Rugby League Central Coast: Wrap, results, standouts from round 14
It’s rare that Hollywood-style storylines ever play out in real life, but that is exactly what happened during a very special day for one local footy club.
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The Rugby League Central Coast competition has continued to heat up after another weekend of action during round 14.
One side has sent out a huge warning to the rest of the competition by hammering one of the heavyweights, while another has kept its finals hopes very much alive with yet another stunning late win.
Elsewhere, one team has continued its late-season revival and the leaders have moved another step closer to the minor premiership.
Catch up with a wrap of the action and a gallery from Darren Kennedy and Morry Breen Oval below.
DORA CREEK BRING IT HOME FOR IMMI
It’s rare that Hollywood-style storylines ever play out in real life, but that is exactly what happened at the Dora Creek Workers Club Oval on Sunday as the Dora Creek Swampies pulled off a miraculous win on a very special occasion for the club.
Tied 12-all with Terrigal with about one minute remaining in the first grade fixture, five-eighth Kendyll Fahey slotted a field goal from 35m out to give the Swampies a dramatic one-point victory.
And while the finish was thrilling enough in itself, it was the context of the day that made it even more special.
A bumper crowd had assembled at the ground as the club put on a special day to raise money for Fahey’s niece, 10-year-old Imohgen Alo, who is currently undergoing treatment for T-cell lymphoma.
With raffles and stalls set up to support Imohgen and her family, it seemed fitting that her uncle kicked the winning field goal in such dramatic fashion.
“You watch movies with these types of finishes and this kind of stuff and you don’t think about this ever happening first hand,” said Fahey.
“You sort of only dream about opportunities like that even though it’s just in a local first grade comp, but fortunately this one happened.
“It was actually the first field goal that I’ve ever kicked in my career. It’s almost as if it was meant to be.”
It took just seconds after fulltime was called for the emotion of the day to hit home.
“The whistle blew, I was shaking hands and next minute she was running up to me to give me a big cuddle – there were definitely a few tears shed,” said Fahey.
It was another chapter in the special bond between the pair, who have always had a connection ever since Fahey joined the family and married Imohgen’s aunty, Sami.
“As soon as I came into the family I gained a really strong relationship with her because she’s loved her footy from a very young age. I still remember going over and playing touch footy in the backyard or passing the footy around. Everything was footy for her,” said Fahey.
“But she’s still around it, she’s still around teams she should be a part of and still shows her face. There’s not a doubt in my mind that she’ll be out on the footy field as soon as she can.”
Indeed, more than just a footy fan, young Imohgen was a gun footballer herself in rugby league, union and touch football before receiving her diagnosis in February this year.
“Little Immi, I remember going down and watching her play footy, and the amount of rep teams that she was making was crazy. She was so active,” said Fahey. “I was talking to her dad after the game and he said that she’d train and play five to six days a week and have one day off. There aren’t many kids at that age doing that.”
The Swampies club and broader Dora Creek community came together to raise more than $1000 on the day. Meanwhile Imohgen – who has been responding well to treatment so far – showed that despite her current obstacles, she also hasn’t stopped trying to help those in need.
“Immi decided to actually donate all the funds to the John Hunter Hospital,” said Fahey. “They raised funds to get a portable phone locker charger. They’ve got a list of things that they’d like to buy for the children’s ward, this was on the list and Immi decided she wanted to do that for them.
“It just shows that even though she’s still going through this – and she’s about to go through a rough stage with her chemo treatment – she just wants to give. She’s just the most giving child I’ve ever met and I’m thankful to be a part of her life. Words can’t really explain it.”
SUN LIGHTS UP HAWKS’ ROUT
Toukley grabbed the headlines in round 14 with a seriously impressive 30-6 win over fellow heavyweight side The Entrance, with young gun Zac Sun putting his name up in lights with a spectacular performance for the Hawks.
Playing on the wing in just his fourth first grade game of the season, Sun showed off plenty of footwork, speed and some nice finishing to run in a remarkable four tries in the rout.
