Three send offs, controversial last minute winner and highlight reel tries: Group 7 round 16 wrap and team of the week
Check out the best 17 players from a wild and violent round of Group 7 rugby league action, as well as the full wrap of the round of action.
The South Coast News
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Round 16 is in the books for the 2023 Group 7 rugby league season, with plenty of spots still up for grabs on the ladder and much to play for.
Check out the team of the week from Round 16 and read on for the full round wrap which features some great tries and some ill tempers.
1. Braxton Wallace (Shellharbour)
2. Matt Morris (Kiama)
3. James Scott (Stingrays)
4. Darnell Walker (Warilla-Lake South)
5. Callum Hodgson (Kiama)
6. Emanuel Sultana (Shellharbour)
7. Blair Grant (Warilla-Lake South)
8. Thomas Angel (Kiama)
9. Bailey Wallace (Shellharbour)
10. Matt Nicholson (Shellharbour)
11. Tom Warner (Stingrays)
12. Zaan Weatherall (Stingrays)
13. Beau Doosey (Gerringong)
14. Adam Quinlan (Nowra-Bomaderry)
15. Nathan Gallestegui (Jamberoo)
16. Bailey Sassall (Milton Ulladulla)
17. Wesley Pring (Gerringong)
Full round wrap
It was a wild round of Group 7 rugby league action, with fists flying in a number of games down the south coast which led to three send offs.
There was a controversial last minute winner which could be season defining for both sides involved.
Meanwhile there were some brilliant solo and team tries occurring across the grounds.
Check out the full round wrap.
Stingrays keep ball rolling
The Stingrays of Shellharbour have defeated fellow top four threats the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets 28-14 to remain top of the Group 7 ladder.
There was already a bit of tension in the air at Flinders Field after an all-in brawl resulted in two send offs and two sin bins in the reserve grade fixture earlier in the afternoon.
Luckily this didn’t get in the way of some excellent first grade action with a number of tries for the highlight reel.
The Stingrays asserted their dominance at home as they have so often this season, with Zaan Weatherall opening the scoring by working his way through some sloppy Jets defence.
This would be followed up by a lovely team try in which Ben Weatherall was released down the right flank, kicking back infield for his fullback Kieren Moss to chase down and score.
The Jets got on the board through scoreboard regular Beau Luland down the left flank, but were unable to close the gap before the break thanks to a wild try from Stingrays’ James Scott, in which Braydon Rumble Walsh of the Jets attempted to bat Scott’s kick for touch back into the field of play, only to bat it straight back into the hands of Scott who had been pursuing his own kick, allowing him to race away and score.
Captain Tommy Warner smashed his way over the line from close range in the second half to extend the lead.
The Jets looked to mount a comeback with a couple of nice tries in quick succession to Tyson Simpson and Clyde Parsons, with captain Adam Quinlan at the heart of both.
It looked as though the Stingrays might even totally implode when substitute forward Jake Kamire was sent from the field for a headbutt in a tackle.
The Stingrays were able to hold on though and even added a late extra as Zaan Weatherall went through for his second of the match.
10 in a row for Sharks
The Sharks have made it an incredible 10 wins on the trot with their latest triumph over the Milton Ulladulla Bulldogs.
The 40-16 win keeps the pressure on their cross-town Shellharbour foes the Stingrays, while for the Bulldogs it leaves them looking over their shoulder at a number of teams fighting for that fifth spot in finals.
Sharks fullback Braxton Wallace had a good day at the office, opening the scoring early on after a nice spreading move to the right side from the Sharks.
Bailey Sassall hit back for the Bulldogs though, charging through a rare hole in the Sharks defence close to the line and scoring, with some late contact after his put down sparking some pushing and collar pulling as tensions boiled, with no major repercussions.
The Sharks would go into the break with the lead though as Wallace added his second of the day and Jye Brooker regained a James Ralphs grubber to score on the right.
