Penrith District Rugby League: Brotherly magic, R11 talking points, 30+ gallery
The referees sent another clear message, while brotherly instinct delivered in spades. That and more from a massive round 11 of local Penrith footy. Talking points, 30+ photo gallery.
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In an enthralling weekend of local Penrith footy, Windsor announced themselves as a major threat to reigning premiers Emu Plains.
The referees sent another clear message, and a couple of brothers weaved their instinctive magic.
All that and more. Round 11 talking points.
ELEVEN MONTHS IN THE MAKING
Windsor’s victory not only took the Wolves to the top of the table, it ended a remarkable winning streak.
Prior to Sunday, the last time Emu Plains tasted defeat was almost 12 months ago - a 26-22 loss to St Marys in round 13 on July 23.
During the streak, Emu recorded 11 wins and one draw.
BROTHERS IN ARMS
It was always going to take something special to sink Emu Plains, so it was no surprise when the Willie brothers combined to put the final nail in the coffin.
Up by eight in the 64th minute, Windsor pressed the goal line from centrefield. With nothing seemingly on offer and Tori stationed to the right of the posts, Riki sensed his moment and took off from the left side of the field.
By the time Tori took possession one off the ruck, Riki was at full tilt, steaming onto an inside ball that put the result beyond doubt.
REF ABUSE NOT ON
St Clair half Isaiah Niumata was dismissed after directing unacceptable language towards a linesman in the Comets’ loss to Brothers.
It’s not the first time this season that a player has been marched under similar circumstances, and there’s plenty of similar examples from other comps across the Metropolitan area.
Nearing the finals, the message to all teams is clear.
TAKE THE BAIT
Hat-trick hero Viliami Fonokalafi had a day out against Emu Plains, but there was one play where the Wolves winger came up short.
Shown the sideline by Alex Myles, the speedster took the bait, only for the back-rower to slam the door shut and bundle him into touch.
GUTSY COMETS
Brothers’ season is starting to take shape, but St Clair shouldn’t be too disheartened by their loss on Sunday.
Forced to defend with 12 for the final 45 minutes, the Comets worked their way back into the contest and almost pulled off a major upset.
SAINTS HOODOO
St Marys might be struggling in eighth spot on the ladder, but Brothers won’t be getting ahead of themselves when the sides meet on Sunday.
Now in fifth place, Brothers lost the corresponding clash in round three to go with back-to-back defeats in 2023.
ROUND 12 (SUNDAY, JULY 7)
St Clair v Colyton, Cec Blinkhorn Oval
Glenmore Park v Windsor, Ched Towns Reserve
Minchinbury v Emu Plains, Federation Forest
St Marys v Brothers, St Marys Leagues Stadium
ROUND 11 WRAP
Despite the heavy rains, all four matches in round 11 of local Penrith footy were played out on Sunday afternoon.
At Heber Park the battle for the Don Feltis Cup took a twist when Windsor fronted unbeaten reigning premiers Emu Plains.
In the race for third spot, St Clair and Brothers went toe-to-toe. Colyton took on Glenmore Park, while at Allsopp Patterson Oval, Cambridge Park hosted St Marys. Full round wrap.
WOLVES’ REVENGE
Windsor has ended a two year drought against Emu Plains after the Wolves outclassed the reigning premiers 28-8 in a torrid top of the table clash at Heber Park.
The late change of venue from Leonay Oval failed to dampen the enthusiasm as both sides ripped in from the get-go.
With Windsor up by eight just after halftime, tensions eventually boiled over in a centrefield melee. Despite no obvious damage, Windsor back-rower Dallas Burns and Emu Plains skipper Thomas Romer were both sent off, while Wolves forward Marley Hunter was ordered to the sin bin.
It was the only slip up in a high-octane contest that was played with the intensity of a final.
In slippery conditions, little separated the sides early. Emu Plains jumped ahead 8-4 when winger Lachlan Mason crossed several minutes after Cameron Williams won the race to an Isaac Thompson grubber.
From there, Windsor turned the tide and were eventually rewarded for converting more of their attacking opportunities into points.
They struck twice in a five-minute blitz before the break. Burns thundered down the left edge to give winger Viliami Fonokalafi the second of his hat-trick, then from the restart, teenage half Cohen Benson swooped on a bouncing ball to make it 16-8.
