Big teams struggling at the top and a famous derby win: Biggest talking points from Group 7 round nine
Some shocking results and a famous derby win left us with plenty to talk about from round nine of Group 7. Check out some of the biggest talking points at the halfway point of the season.
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Another thrilling round in Group 7 Rugby League has given us plenty to talk about.
At the halfway point of the year, the league is still unpredictable by the week, with teams at the top slipping up and teams at the bottom surging up the ladder.
We’ve put together seven talking points from round nine of Group 7 footy.
1) Sharks end derby dry spell
A 20-12 win for the Shellharbour Sharks was their first league victory over crosstown rivals the Shellharbour Sharks since the 2019 season.
Minor premier that season and defending their 2018 title win, it’s been a long time coming since then, with the Stingrays having the recent edge over the Sharks.
No doubt there’ll be more chapters written in this epic rivalry before the end of the 2023 season, seeing as both Shellharbour sides are currently within the top four on the Group 7 ladder.
2) Captain’s knock from Ralphs
The Shellharbour Sharks have James Ralphs largely to thank for their derby success, with the captain putting in a monster shift.
Two tries from the second row is good on any day, let alone in a match of this magnitude.
His first try was an audition for the fullback spot, bursting through a pocket of space down the right flank before dummying to his outside winger to breeze past Stingrays fullback Kieran Moss.
His second was more routine, charging on to a short pass from his five-eighth Emanuel Sultana, but again showing great skill to sidestep the last defender and pick up his second.
3) Jets topping all the tables
It was a great day out for the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets for a number of reasons as they took down the Berry Shoalhaven Heads Magpies.
The Jets created a three point buffer at the top of the ladder due to slip ups below them from the Stingrays of Shellharbour and the Gerringong Lions.
Beau Luland also took an outright lead at the top of the try scorer tally thanks to his double, now sitting on nine tries from as many games.
Halfback Clyde Parsons also leads the league for points scored by a comfortable margin, sitting on 97.
4) Gorillas defensive woes let them down again
Defending premiers the Warilla-Lake South Gorillas have slumped to eighth on the Group 7 ladder after a third straight defeat, this time to the Milton Ulladulla Bulldogs.
Compounding this loss is an alarming statistic that the Gorillas now share the worst defensive record in the league, averaging 28 points conceded per game.
They face a mighty test at the hands of the in-form Shellharbour Sharks next week who got the better of them in round one.
5) Most in-form halves combination in the league?
It’s been a remarkable turnaround over the past two weeks at the Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles, picking up back-to-back wins over the Gerringong Lions and Kiama Knights.
This comes down to the magic of five-eighth James Walsh and halfback Kane Ball, who have been in some inspirational form for the maroon and white.
The duo combined for six of the Eagles eight tries against the Knights this week, as well as a further four against the Lions a week earlier.
This is just the tries they’ve scored as well, as the two have also been crucial in being the providers for getting their teammates over the line.
This hot patch of form has contributed to the Eagles lifting off the foot of the Group 7 ladder, can they keep rising?
6) What is happening at Gerringong?
Two losses on the trot at the Gerringong Lions camp has put a damper on what had been a solid start to the season.
Prior to their loss to the Eagles last week and the Superoos this week, the side had been nipping at the heels of the Stingrays in what was starting to look like a two horse race at the top.
Now, the Lions have slipped to third and shown weakness in their ability to hold leads in the second half of games, as both of their recent losses have been comeback performances from their opposition.
Can they restore form next week against the Berry Shoalhaven Heads Magpies?
7) Superoos hot patch of form
Jamberoo have picked up two big wins on the trot to shoot up to fifth on the Group 7 ladder thanks to some key performers.
Corey Grigg has been instrumental for the Superoos over the past two weeks, picking up three tries in two games from second row, this week putting his body on the line to dive at a loose grubber and score.
The work of instrumental five-eighth Mark Asquith can’t go unnoticed as well, scoring two tries this week that had the Gerringong defenders snatching at clean air as Asquith blitzed past them.
Asquith is the top scorer for the Superoos at seven tries scored.
Big upsets shake up ladder and local derby heats up: Group 7 round nine wrap and photo gallery
The 2023 Group 7 season is throwing curveballs left right and centre, as round nine once again was as unpredictable as the last.
A Shellharbour derby headlined the round, as the Stingrays looked to bounce back from last week’s loss against the feisty Sharks.
Meanwhile there were upsets brewing across the grounds as some of the lower teams staked their claims to surge up the ladder.
Check out the full wrap of the round and some of the best photos from down the south coast.
Sharks upset Stingrays in Shellharbour derby
Early season title favourites the Stingrays of Shellharbour have been dealt a reality check in the Shellharbour derby, going down to cross-town rivals the Shellharbour Sharks 20-12.
That’s back-to-back losses for the Stingrays, while meanwhile the Sharks have quietly won three on the trot and sit in fourth.
Captain James Ralphs put in a monster performance for the Sharks in scoring the first two tries of the game, the first of which was an excellent solo try, breaking through the line down the right flank and beating the fullback with a big dummy to his winger.
