Andrew Johns/Laurie Daley Cup: Wrap, results, standouts from round three
A stunning piece of individual brilliance worthy of winning any game has capped off a comeback for the ages in the Laurie Daley Cup. Watch the moment here!
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The action just keeps getting better after a brilliant round three of the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups.
After a thrilling opening fortnight of the competition, there was another dramatic comeback victory, while two big guns slugged it out in a classic.
Read about the action below.
ANDREW JOHNS CUP
FINAL-MINUTE TRY HELPS MONARO SINK 11-MAN WESTERN
The Monaro Colts have recorded their first win of the Johns Cup season in spectacular fashion after coming from behind to defeat the Western Rams 28-24 in a dramatic round three clash at Glen Willow Oval in Mudgee.
Leading by 12 points late in the match and seemingly cruising to victory, the Rams were reduced to 11 players by the referee, with the Colts capitalising on their advantage to storm home with three late tries and seal the win with the last play of the game.
Monaro might have come home strong but it also came out of the blocks firing. With an early penalty just 10m out from the Rams’ line, prop Drew Marshall wound up with a big charge to brush off the defenders and charge over for a try in just the third minute.
Four minutes later they were in again when centre Nate Stokes went over out wide to make it 12-0.
Stunned by a slow start, the Rams hit back a quarter of an hour in when the team capitalised on a Monaro error and put winger Nate Vincent over down the right touchline.
It was the first of a quick double-punch as Western spread the ball wide just a couple of plays after the restart to put winger Maddox Barton into space. He then found Nate Martin on the inside to finish off an excellent 70m try and make it 12-10.
The game then took an unfortunate turn 20 minutes in when Monaro’s Jack Edwards was seriously injured in a tackle. Play was delayed for more than 40 minutes as he was taken from the field.
While they had been blown away at the start of the match, the Rams flipped the script in the second half with a stunning six-minute period that turned the game on its head.
It started just two and a half minutes after the restart when centre Eamon Miskell muscled his way over.
Western then went coast to coast directly from the kick-off with a brilliant 90m try.
Catching the ball on his own 10m line, Rams halfback Riley Carter turned the ball in to halves partner Samuel Hill, who with a sharp step and dramatic turn of speed shot down the left-hand touchline. With the Monaro fullback coming across in cover, Hill pinned the ears back once again to glide past his outstretched arms and storm over for a brilliant individual try.
Suddenly the Rams were up 20-12, however the lead grew even further a couple of minutes later after a penalty helped the team up field and nice spread to the left put Miskell over for his second.
Having scored three back-to-back tries without Monaro even getting their hands on the ball, Western had all the momentum and looked in total control of the contest.
However with 15 minutes to go everything changed as Western five-eighth Hill was sent off after appearing to say something to the opposition team at a scrum.
An attempted intercept shortly after gave Monaro a great chance to test out its numerical advantage with a full set just 10m out from the Rams’ line. It only took a couple of plays for the Colts to break through, with a nice short-side play putting five-eighth Matthew Atkinson over with 12 minutes remaining to slash the lead to eight.
Despite being down a man, Western thought they had hit back and potentially sealed the game when Martin went over in the corner, however the final pass was ruled to have gone forward.
From the very next set the visitors marched up field and set up a grandstand finish when lock Marlowe Young crashed over from close range to make to 24-22 with just five minutes remaining.
The Colts were on a roll as they threw the ball around, although with just a couple of minutes left on the clock the team did appear to bomb a golden chance to win it when centre Jack Edwards flickpassed the ball out of play with the line begging.
However, in yet another twist in the game, Western was penalised for a dangerous lifting tackle in backplay, with Archie Black becoming the second Rams’ player sent from the field after being put in the sin bin.
With just 11 in the Western defensive line there were holes everywhere and Monaro eventually found a way through when halfback Drew Kemp stepped and palmed his way over to seal the dramatic win with just seconds left on the clock.
It capped off one of the most eventful games in recent regional rep history as the Colts chalked up their first victory of the campaign.
Monaro Colts 28 (Marshall, Stokes, Adams, Young, Kemp tries; Young four goals) defeated Western Rams 24 (Miskell 2, Vincent, Martin, Hill; Carter two goals)
DRAGONS STAY TOP AFTER HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
The Illawarra South Coast Dragons have all but sealed their spot in the Johns Cup semi-finals after taking out a thrilling 20-12 victory over the Macarthur Wests Tigers at Kirkham Oval in Camden.
