for a spark

As for Marist Brothers, they will be looking to rebound against Cudgen this weekend after slumping to their fifth-straight loss on Sunday.

The Rams went down to Tweed Coast 44-20 at Oakes Oval, with defence once again the issue as the team leaked eight tries in the loss.

It has been a disappointing opening seven rounds for the Lismore-based team, who have recorded five losses on the trot after opening their season with back-to-back wins against Kyogle and Casino.

While they have been down on troops, the Lismore-based team will be hoping for much more defensive steel when they travel to Ned Byrne Oval to take on the Hornets this Sunday.

Round seven wrap

A very late field goal was needed to decide one thriller, one of the competition’s biggest surprise packets kept rolling on while there were points galore as some of the big guns clicked during a hugely entertaining round seven of the NRRRL.

The round kicked off with Saturday triple-header, with Evans Head hosting Cudgen, Lower Clarence facing off against Byron Bay and Northern welcoming Murwillumbah.

Then on Sunday Bilambil travelled to Mullumbimby, Kyogle hosted Ballina and Marist Brothers took on Tweed Coast in Sunday’s matches.

Catch up with a wrap of the round below.

Bombers sink Hornets in thriller

Evans Head have recorded a much needed win, with a late Trevor Bolt field goal giving his side a tight 17-16 victory over Cudgen at Stan Payne Oval.

After losing a series of games by tight margins, the Bombers prevailed in a seesawing match that saw the lead change multiple times.

The Hornets got off to quite possibly the worst start, with utility Rex Johnson injured inside the first four minutes. The situation got worse on 10 minutes. The Bombers were held up over the line but Cudgen centre Levi Harm was off-side and subsequently sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes.

The Bombers took advantage in the very next set, with some smart work from Matthew Toole and Bolt down the blind side putting Torben Milton over exactly where Harm would have been defending for a 4-0 lead.

Cudgen responded from the difficult start with a couple of moments of brilliance from Andrew Battese putting the Hornets on the scoreboard.

Five minutes before halftime the hooker put in an excellent 40/20 kick from dummy half to put his team on the attack. He then finished off the job in the ensuing set, diving over from dummy half to score. Harvey Moase then added the extras to give the side a 6-4 lead into halftime.

It was a game of fine margins, with Zach Roberts held up over the line for the Bombers a couple of minutes after the break, only for Cudgen to go down the other end of the field and score when Zac Blattner dummied from hooker and charged over from close range to make it 12-4.

The Bombers knew they needed to be the next to score, and on 55 minutes they did just that, with Milton crashing over for his second after a spread from right to left.

The home side then retook the lead with 15 minutes to go.

Attacking the Cudgen line, a Roy Bell grubber was knocked on by the Hornets, the ball came back to the Bombers, who spread it wide for Milton, who stepped back inside to evade the defence to claim his hat-trick. Bolt then added the extras to make the scores 16-12.

The visitors weren’t with yet though, with Cudgen crossing through Nick Andreas in the corner with eight minutes to go to lock things up at 16-all. Lining up from the sideline with the sun in his eyes, Moase kicked wide to leave the scores level.

From here it was a frantic shootout from both sides. Cudgen looked certain to score down the left wing again with a couple of minutes to go, however the final pass was knocked down by the Bombers to save a certain try.

Then, in what proved to be a telling moment in the match, the Hornets knocked the ball on coming out of their own end, which gave the Bombers a late chance.

Playing the ball 15 metres out from the Cudgen line with two minutes to go, the Bombers passed it back to Trevor Bolt, who chipped the ball over to give his side a dramatic 17-16 win.

Evans Head 17 (Milton 3 tries; Bolt two goals; Bolt field goal) def Cudgen 16 (Battese, Blattner, Andreas tries; Moase two goals)

Magpies keep rolling on

Lower Clarence has continued its strong run of recent form with a 28-14 victory over Byron Bay in Yamba.