Hooker Colby Smith scored just before the break to give the Stingrays a bit of a boost going into the sheds, but it was the Sharks who were ultimately on top for the duration of the match.
Centre Jacob Seabrook showed great strength to get the better of his opposite no. 3 Jarvis Austin and power over the line to extend the Sharks lead.
Emanuel Sultana then pulled the strings to feed prop forward Josh Starling over the line from short range to put the margin out of reach, a third try of the season for Starling.
Big front rower Jake Kamire scored late on for the Stingrays, but it was not enough to get the game back within reach, with the Sharks emerging with local bragging rights from the first Shellharbour derby of the year.
Back-to-back upsets for Gerringong
Jamberoo produced the upset of the round in dealing back-to-back losses to the Gerringong Lions, triumphing 18-16 at home in a tight affair.
The Lions started the better of the sides with resident tryscorer Tobey Gumley-Quine opening proceedings after some really nice offloading and distributing to the left by his team.
The Superoos would get back in it though with Corey Grigg bravely pouncing on a grubber kick, making it three tries in the last two games for the lethal second rower.
The Lions regained command of the match with a near mirror image double to centre Kayne Brennan, twice charging through a hole on the right flank off short passes to get the Lions going.
It would be up to influential five-eighth Mark Asquith to rescue the Superoos though, scoring first through some sheer pace and hard running, weaving his way through the middle to plant down a four pointer.
He would follow this up by once again charging through the line off an attacking scrum, crucially finishing under the posts to give the Superoos a conversion kick that would ultimately win the game, sending the home side to fifth on the ladder.
Jets soar at top of ladder
Losses to the Stingrays of Shellharbour and Gerringong Lions allowed the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets to extend their lead at the top of the Group 7 ladder with a 36-16 win over the Berry Shoalhaven Heads Magpies.
It was the Magpies who opened the scoring through big prop forward Lloyd Thomas, crashing on to a short pass near the line to go under the sticks.
From here though the Jets switched on, inspired by the athleticism of winger Braydon Rumble Walsh, who scored back to back tries off bombs to his wing, soaring above his marker on two occasions to get the Jets rolling.
Halfback Clyde Parsons had a massively influential second half for the Jets, getting a four pointer by stepping his way through the line with great agility, putting a couple of defenders on the deck as they tried some desperate tackle attempts.
Beau Luland was on the scoresheet again after some nice work in the build up from centre Matori Atunsaia to offload to his winger.
Parsons was again weaving his way through the defence late on, this time flicking out the back for his halves partner Dylan Farrell to finish off a try of his own.
Bailey Morris and Louie Chilver were also on the scoresheet for the Magpies, but it wasn’t enough to take down the soaring Jets who lead the Group 7 standings.
Bulldogs pile pressure on Gorillas
It was a third loss on the trot for the defending premiers the Warilla-Lake South Gorillas as the Milton Ulladulla Bulldogs piled on the tries to beat them 36-22.
It was a back-and-forth affair for the most part, with a try of the round contender opening the match, after Gorillas fullback Justin Jones broke the defensive line on a kick return before feeding centre Kye Deane who completed a 90m breakaway try for the home side.
Bulldogs fullback Luke Millard would return serve for the Bulldogs shortly after though, showing a bit of his own magic in stepping a few defenders while charging for the line and crashing over.
Speaking of crashing over, the Dogs would go in again through prop forward Lleyton Roach, charging on to a short pass close to the line and proving unstoppable.
The Gorillas weren’t going to let the game get out of hand though, finding a winning formula in attacking the left defensive edge of the Bulldogs, first through Darnell Walker and then Drew Langdon to get the game back within touching distance.
The game would continue to flip on its head, with Dwayne Longbottom finishing in the corner to get the Bulldogs in front again, before Caleb Tohovaka charged under the posts for the Gorillas to level it up again.
It would be the Bulldogs halves who proved decisive in getting their side over the line though, first through five-eighth Cody Roach who burst through a pocket of space to score and extend the Bulldogs lead.
Halfback Travis Wooden would seal victory late on with an intercept on the halfway line, racing away to win the game and compound a bad few weeks for the Warilla side.
Tries galore as Eagles win back-to-back
After going winless in the opening seven rounds, the Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles have gone back to back in an absolute try-fest, defeating the Kiama Knights 42-30.
15 tries was enough to keep any neutral fan happy, while Kiama will be left to rue how they came up with a loss despite putting 30 points on the board.
The main reason is of course Kane Ball, the Eagles halfback who scored a whopping four tries to back up his matchwinning heroics from a week prior.
He showed great agility and profited of a deceptive dummy on a number of occasions to leave the Kiama defence helpless.
Not to be forgotten is his halves partner James Walsh who picked up a double, again utilising the big dummy to throw off the Knights defence.
Jiye Ellis also picked up a double for the Eagles, the second of which featured a terrific assist from winger Mitchell Potts.
For the Knights, a solid attacking display wasn’t enough on the day, with a double to Callan Thistlethwaite, as well as tries to Cameron Cornell, William Webb and Thomas Angel merely consolation.
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