In a clash between two previously unbeaten big guns of the competition, the Dragons raced out to an early lead before being forced to hold off the fast-finishing Tigers, only to seal the result with the final play of the game.
For a team that scored after just 26 seconds against Western in round one, Illawarra got off to another dream start when Macarthur knocked the ball on directly from the kick-off. It only took two plays for the Dragons to make it count, with centre Jeremy Packer crossing after just 45 seconds.
Ryland Coelho made it 6-0 in the 17th minute with a penalty goal before the team extended its lead late in the half with a nice long-range effort.
Attacking down the left edge, five-eighth Tyler Lewis made half a break before offloading to his outside men. The ball then found its way back on the inside to Preston Ruiz to finish off the 55m try and put Illawarra up 12-0.
While the visitors would have been looking to take their lead into the sheds, a scuffed kick-off remarkably bounced back off a Dragons’ player’s leg and into oncoming Tigers players to give Macarthur an unlikely last shot with the ball.
After a couple of strong charges, hooker Ashton Dewanto then spotted a gap and burrowed over from dummy-half to get his side on the board and make it 12-6 at halftime.
Despite the late setback, the Dragons did just as they had done at the outset and started the second half brightly by adding another two points just five minutes in for a ruck infringement.
However a turnover in the next set gave Macarthur possession in good territory and the Tigers made their opponents pay, with Thomas Allen proving too strong for the defence to make it 14-12 with 20 to play.
From here the Tigers enjoyed a little period of dominance as Illawarra made multiple errors in their own end, however the home side couldn’t break through.
The Dragons also had their chances of their own to extend the lead. On one occasion winger Kruz Efaraimo looked set to score in the corner, only to be bundled into touch by some desperate Macarthur defence.
With play going from end to end, the Tigers had a great chance to level things up with seven to go after receiving a penalty deep in Illawarra territory. Lining up 20m in from touch and 15m out, Sam Francis put the conversion attempt wide.
Both teams continued to make handling errors, with Illawarra in particular giving the home side every chance to steal it with a late winner.
The Tigers came closest five minutes from time when a rampaging Thomas Allen dropped the ball over the line after a strong charge into the defensive wall.
Then with the ball in his own half and with 20 seconds remaining, Macarthur’s Terowie Golding-Lyons threw caution to the wind with a chip and chase over the top. The ball ended up in the hands of Illawarra’s Preston Sager, who palmed off the oncoming defenders and ran 50m to seal the match with the final play of the game.
It was a dramatic finish to an exciting game that sees Illawarra go clear at the top of the Southern Pool with three wins from wins, one ahead of the Tigers in second.
Illawarra South Coast Dragons 20 (Packer, Ruiz, Sager tries; Packer two goals, Coelho two goals) defeated Macarthur Wests Tigers 12 (Dewanto, Allen tries; Francis two goals)
TIGERS HOLD OFF RESURGENT RIVERINA
The Northern Tigers have chalked up their first win of the season after holding off the Riverina Bulls 20-16 in a seesawing clash at Hammondville Oval in Sydney.
A fast start and some clutch defence was enough for the Northern Region side as it opened its account for the campaign.
With both sides looking for their first win of the season, it was the Tigers who started with plenty of intent. After an early penalty lock Preston Latham caught the Bulls defence napping with a nice dummy to go over in just the third minute of the match.
Five minutes later it was Riverina’s turn to hit back when fullback Jayden Steele put on a nice hit ad spin to level things up at 6-all.
In what was a fairly even opening the Tigers went ahead again after a lovely backline move put Sebastian Stafa over, only for the winger to be sent to the sin bin for a professional foul late in the half.
With an extra man and a full set of six at the Tigers’ end, the Bulls cleverly used their advantage by putting the ball through the hands for winger Kaden Dowling to score in the corner.
Two tries apiece at the break, only goalkicking separated the sides as Northern took a 12-10 lead into halftime.
The Tigers were building field possession pressure in the second half and it showed seven minutes after the restart when Mayse Frey crashed through the Riverina defence with a powerful run to score.
