Rugby League Central Coast: Wrap, results, standouts from round 17
The RLCC minor premiership has been decided with one round of the season remaining, while another side had booked its spot in the top four.
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There was plenty on the line during a huge round 17 of the Rugby League Central Coast competition.
In what was the penultimate round of the regular season, one side clinched the minor premiership while another climbed off the bottom of the table with a crucial win.
Elsewhere, the top four has also been sorted after a huge clutch win.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
WOY WOY LOCKS IN FINALS FOOTY
Woy Woy has booked its spot in the semi-finals after a crucial 24-12 victory over The Entrance at Woy Woy Oval.
After getting off to a sluggish start the Roosters kept the Tigers scoreless for the final 60 minutes of the game to knock over their rivals for the second time this season and lock in fourth spot on the competition ladder.
“We definitely played well,” said Woy Woy coach Blake McLean. “I was impressed with our last 40 against Terrigal (last week) but this was probably our best performance so far this year for that 60-minute period. We’re finally doing what we’ve been training for and it looked really good at times. The game had a real semi-final feel to it.”
Coming into the game looking to maintain second on the ladder, The Entrance started brightly and opened the scoring through winger Matthew Gentles.
The Tigers were sharp in the opening quarter of the match, however Woy Woy gradually worked their way into the game and scored through Hemi Knebel and Wade Hannell to trail just 12-10 at the break.
The home side then took control of the contest in the second half, building pressure on the Tigers’ line and duly crossing through Justin McDermott and Mason Ward to pull away from their rivals and record a crucial win.
In addition to securing the two points, McLean was pleased with how his side bounced back from a slow start.
“We still had the problem that we’ve had for the past couple of weeks: we did start a bit slow again. We weren’t too bad error-wise, they just out-enthused us in that first 15 or 20. They definitely came to play,” he said.
“They scored in the first 10 and had plenty of possession. They were winning all the ruck, but I was very happy with the boys. We stuck to it, we didn’t fall off like we have done in other weeks when we have been behind by playing frantic footy.
“We just kept to our game plan and ended up putting a few points on. We got into a bit of a grind with them, we parked ourselves up on their line and got a few repeat sets, which we haven’t done all year.”
The victory takes Woy Woy to 22 points, four clear of fifth-placed Dora Creek on 18. And even though the Swampies have two games to play, the Roosters’ goal difference is so far superior that it isn’t possible for Dora Creek to overtake them under the mercy rule system, which sees games called off once the margin reaches 60 points.
As for The Entrance, the loss sees the side slip down to third on the ladder with one round remaining.
Woy Woy 24 defeated The Entrance 12
FLAWLESS ERINA CLAIMS MINOR PREMIERSHIP
Erina has secured the RLCC minor premiership with one round remaining after the Eagles defeated Wyong 28-6 at Erina Oval.
The home side ran in six tries to one to record its 12th-straight victory and move to 30 competition points, four ahead of second-placed Toukley, to lock in first place on the competition ladder.
“It’s been a very good season so far,” said coach Dane Allen. “Just small steps, we’re going in the right direction and fingers crossed we can keep being successful.”
The minor premiership caps off a fantastic campaign from the young Eagles side, who remain undefeated so far in 2024. And while the side has featured in the last two grand finals, the loss of key players in the off-season meant that there weren’t too many people at the start of the season tipping Erina to finish top.
“I can guarantee there was none, probably myself included,” said Allen. “I knew we had very good young blokes coming through, but because we had lost a lot of players there was going to be some pressure on those guys coming into our team.
“But I couldn’t have imagined how well they’ve turned up each week. And that’s been part of it: it hasn’t just been a good performance here and there; it’s been 12 games now and it’s been quality every week. If anything, we’ve continued to build.”
While certainly pleased with the achievement, Allen said his side’s focus was clearly on the finals series.
“It’s always something at the start of the year where you set out to be at the top and this season’s no different to the last couple, but I think we’ve learnt that it means absolutely zero come semi-finals and the grand final,” he said.
In what was typical of many of Erina’s performances this year, the team got off to a bright start before showing plenty of defensive resolve to hold out the Roos and run away with the game in the second half.
After putting the Wyong defence under pressure early, the Eagles broke through for the first try of the match 10 minutes in when Riley Stevenson got on the end of a clever grubber from Toby Elliott.
And although Wyong enjoyed periods with plenty of ball and good field position, Erina was up to the task and turned the Roos away from its line time and time again.
Then after a break up field from Stevenson earned the Eagles a repeat set. Erina once again went to the left edge, with Dwyer this time going over to score to give his side a 10-0 lead.
Emotions boiled over with some push and shove just before halftime, with Erina’s Luke Maljevac and Wyong’s Jake Dawe both sent to the sin bin.
While the first half remained tight, the Eagles really rammed home their advantage in the second. Quick tries to Frasca and Maljevac gave the side a comfortable lead, before a try to Zade Besley put the Eagles up 24-0 with 13 minutes remaining.
