Top 10: Biggest talking points from round two of the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups
Round two of the NSW regional junior rep footy season took place over the weekend, with plenty of action all over the state. Catch up on some of the biggest talking points from the weekend of footy.
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Round two of NSWRL junior rep footy competitions took place over the weekend, with plenty of action to catch up on.
The 10 games across the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups brought about terrific solo tries, nail-biting games and gritty team efforts.
NewsLocal has come up with 10 talking points from the weekend of footy.
Don’t forget to catch up on the biggest stories of round one action.
Things are tight at the top
If anything has been noticeable over the first two weeks of the competition it is that both the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups are set to be incredibly even affairs this season.
After two rounds, just four teams out of 20 – the Macarthur Wests Tigers and Northern Tigers in the Johns Cup, and the Titans and Western Rams in the Daley Cup – have maintained a perfect record.
And while there have naturally been a few blow-outs, round two was a perfect example of how tight the comps are, with two draws and two other games decided by four points or less.
Four tries for untouchable Cacciotti
Monaro Colts’ hooker Xavier Cacciotti was simply unstoppable in his side’s 40-16 demolition of the Illawarra South Coast Dragons in the Laurie Daley Cup.
The no.9 burst his way over the line from dummy-half a whopping four times.
Showing great field awareness and driving power, the Dragons had no answer for the talented young hooker.
Injuries slay the Dragons
While Cacciotti was unbelievable, it was a horror-show for the Dragons in the first-half of their Laurie Daley Cup clash against Monaro.
Halfback Caleb Hall lasted just three minutes before being forced to leave the field with a suspected ankle injury.
On top of this, prop forward Ramses Munro left the field for a HIA in the 15th minute after a heavy knock and didn’t return, while interchange forward Harrison Tan lasted just eight minutes before needing assistance ro come from the field.
It was a tough day out for the wounded Dragons, who went down 40-16.
Roosters put on a clinic
They might have gone down in round one, but the Central Coast Roosters’ Andrew Johns Cup side clicked into gear with an excellent 38-4 victory over the Northern Rivers Titans in Yamba.
It wasn’t just the quantity of their seven tries that was impressive, but the quality of many of their four-pointers were good enough to win any game of football.
The most spectacular was arguably a 90-metre effort that saw Kaidyn Peckham scoop up a loose ball near his own goal line, beat countless Titans defenders before offloading to outstanding five-eighth Isaac Fotu-Moala, who ran 50 metres into the corner to score.
Simple errors prove costly
It’s an oft-repeated line in rugby league that whichever team holds onto the ball better usually wins the match, and the Northern Rivers Titans and Central Coast Roosters proved how costly it can be if you don’t do that in their Laurie Daley Cup clash at Yamba.
An incredible five tries came directly from either handling errors or intercepts, with Roosters backrower Jackson Pennell handed a double on the back of two Titans’ dropped balls.
Despite their costly mistakes, the Titans prevailed 22-20, with the team owing plenty to their exciting centre Creedence Kelly Donovan, who bagged a double and set up another in an excellent attacking performance.
Classy hat-trick for Puata
Tamaiti Puata was untouchable in the Western Rams’ 38-6 thumping of the Riverina Bulls in the Andrew Johns Cup, crossing for three of his side’s eight tries.
His first was an excellent chase and finish from a deft kick chip, while his second was a routine catch and pass finish on the wing.
His third, however, was a terrific solo effort, with Puata fielding a long kick on his own 20 metre line, before showing blistering pace and agility to burst a hole in the broken Bulls line and run the length of the field to score under the posts.
22-point haul for Wald
Another standout performer for the Rams this week was in the Laurie Daley Cup, where Harry Wald put on a 22-point clinic.
Wald crossed for one try, a 90-metre effort that saw him run the length of the field after taking a terrific intercept.
However his kicking game was arguably the highlight of his performance, slotting nine from nine from the tee in a conversion masterclass.
Dogs suffer second-straight late heartbreak
You have to feel for the North Coast Bulldogs’ Laurie Daley Cup side. For the second week in a row now they’ve had victory snatched from them at the death – and both times by a team of Tigers.
In round one the Bulldogs gave up a 26-point lead to remarkably lose 30-26 to the Northern Tigers in what is sure to be one of the comebacks of the season.
Then, on the weekend they were leading the Macarthur Wests Tigers 14-8 in the final minute of their clash at Wauchope.
Just when it appeared as though the Dogs would hold on, Tigers’ five eighth Harley Rebbeck put a grubber into the in-goal, Bulldogs’ fullback Robbie Inglis fumbled the ball and backrower Ewen Xuereb pounced on the scraps to score underneath the posts and seal the 14-all draw.
Terrific try of the round nominations
There were also a couple of terrific tries over the weekend, which makes it tough to pick a try of the round.
Jack Talbott scored a brilliant solo try in the Andrew Johns Cup for the Illawarra South Coast Dragons, fielding a bomb on his own 30 metre line, before slicing through the Monaro Colts defensive line on the return and brilliantly stepping the fullback to return the length of the field to score.
Despite his side coming up short, Northern Tigers’ interchange player Jackson Smith put forward a try of the week nomination for his effort against the NMR Knights in the Laurie Daley Cup.
Smith took the applause after five-eighth Kaleb Hope made a terrific side-stepping break through the line, before putting in a perfectly weighted kick from his own 40 metre line into the in-goal area for Smith to win the chase and put the ball down just centimetres before the dead-ball line.
Knights click into gear
After a narrow 24-20 first-up loss to the Northern Rivers Titans, the Newcastle Maitland Region Knights bounced back in style with a 40-18 victory over the Northern Tigers in the Laurie Daley Cup.