The scoreline remained that way until Tori Willie stepped up in the 64th minute. Following a goal line restart, the Windsor fullback put Riki Willie over next to the posts and then sent Fonokalafi across for his third.
“It was a good win. There was very good energy from our boys, and the crowd was very good too,” said Windsor coach Troy Dargin.
“It was a great occasion. Obviously, it meant a lot to us personally given last year’s grand final result and it brought the best out of us.
“They had their fair share of the ball in the opening 20 and capitalised with two tries. But as I’ve said, the boys are resilient.
“Connor Mason and Eton Lindsay were excellent for 80 minutes in the middle of the field. Burns was great before he got set off. But everyone stood up when they needed to and there wasn’t anyone that didn’t deserve to be out there today.”
With plenty of footy to be played before the finals, Dargin was quick to put the breakthrough victory into context.
“We’ll celebrate the win and then get on with training, there’s still eight rounds to go,” he said.
“Emu Plains are a great side, and at the end of the day they were short a few players. As a coach I am mindful of that, and they will definitely be mindful of that the next time we meet.”
BROTHERS SINK 12-MAN COMETS
Brothers landed their first top-three scalp of the season after downing a 12-man St Clair 16-12.
Coming off back-to-back losses to heavyweights Windsor and Emu Plains, Brothers headed to Doug Rennie Fields desperate to get their season back on track.
Isaac Bartolo typified Brothers’ intensity from the outset, chasing down a kick to open the scoring after just four minutes.
In challenging conditions, the points dried up until the 26th minute when St Clair half Isaiah Niumata sliced through to level the scores.
It wasn’t the gun playmaker’s only influential moment of the day. Nine minutes after being congratulated by his teammates, the No.7 was sent off for abusing a touch judge.
Brothers immediately capitalised on the one-man advantage. Rangy centre Siaosi Huihui reached across to grab a four-point lead, then five minutes after halftime, five-eighth Harrison Reid-Porter pounced from dummy-half.
St Clair managed to regroup and stem the flow of points. Then with plenty of time still on the clock, Robert Henderson narrowed the gap to four when he beat several tackles on a diagonal charge to the line.
As heavy rain fell in the final 20 minutes, both sides pushed for points. In the end, St Clair looked liked having the final say until they were shut down by scrambling defence in the left corner.
“Our round one match against St Clair was washed out, so we were excited to play them,” said Brothers coach Damien Lane.
“It was a good result for us, as we now move three points clear of sixth spot.
“The wet conditions suited our middle, I thought the Savage brothers were excellent upfront. Both played 60-70 minutes as we had two players backing up from the reserve grade game.”
COLYTON GO THREE STRAIGHT
Colyton marched to a third straight victory after a commanding first half helped the Colts blow away Glenmore Park 34-18 at Ched Towns Reserve.
After a scoreless first 20 minutes, halfback Jayden Murphy-Hinton kicked Colyton into gear with a long pass that saw Keegan McGrann dive over in the left corner.
The try sparked a feeding frenzy as the Colts raced in another four to lead 28-0 in the 43rd minute.
Blake Hill was on the spot to ground a fumbled kick. The prop’s effort was quickly followed by Leo Tupe, before centre Dante Filipe-Otai powered over either side of the break.
In the battle of the horses, the Brumbies hit back with a couple of their own. Hooker Bailey Nouredine struck behind a damaging charge from Mana Aonga, which was quickly followed by a Nikolas Forrest solo effort.
Tries were swamped in the closing 15 minutes as Colyton solidified its grip on fourth spot.
CAMBO BOUNCE BACK
Cambridge Park has kept its season alive with a comfortable 30-6 victory over St Marys.
St Marys simply had no answer to Cambo’s power from close range, as the home side powered across on three occasions to lead 18-0 after 15 minutes.
Menacing prop Dwayne Lemafa crashed over twice before Rhys Falconer joined the party.
After some push and shove in the 36th minute, both sides were reduced to 11 men as four players were instructed to cool down for 10 minutes.
In a big day for props, Ngatupuna Mariri opened St Marys’ account to make it 18-6 at halftime.
After the break, Cambridge Park added three unanswered tries to round out their first victory in over a month. With three wins now under their belt and a bye to follow, Cambo are three points shy of fifth spot.
PHOTO GALLERY
First Grade: Emu Plains v Windsor
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