“He’d a good kid, Zac. He’s not a winger. He plays five-eighth and fullback for reserve grade and did in the juniors as well,” said captain-coach Jake Fitzpatrick.
“He actually plays in my touch footy side when we go away to State Cup, so he’s very handy on his feet, he’s got good footwork and he’s fast. I gave him a chance on the wing because he was the next man up and he’s been dead-set faultless, even though it’s not his position. But he backs himself, does a job and he’ll be great for us in the coming years.”
And while his four tries was impressive enough, Sun came up with another huge play that earned the praises of his coach.
Leading 20-0 eight minutes into the second half, Toukley was defending its line when The Entrance put on a spread to the right.
With the Tigers’ hulking back-rower Jeremiah Ratabua charging at the line, Sun – described by his coach as someone who’d “struggle to weigh 70 kilos” – pulled off a huge tackle that not only brought Ratabua to the ground but also forced the ball loose, much to the delight of the home crowd and his teammates.
“When I talk about big moments in games, for me as a coach, that tackle was the highlight of his day,” said Fitzpatrick.
“Four tries are great, but when you’re coming up with efforts like that, it’s huge. They’re the big moments where you want those guys to step up and take control.
“That tackle was huge, especially in the scheme of things and how the game was because they were on a bit of an attacking raid at that point. If they got one early in the second half then it could have potentially changed the dynamic of the game. For him to come up with that, it rewarded our defensive efforts and was kind of what we needed at that time.”
TOUKLEY’S UNSUNG HERO BRINGS UP THE TON
It was a special day for another Toukley player on Sunday, with forward Kallin Adams running out for his 100th first grade game for the Hawks.
One of the club’s unsung heroes, Adams led the team out and put in a typically industrious performance in the Hawks’ Toukley’s win.
“He just turns up every single week,” said Fitzpatrick. “I actually had a bit of a talk before the game in the sheds for him and I said one of my biggest things is that a lot of the work that he does goes unnoticed from the sidelines.
“It’s no secret that he’s not a quick bloke, he’s not that agile, but he just gets through his work and he’s always there. It’s the work he does that goes unnoticed which is why he’s such an asset to our middle.
“He’s gone from in the last few years coming off the bench and doing a job for a 30-40-minute period to now he’s a 70-, 75-, 80-minute player for us in the middle and one of the blokes who holds that core down through the middle. It’s obviously an outstanding achievement for him.”
ROUND 14 WRAP
The jockeying for ladder positions continued during round 14 of the Rugby League Central Coast competition, with the leaders streaking further ahead of the pack and a couple of sides keeping their hopes of playing finals footy alive.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
DORA CREEK PREVAILS WITH LAST-MINUTE FIELD GOAL
Dora Creek has continued to keep pace with the top four and pulled off its second last-gasp win in a row after a late field goal helped the side to a dramatic 13-12 victory over Terrigal at the Dora Creek Workers Club Oval.
Trailing 12-0, the Swampies scored two tries in the second half to draw level before five-eighth Kendyll Fahey slotted a field goal from 35m out at the death to give the side its fifth win of the season.
“It was another nailbiter, two weeks in a row,” said Dora Creek coach David Hoban.
“It was just a good game of footy. We were down 12-0 and scored a couple of tries in the back end of the second half and then kicked a field goal with about a minute to go,” he added. “It was good to get the win.”
Although pointing out that his side had room for improvement, Hoban said he was pleased with how the Swampies remained disciplined despite going down on the scoreboard.
“We had four opportunities to score points in the first half and we just couldn’t close it out. We just hung in there in the second half and once we got some clean ball down there we scored a couple of good tries and then obviously kicked a field goal to win the game.”
The victory, which comes one week after a late Aaron Simon try earned the team an 18-14 win over Wyong, moves the Swampies onto 16 competition points, equal with fourth-placed Woy Woy as the race for the finals heats up.
It was the second week in a row that Dora Creek came home strong after a slow start, with Terrigal halfback Brooklyn Rosemeyer getting things started by scoring and then converting his own try after just six minutes.
The first half remained tight as the Sharks took a 6-0 lead into the break.