While the club as a whole has placed an emphasis on defence during the pre-season, the Knights’ attack really shone against the Tigers, with some sweeping backline moves highlighting the seven tries to three victory.
Round two wrap: All the action from the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups
Round two of the NSWRL junior rep footy got underway over the weekend, with 10 matches taking place across the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups.
Following an eventful opening round, there was plenty of action during week two, with try-scoring frenzies, tight score lines and highly competitive affairs across the board in both grades.
JOHNS/DALEY CUPS: 2023 team previews
JOHNS/DALEY CUPS: round one action + talking points
Catch up on the big stories of round two below.
First-up losers bounce back in style
A number of sides across both grades bounced back from opening round defeats with impressive performances in round two.
In the Laurie Daley Cup, the Monaro Colts were excellent in their 40-16 win over the Illawarra South Coast Dragons.
On the back of a commanding round one victory over the Riverina Rams, the injury-plagued Dragons struggled against a strong Monaro side, who bounced back from their own round one loss to the Central Coast Roosters.
Hooker Xavier Cacciotti had a field day, crossing for four of the Colts’ seven tries.
Elsewhere in the Laurie Daley Cup, the Newcastle Maitland Region Knights were another side on the winners’ list after an opening round defeat to the Northern Rivers Titans, defeating the Northern Tigers 40-18 away from home in Aberdeen.
The Tigers were unable to go two from two after their round one victory over the North Coast Bulldogs.
Meanwhile in the Andrew Johns Cup, the Central Coast Roosters also bounced back from their round one defeat to the Monaro Colts with a commanding 38-4 victory against the Northern Rivers Titans.
The Titans now sit scoreless with the Bulls at the bottom of the table after two rounds.
Late drama in thrilling draws
There was plenty of excitement during round two, with last-minute heroics seeing two draws over the weekend.
The North Coast Bulldogs’ Laurie Daley Cup side must be cursing its luck – especially against the Tigers – after it was denied victory in the dying moments for the second week in a row.
The Dogs looked like they were going to get the job done against the Macarthur Wests Tigers at Lank Bain Sporting Complex in Wauchope, leading 14-8 late in their round two clash thanks to a hat-trick from centre Luke Calthorpe.
However Tigers backrower Ewen Xuereb crossed for a try with one minute remaining and Harley Rebbeck added the extras to leave scores at 14-all at full-time.
This comes after the North Coast side blew a 26-point lead last week against the Northern Tigers, losing 30-26 in what is sure to be one of the comebacks of the season.
It wasn’t the only match of the round with late drama, with the Illawarra South Coast Dragons snatching a last-minute draw against the Monaro Colts in the Andrew Johns Cup.
Interchange player Ben Askew scored for the Dragons in the 58th minute and Jack Talbot added the extras with just seconds remaining on the clock to seal a 20-all draw.
The result will feel somewhat like a loss for Monaro, who scored four tries to three, with goal kicking ultimately proving crucial.
Rams pile on the pain for Bulls
The Riverina Bulls once again went down in both grades this weekend, having no answer to their Western Rams opposition who piled on the points.
In the Andrew Johns Cup, the Rams put on an eight-try scoring frenzy to defeat the Bulls 38-6 away from home.
The scoreline could have been even worse, with goalkicker Jayden Innes converting just three from eight from the tee, however he did manage to get across the line for a try of his own.
Winger Tamaita Puata crossed for three tries in the victory.
In the Laurie Daley Cup, the Rams ran riot in a 54-12 demolition.
Dane Richards and Kaydden Hoad both crossed for doubles, while round one star Harry Wald converted nine from nine in an excellent kicking performance.
For the Laurie Daley Cup side, it was the second consecutive week the Bulls side conceded 50+ points, having been dismantled by the Illawarra South Coast Dragons in round one.
Across both the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups, the Riverina Bulls have now conceded 178 points and scored just 30.
Ladder leaders grind out results
While there were plenty of flashy scorelines around the grounds over the course of the weekend, some of the ladder-leading teams were forced to grind out tough victories during round two.
In the Laurie Daley Cup, the Northern Rivers Titans made it two from two after beating the Central Coast Roosters 22-20 in Yamba.
The game ended with four tries a piece, with the boot of Titans’ halfback Zane Harrison proving the difference.
The Titans got off to a flyer, with centre Creedence Kelly Donovan crossing twice in the first 25 minutes to give the side a 12-0 lead. Although the Roosters hit back with a double to Jack Pennell, the Northern Rivers side scored another two quick-fire tries to leave the scores at 22-8 mid-way through the second half.
And while the Central Coast scored another two late tries, the Titans held on for a two-point victory, backing up their four-point win last week against the Newcastle Maitland Region Knights.
In the Andrew Johns Cup, the Northern Tigers also maintained their 100 per cent record with a 20-16 victory over the Knights.
Charlie Lennard, Lachlan Hawkins, Jack Anderson and Braydon Nean all crossed the line in the four tries to three victory, which comes a week after downing the North Coast Bulldogs 14-10.
Joining the Northern Tigers at the top of the Andrew Johns Cup table is the Macarthur Wests Tigers, who ground out a tough 18-10 victory over the North Coast Bulldogs in Wauchope.
The Tigers were forced to come from behind twice in the see-sawing encounter, with hooker Brooklyn Milford’s 59th-minute try sealing the win for his side.
It was the second eight-point victory in a row for the Tigers, who downed the Western Rams 26-18 last weekend in Lithgow.
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