It was total domination in a five-star first half from the Magpies, who scored five tries to nil in the opening 40 minutes to set up the win.

Coming off an impressive win over Murwillumbah last weekend, the Lower got off to the perfect start when a scuffed Byron Bay kick landed at the feet of halfback Vincent Williams. He picked the ball up and then passed found Caleb Williams, who ran 60 metres to score in the corner in just the second minute.

Williams was in for his second five minutes later after some nice work from fullback Liam Foster to give the side a 10-0 lead.

Lachlan Barnes was the next to score for the home side, burrowing over from close range midway through the half, before the party really got going with a length-of-the-field try with 15 to go in the half.

Byron Bay were on the attack, however the Red Devils knocked on a Todd Carney cross field bomb. Picking the ball up on his own goal line, Grant Brown then scooted down the right sideline before finding winger Craig Mercy Bushell, who finished off the job by running 60 metres to score under the sticks, much to the delight of the home fans.

The Magpies then capped off a near-perfect first half two minutes later when some nice play down the left edge from Vincent Williams, Foster and Caleb Williams saw backrower Cooper Many score to give his side an incredible 28-0 lead going into the break.

The Red Devils needed to come out with a better attitude from the break and they did just that, with Blake Cleary crashing over from close range after just a couple of minutes.

Five minutes they crossed again, with a nice grubber putting centre James Whitby over to make the scores 28-8.

The Red Devils then crossed for their third try in 15 minutes when Josh French, however the Magpies closed out the match and ran out 28-14 winners.

Lower Clarence 28 (Caleb Williams 2, Barnes, Mercy Bushell, Many tries; Brown four goals) def Byron Bay 14 (Cleary, Whitby, French tries; French one goal)

Dirawongs outgun Mustangs

Northern United has kept pace with the competition leaders following a 34-22 victory over Murwillumbah at Clifford Park in Lismore.

Clarence Kelly bagged a hat-trick for the home side, who scored three unanswered tries in a crucial period in the second half to seal the win.

Northern United started strongly, with Theo Hippi crossing in just the third minute after picking up the scraps from a cross field bomb.

The lead was stretched to 10 points after 15 minutes when Murwillumbah knocked on an attacking grubber and Dave Jacky pounced on the loose ball to score.

However the Mustangs hit back midway through the first half with some nice work down the right edge putting Danyon Wise over in the corner to make it 10-4.

The teams then traded tries late in the half, with Kelly scoring from a Hakeem Torrens grubber and Jordan Best crossing for Murwillumbah to leave the scores at 16-10 at halftime.

The Mustangs struck again early in the second half and levelled things up at 16-all just when a nice cut-out ball to the right found Matt Bollard, who did well to bounce off a defender and score.

While the away side had all the momentum, Northern asserted their control once again and took the game away from the visitors with three consecutive tries to seal the match.

The first came in the 48th minute thanks to that Torrens-Kelly combination once again, with a grubber from the five-eighth pounced on by Kelly to give the Dirawongs a six-point lead.

Then with 20 minutes to go came the try of the match. Dirawongs fullback Hezakiah McKenzie made a break from deep inside his own half before finding Kelly for his hat-trick to make scores 28-16.

The home side then sealed the win with seven to go when Tim Torrens won the race to jump on a McKenzie grubber.

The Mustangs scored a late consolation try through Bollard, however the Dirawongs ran out 34-22 winners, for what was their fifth victory from six games.

Northern United 34 (Kelly 3, Hippi, Jacky, Torrens tries; Ferguson five goals) def Murwillumbah 22 (Bollard 2, Best, Wise tries; Peisley three goals)

Jets hammer the Giants

Bilambil has bounced back from the disappointment of last week’s defeat to Northern United in emphatic style with a 60-4 victory over Mullumbimby.

Backrower Hayden Hansen scored a hat-trick as the Jets went on a seven-try second half blitz to run out big winners.