There was then a sense of deja vu at the beginning of the second when Rosemeyer went in for his second shortly after the restart to put Terrigal up by 12.
From here the Swampies continued to grind away and got on the board with half an hour to play when fullback Matthew Simon went over.
They then drew level with 15 minutes remaining when skipper Royce Geoffrey scored to set up a grandstand finish.
And while both sides pushed for points in the final stages, it was Fahey who came up with the goods with about one minute remaining to seal the dramatic win.
“I was doing dry July until after the game when I broke – that’s how much stress they put me through,” joked Hoban.
Dora Creek 13 defeated Terrigal 12
GRITTY WIN SENDS ERINA FOUR CLEAR
Erina has continued its perfect start to the season and stretched its lead at the top of the table out to four points after a 26-4 victory over Kincumber at Erina Oval.
The Colts matched it with the Eagles in a fairly even and physical first half before the ladder leaders’ fitness and speed came to the fore and Erina ultimately ran out 22-point winners.
“It was a good win,” said Erina coach Dane Allen. “In the first half they had a lot of footy. We made quite a few errors coming out of our own half, our defensive line was tested and we came up with the right decisions when it mattered and held them out for the vast part.
“They scored a lucky try off a kick in the second half, but all in all I was really happy with our defensive effort. After the last few weeks it was pleasing to keep a relatively low score against us, considering the footy that they did have.”
In what was a tight opening 40, Erina had to turn Kincumber away several times in the opening stages before finally breaking the deadlock 26 minutes in when a nice spread to the right put Jack Frasca over in the corner.
While still in an arm-wrestle, the Eagles then took a massive boost into halftime when Jack Smith crossed with the last play of the first half to give his side a crucial 12-0 lead at the break.
And while an Erina fumble allowed Zack Visconti to score for the Colts to make it 12-4, the Eagles took control of the second half and were duly rewarded.
Sebastian Plaister pulled one back shortly after the Colts’ try with a dart out of dummy-half, before further tries to Finn Douch and Ben Taylor down the left saw Erina run away with the game.
“We went toe-to-toe for the first half, scored a try just before the break, so it could have been 6-0 but it made it more of a picture towards us,” said Allen.
“They (Kincumber) were good in that first half. They’re tough and play a brand of footy where you’ve got to be willing to go toe-to-toe with them otherwise they can run away with it or at the very least bash you. Then in the second half our fitness and our speed took over. I wouldn’t say it was comfortable but I was quite confident in the second half.”
The victory, Erina’s 10th from as many starts this season, continues the Eagles’ unbeaten run and puts the team four clear of The Entrance and Toukley at the top of the ladder. With just three games and one bye remaining, Erina needs at most two more wins to seal the minor premiership.
Meanwhile the loss leaves Kincumber six points adrift of the top four, with the side facing an uphill battle in its quest to play finals footy.
Erina 26 defeated Kincumber 4
WYONG CRACK HALF-CENTURY AGAINST PANTHERS
Wyong has continued its late-season revival and kept its finals hopes alive after hammering Berkeley Vale 56-14 at Morry Breen Oval.
Cooper Bigeni, Luke Bartley and Tyson England all bagged doubles as the Roos ran in 11 tries to three in the rout.
“It was good to finally get some runs on the board,” said Wyong captain-coach Todd Lewis, who noted that his side wasn’t at its best despite the big win.
“It was super windy. We were good for the first five and then as it can happen, we were in and out of it pretty much the whole time.
“It wasn’t as dominant as we would have liked but the good thing is that we stuck to what was working for us and managed to score some nice tries.”
Indeed, the Roos got off to a flyer with forwards Zac Montgomery and Jye Boyle both crossing early to give the side an early lead. Bigeni then put Wyong 12-0 up with the team’s third before Michael Cheer pulled one back for the Panthers.
Unfortunately for Berkeley Vale that’s as close as the team got as Zac Gillett and Bartley crossed late in the half to give Wyong a commanding 24-6 lead at the break.
And while Makrau Fonmanu crossed for the Panthers’ second early in the second half, there was no chance of a comeback as Wyong piled on another six tries to run out 42-point winners.