The Bulldogs came out firing in the second half as fullback Travis Wooden looked to inspire his side, grubbering through the Sharks line and regaining his kick to score.
This would be the last flash of brilliance from the home side though, as the sharks piled on four unanswered tries to blow out the scoreline through Emanuel Sultana, Matt Nicholson and a brace to Bailey Wallace.
Blake Halls would add a late consolation for the Bulldogs, but overall it was another convincing Sharks performance as they steam roll into finals as the league’s most in-form side.
Last minute drama seals crucial victory for Gorillas
The Warilla-Lake South Gorillas have kept their finals hopes alive after defeating fellow mid-table battlers the Jamberoo Superoos 26-24 in a thriller.
It’s the first time the sides have met since the incident that resulted in a year-long ban for Tyrone Roberts earlier this season.
After being totally written off in what appeared to be a failed title defence, incredibly we might still see the Gorillas in the finals after finding form at the right time of the season.
It didn’t look like this would be the case early on though with the Superoos running in the first three tries of the game, first to Jordan Xuereb and then twice to fullback Nathan Gallastegui.
From here though the Gorillas mustered their strength, getting on the board first through Duke Grant from lock, being sent through a hole on the halfway line and charging the rest of the field, with a few collars grabbed and words exchanged after the try was scored.
The Gorillas would carry this momentum and snag two more tries from centre Darnell Walker, with the Gorillas and their fanbase fired up by their team’s rally as they led by two at the break.
It was back-and-forth in the second half, with both teams realising the stakes and not allowing their opponent to get away with the game.
Matt Forsyth finished a nice left to right spread and charged in for the Superoos, before Gorillas hooker Dexter Grant pulled off a mean ‘show and go’ to crash in under the sticks and put the home side back in front.
The Superoos weren’t going down without a fight though, with centre Jake Clarke running past the staggered defensive line of the Gorillas to level the scores.
In the final minute of the game, Warilla’s Jake Brisbane attempted a field goal and was off target, but incredibly was attacked at the legs in the process of kicking by a Jamberoo defender, leaving the five-eighth to be assisted off the field injured.
This meant a penalty in front of the sticks for Warilla, much to the anger of the Jamberoo Superoos, to which Blair Grant converted after the siren to give the Gorillas the win and keep their finals dreams alive.
Lions put pressure on leading pack with win
The Gerringong Lions have kept up with the frontrunners with a 42-8 win over the Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles.
It was a close encounter in the first half, with the Eagles actually opening the scoring through Dallas Harrison chasing down a grubber kick to score.
The Lions would take until the half-hour mark to finally get on the scoreboard through fullback Wesley Pring, followed up shortly after by Beau Doosey charging his way through the line all too easily.
Come the second half, the Eagles stated their intent to make this a contest when Kane Ball dummied and charged through the line to finish in the corner.
From here on out it was all the Lions however, with five unanswered tries making it look like a training session for the home side.
Jack Quine crashed over from short range, while Isaac Laughton finished a nice spread on the right flank.
Liam Holland got his ninth for the year after some terrific running and tackle evasion in the build-up from Wesley Pring.
Beau Doosey would also go on to score his second and third try of the match, showing terrific strength and running power to leave Eagles defenders helpless.
Double send off as Knights and Magpies let fists fly
The biggest talking point to come from the match was a double send off following a brawl in the final 10 minutes.
Kiama prop Tyler Clark had already been sin binned earlier in the half for a violent swinging arm in a tackle attempt and was immediately dismissed for his additional involvement in this incident.
Lachlan Nellestein was also sent for the Magpies for a number of wild punch attempts in a tussle with Matt Morris.
The game of footy itself was played in a very aggressive manner, with massive shots and tackles consistent throughout the entire 80 minutes.
Kiama proved the stronger of the two sides overall, picking and choosing their moments to pierce a hole in the Magpies defensive line.
Matt Morris and Callum Hodgson picked up a double each, joined on the scoresheet by Callan Thistlethwaite, Cade Hothom, Thomas Angel and Harry Middleton.
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