After a tight opening period it was Hansen who opened the scoring, showing too much strength for the Mullum defence to crash over close to the line after 19 minutes.

It was the start of short period of blows for the Giants, who lost winger Mason Davies to an ankle injury in the first tackle after the kick-off, and then conceded in the ensuring set, with Harry Fitzhugh making a break and going himself to score.

Fullback Oliver Regan kicks the ball off for the Bilambil Jets against the Tweed Coast Raiders during round one of the 2023 Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL) season. Photo: Max Ellis

Blake Graham then crossed late in the second half to take an 18-nil lead into the break.

While the Jets were impressive in the first half, they really put on the afterburners in the second, scoring seven to set up the big win.

Tyson Donnelly set the tone in just the second minute after the break with a try, while Caleb Nicholls crossed just two minutes later after brilliantly taking an Alex Fitzhugh bomb to score under the sticks.

Mullumbimby pulled one back through Troy McCarthy, however a quick-fire double to Hansen, sealing his hat-trick, and further tries to Blake Forder, Brenton Daley-Holten and Wilson Raftery put an exclamation mark on the big win.

Bilambil 60 (Hansen 3, H Fitzhugh, Graham, Donnelly, Forder, Daley-Holten, rafter tries; Regan 10 goals) def Mullumbimby 4 (McCarthy)

Seagulls take down the Turkeys

Ballina has remained at the top of the ladder after seven rounds following a comprehensive 66-6 victory over Kyogle at New Park.

In what was a clash between the only undefeated team and a side still looking for its first win, Hamish McClintock and Liam Green both bagged hat-tricks as Ballina ran in an incredible 12 tries.

It all started in the seventh minute when McClintock dived over from dummy half to score.

Michael Dwane and Harry Sivewright then scored quick back-to-back tries, before a double to Tim Cassidy and another try to McClintock made it 34-0 at halftime.

The rout continued after the break, with Liam Green scoring an eight-minute hat-trick. Jess Perry, Carl Lolohea and McClintock all scored again for the Seagulls, while Noah Johannssen crossed for the Turkeys’ only four-pointer.

The victory sees the Seagulls stay top of the competition, with the team’s red-hot attack having scored 282 points in the first seven games.

Ballina 66 (McClintock 3, Green 3, Cassidy 2, Dwane, Sivewright, Perry, Lolohea tries; McClintock nine goals) def Kyogle 4 (Johannssen)

Opening burst helps Raiders take down Rams

The Tweed Coast Raiders have recorded their second win on the trot after defeating Marist Brothers 44-20 at Oakes Oval in Lismore.

A blistering opening 15 minutes that saw the Raiders run in four consecutive tries ultimately laid the platform for the victory.

It started in just the fourth minute when Zion Kamana made a break down the left edge and found centre Reef Sommerville on the inside to score.

Tweed Coast had success again down the left just three minutes later when Daryl Brooks finished off a nice backline move to put his side 12-0 ahead.

Spencer Jackson scored in just the 12th minute after a lovely interchange of passing, while the visitors made it 22-0 after just 16 minutes when Owen Fredericks dived over from dummy half.

The Raiders were scoring at better than a point a minute, however the Rams finally stopped the flow of points, crossing for a try of their own midway through the half through Henry Lee.

From here it was a case of tit for tat, with Jackson Schloss scoring for the visitors and Mitchell Krause crossing for the Rams after a clever one-on-one strip to leave the scores at 28-8 at halftime.

The home jumped out the blocks quicker in the second half and were the first to score to bring the scoreline to 28-14.

However that was as close as they would get, as the Raiders ran in three tries to one in the final half an hour to see finish 44-20 victors.

Tweed Coast 44 (Brooks 2, Sommerville, Jackson, Fredericks, Schloss, Kamana, Terekia tries; Evans six goals) def Marist Brothers 20 (Krause 2, Lee tries; Hawkins two goals)