After Wyong lost its first four games of the season, the victory continues the Roos’ recent revival. The side is now back into finals contention after having won four of its last six games to be just three points outside the top four.
In addition to the two competition points, the nature of the win pleased Lewis as his team looks towards its final five games.
“The for-and-against is something we’re looking at for the back end of the year. We need to pretty much win every game from here on in, and if it comes down to a tied fourth position then those points are going to be vital for us.”
While Wyong continues to improve, the result was another disappointing one for Berkeley Vale, who has now conceded 50 points in its last four games as the club struggles with a string of key absences.
Wyong 56 defeated Berkeley Vale 14
TOUKLEY HAMMERS TIGERS IN STATEMENT WIN
Toukley has sent out a big statement to the rest of the competition after recording a comprehensive 30-6 victory over fellow heavyweights The Entrance at Darren Kennedy Oval.
Young winger Zac Sun crossed for four tries as the Hawks dominated the Tigers with some excellent defence and ruthless attack to move into equal points with their rivals on the ladder.
In a game that featured teams sitting in second and third place, respectively, Toukley started the brighter and crossed in just the fourth minute when lock Matthew Veacock put back-rower Jakob Giles through a gap for the first of the match.
The good start became a great start in the very next set when a clever kick from Hawks captain-coach Jake Fitzpatrick took a wicked bounce away from The Entrance’s back three and sat up perfectly for a flying Sun to race through and make it 10-0.
Things got even worse for the Tigers midway through the half when Giles showed great footwork to break the line and charge up field before getting the ball away to teammate Joshua Veacock. While Veacock was tackled, Toukley received a penalty and The Entrance forward Troy Adams was sent to the sin bin for pulling down Fitzpatrick, who was running in support.
Three minutes later it was 12 on 12 as Matt Veacock was given a 10-minute spell of his own for pushing Tigers winger Matthew Gentles in the face after the latter had played the ball.
While no side was able to take advantage of playing against 12, Toukley managed to extend its lead while one man down when a lovely spread to the left put Sun over in the corner. Josh Kessler then slotted the conversion from the sideline to make it 16-0
Toukley was running riot, with two breaks in the next set sending the team up field, before a lovely flick pass from Kyle McCudden put Ben Neville over to give his side a 20-0 lead at halftime.
The first half was all Toukley and the second kicked off in a similar fashion as the Hawks started the half with back-to-back sets attacking the Tigers’ line.
The Entrance weathered the early storm and began to work themselves into game. Five-eighth Haydan Ritchie went close to planting the ball after a clever grubber, while in the next set Toukley winger Sun came up with a huge tackle to firstly stop and then force an error out of Jeremiah Ratabua as he charged towards the line.
Toukley’s defence was excellent and was forcing errors out of The Entrance, who left another opportunity slip when winger Matthew Gentles dropped the ball cold while charging at the line.
The pressure was having an impact and a Toukley error in its own half gave the Tigers one set too many in dangerous territory.
Ritchie had looked likely all afternoon and he bounced off a couple of defenders before getting an offload away that resulted in an Adam McInnes try to finally get the Tigers on the board midway through the second half.
However just as The Entrance had worked its way back into the contest, a knock-on in the team’s danger zone just a couple of minutes later ultimately put an end to any thoughts of a comeback, with a shift to the left and some nice footwork from Sun helping the winger over for his hat-trick.
Sun then capped off a wonderful afternoon for both himself and the team when he strolled over untouched for his fourth after being hit on the chest by a Fitzpatrick cut-out ball.
It put the cherry on top of an impressive win for last year’s premiers, who despite remaining in third place, drew even with The Entrance on 20 competition points, four behind leaders Erina.
For the Tigers, the loss was the second game without a win after last weekend’s 30-all draw with Kincumber. The team has the bye next weekend as it looks to regather some form.
Toukley 30 defeated The Entrance 6
PHOTO GALLERY
Toukley Hawks v The Entrance Tigers at Darren Kennedy Oval
Wyong Roos v Berkeley Vale Panthers at Morry Breen Oval
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