And while Wyong pulled one back late, Frasca crossed for his second at the death to cap off an excellent win for the Eagles, who were impressive after a disrupted week of training.
“We didn’t train during the week with the rain and had a 25-minute run (on Saturday) afternoon but couldn’t get too many blokes there, so it was an absolutely disgraceful week of preparation for us,” said Allen.
“I was a bit nervous about our attitude because we didn’t play last weekend and had such a stop-start week preparation-wise. But to see the boys turn them away half a dozen times in the second half, it was a credit to the attitude the boys dished up.
“They turned up with a will to play for each other and that’s what we spoke about. We didn’t think it was going to be a crisp performance, but we spoke about clunky and committed and that’s how we played.”
Erina 28 defeated Wyong 6
DORA CREEK HOLDS OFF COLTS COMEBACK
Dora Creek has continued its positive debut season in the Central Coast division after holding off a fast-finishing Kincumber to win 30-20 at MacKillop Oval.
The Swampies seemed to be travelling fairly comfortably with a 26-12 lead midway through the second half before Isaac Briggs was sent off, which triggered a Colts comeback and set up a nervy finish.
“We were playing for our season, but it didn’t help that we had a player sent off for reasons we don’t know yet,” said Dora Creek coach David Hoban.
“It put us under a bit of pressure because they scored a couple of quick tries. There was a bit of ill-discipline and we were back under the pump. But thankfully we held them out and came away with the victory.”
Indeed, the send-off incident occurred midway through the second half, when a Kincumber player took exception to a Dora Creek tackle. Amid some push and shove on the ground, Briggs intervened as the third man, which triggered a melee that brought both sides together.
Kincumber’s Tyson Potger was sent to the sin bin for his part, while Briggs was sent off for the rest of the game.
Despite both teams initially playing with 12 men each, Kincumber took advantage of the situation scored two quick tries to bring things back to 26-20 and set up a tense final 10 minutes.
While the Colts were within striking distance, Dora Creek captain Royce Geoffrey went over out wide with seven minutes remaining to seal the match for his team.
And although there were some nervous moments at the end, Hoban was pleased with his team’s performance in the first hour of the game, with the Swampies taking a 16-6 lead into the break before leading 26-12 at the time of Briggs’ send-off.
“We had a bit of a team goal just to be a bit more relaxed and move the ball around and have a bit of fun – and I think it paid off for us,” he said. “We put on some good points and probably should have been up a bit more but weren’t patient enough.”
The victory takes Dora Creek back to fifth place on the ladder on 18 competition points. And while the Swampies could potentially finish equal on points with fourth-placed Woy Woy, it isn’t possible for the team to overtake the Roosters’ goal difference under the mercy rule system.
Meanwhile the loss continues a disappointing back end of the season for Kincumber, who remain in seventh on the back of four-straight defeats.
Dora Creek 30 defeated Kincumber 20
SPOON ON THE LINE AS TERRIGAL EDGES BERKELEY VALE
Terrigal has climbed off the bottom of the ladder and given itself a good chance of avoiding the wooden spoon after defeating Berkeley Vale 20-12 at Duffys Road Oval.
In a game played in difficult conditions, the Sharks crossed for four tries to two for the team’s second win of the season, with the victory lifting the side above the Panthers in what was a battle between the two teams at the bottom of the ladder.
“It was a good result but that game pretty much summed up the year for both teams. It was one of the ugliest games of football I’ve ever been involved in,” said Terrigal coach Dylan McKeown.
“I think we had every climate possible in 80 minutes: it was raining, sunny for a minute then gale-force winds. The field didn’t hold up too good, it was a mudbath. But we got the chocolates in the end, which was really nice.”
Coming into the game one point behind Berkeley Vale, Terrigal struck first through Saimone Lasalo before Makrau Fonmanu hit back for the Panthers to give the visitors a 6-4 lead.
The scoreline remained steady for much of the half as both sides got into the grind, before a try to back-rower Jake Ferguson on the stroke of halftime gave the Sharks a 10-6 lead at the break.
While the first half was an arm-wrestle, Terrigal took control of the contest after the restart, with tries to Connor McCabe and Ferguson giving the team a 14-point lead.
And while Berkeley Vale hit back late with the team’s second try, Terrigal held on for a tough win.
“The conditions were pretty tough and in the first half it was very scrappy,” said McKeown. “It was hard to get out of either end. It was muddy, you couldn’t really change direction – it was just hard running, straight up the guts.
“Early on we didn’t play well, but credit to us, we just defended our bums off, stuck to it and got a try just before halftime. That really lifted the spirits and then we just went on from there. I think we could have scored more tries if the conditions were different. But it is what it is, we were very happy to get it done at the end.”
The victory is Terrigal’s second of the season and lifts the team to 10 points, one ahead of Berkeley Vale, who slip down into last place on the ladder.
The win could well prove crucial in the race to avoid the wooden spoon, with Terrigal scheduled to play Kincumber on Thursday before finishing the season off against The Entrance, while Berkeley Vale travel to Dora Creek.
Terrigal 20 defeated Berkeley Vale 12
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