The try proved to be crucial. A Riverina error shortly after the kick-off coughed up possession in dangerous territory and winger Cooper O’Neill did well to squeeze inside the touchline to put his side up 20-10 with 18 minutes remaining.
Things then got worse for the Bulls as lock Elijah Gannon-Pearson was sent to the sin bin for dissent – while his side was attacking the Tigers’ line.
Despite its numerical disadvantage, the Bulls stayed in the game and capitalised on a Northern error, with halfback Zayd Williams crashing over to make it a four-point ball game with six minutes remaining.
With just one try in the contest, the Bulls threw everything at their rivals in the final stages. And despite making a break up field and enjoying repeat sets in the Northern half, Riverina was unable to break down the defence and the Tigers held on for a narrow win.
Northern Tigers 20 (Latham, Stafa, Frey, O’Neill tries; Matthews two goals) defeated Riverina Bulls 16 (Steele, Dowling, Williams tries; Foster two goals)
10-MAN KNIGHTS OUTLAST TITANS
The Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights have surged to the top of the Northern Pool after a dramatic 26-20 victory over the Northern Rivers Titans at Crozier Oval in Lismore.
After cruising to a comfortable 26-4 lead, the Knights were forced to hold off a fast-finishing Titans team after being reduced to 11 men late in the game.
Kicking off first, the Knights got off to a dream start when prop Makinah Kupenga pulled off a one-on-one strip with the very first play of the game. From here the Knights only wait to wait a few moments, with back-rower Koby Harvey strolling through a big hole on the right edge to score the opener after just 75 seconds.
The Knights extended their lead on the quarter-hour mark after the team’s props combined for a stunning try.
Running across field on halfway, Kupenga found his charging front-row partner Oliver Lawrence with a lovely ball. Running onto the ball with a full head of steam, Lawrence showed incredible speed to shoot through a gap and then outrun the chasing Titans’ defenders before doing his best impersonation of a winger with an excellent one-handed put-down to score in the corner and give Newcastle an 8-0 lead.
A couple of minutes later the home side hit back with a stunning try of its own. After the team putting on a spread to the right, Titans halfback Dallas Russell sliced through the line with a clever dummy before fooling the chasing Knights’ defenders with another dummy and passing on the inside for winger George Morgan to go over.
The try had reduced the lead to just four points, however a Titans’ error deep in its own end gave Newcastle one last chance in the first half, with a clever over-the-top cut-out ball from five-eighth Charlie Burey allowing centre Morgan Carter to plant the ball down just inside the touchline for a 12-4 lead at the break.
After starting the game with an early try the Knights replicated their efforts in the second half as a lovely spread to the right put centre Tyler Donaldson over in just the second minute after the restart to make it 16-4.
With most of Newcastle’s four tries coming out wide, the team hadn’t managed to kick a goal so far in the game, which kept the Northern Rivers in touch.
However a nice short-side play eighth minutes into the half followed by a double cut-out ball from halfback Ty Ennis a couple of minutes later gave winger Chayce Afa a quickfire double to put the Knights up 26-4 with 17 minutes remaining.
Newcastle seemed to be cruising to victory until a 10-minute period of madness turned the contest on its head.
It started midway through the second half when Knights’ centre Carter was sent to the sin bin for initiating some push and shove.
The Northern Rivers’ side struck immediately through backrower Manoa Scott to give the Titans some hope.
Things got worse for the Knights in the very next play as second-rower Benji Thompson was also sent to the sin bin for a dangerous tackle on the Titans’ Charlie Wood, leaving his side with just 11 men on the field.
With two extra men on the park, the Titans exploited their advantage and scored again after putting the ball through the hands to winger Jye Walpole.
The Knights were then remarkably reduced to 10 after Kupenga became his team’s third player sent to the sin bin for a professional foul.
With gaping holes in the defensive line, front-rower Clark Armstrong charged over to make it 26-20 and set up a grandstand finish with five minutes remaining.
And while the Titans were coming home strong, the Knights were able to hold them out and secure a crucial win.
The victory keeps Newcastle on top of the Northern Pool with three wins from three, while the Titans slip to third following their first loss of the season.
Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights 26 (Afa 2, Harvey, Lawrence, Carter, Donaldson tries; Burey one goal) defeated Northern Rivers Titans 20 (Morgan, Scott, Walpole, Armstrong tries; D Russell one goal, J Russell one goal)
LAST-GASP TRY SEALS 11-TRY THRILLER
The Central Coast Roosters have kept their perfect record in the Johns Cup alive after coming from behind to defeat the North Coast Bulldogs 34-28 in an 11-try thriller at Woy Woy Oval.
Trailing by six with less than four minutes remaining, the Roosters pulled off a remarkable escape with two late tries, including one with the final play of the game, to seal the dramatic win.
In a game that had just about everything, Central Coast tryscoring machine Alan Lardner got things going in the 15th minute with clever piece of instinctive footy for the first try of the match.
After Lardner was put through a gap on the left edge, the ball dropped out of his hands, only for the centre to throw his left foot at the ball, grubber it forward and then outrun Bulldogs’ fullback Javier House to opening the scoring.
After a scoreless opening quarter of an hour the points suddenly started to flow, with a Central Coast knock-on coughing up the ball in dangerous territory and North Coast five-eighth Mason White going over on the left edge to lock things up at 6-all.
However quickfire tries to Central Coast’s Billy McDonald and Nate Ross, who continued his strong tryscoring form at hooker, put the Roosters back on top to give the side a 16-8 lead at halftime.
The start of the second half was delayed due to a serious injury to North Coast centre Noah Langdon, but when it did his Bulldogs teammates came out of the sheds firing.
Second-rower Koby Bedwell was the first to score just four minutes after the restart on the back of some smart work from Javier House, with the Bulldogs’ fullback picking up his second assist within a matter of minutes as winger Levi Newton went over out wide with the team’s next use of the football.
The Dogs had all the momentum and when House capped off a stunning spell by going over himself the team had scored three tries in 11 minutes and had shot out to a 22-16 lead.
What followed was a frenetic final 15 minutes of football.
Despite conceding three tries on the run, the Roosters hit back when lock Samuel Michie busted through some flimsy defence to score under the sticks to level things up at 22-all.
However a knock-on in the second play after the restart handed the ball over to the Bulldogs, who in turn took full advantage when prop Malahkye Clark showed some nice footwork to once again give his side a six-point buffer.
With less than five minutes remaining the rallied, with a few powerful carries up field giving the Roosters great field position. From here, front-rower Hugo L’Estrange charged over to lock things up once again with just three minutes remaining.
With possibly just one set left with the ball, the Roosters made a break up field and looked destined to score before Bulldogs fullback House knocked down what would have been the final pass for a Central Coast try.
The home side did retain possession though, and from a scrum on halfway five-eighth Tukia Fotu-Moala sliced through the North Coast defence and then showed enough speed to outrun the chasers and dive over in the corner for the matchwinning try in what proved to be the last play of the game.
The victory moves the Roosters to equal top of the Northern Pool with three wins from three, while the Bulldogs are still looking for their first victory of 2025, despite their strong performances.
Central Coast Roosters 34 (Lardner, McDonald, Ross, Michie, L’Estrange, Fotu-Moala tries; Ross four goals, Gencur one goal) defeated North Coast Bulldogs 28 (White, Bedwell, Newton, House, Clark tries; Bedwell four goals)
LAURIE DALEY CUP
WESTERN HOLD OFF CHARGING MONARO
The Western Rams have recorded their first win of the Daley Cup season after defeating Monaro 22-18 in a seesawing clash in Mudgee.
In what was a tale of two halves, the Rams raced out to a 16-point lead at the break thanks to a hat-trick to winger Brayden McGarry before being forced to hold off the fast-finishing Colts in the second half.
Continuing a trend of early tries throughout the round, Western grabbed an early advantage when hooker Noah Sutcliffe caught the markers napping and dived over from dummy-half to open the scoring in just the third minute.
A penalty in the next set helped the Rams charge up field again before McGarry got on the end of a spread to the right to help put Western up 12-0 after seven minutes.
Monaro had been second best in the opening stages but hit back 20 minutes in when big prop Patrick Koen charged over from close range.
However Western reasserted its dominance to give the side a crucial lead late in the half.
Attacking the Colts’ line, some nice work from Jace Baker and Jack Colley on the right edge gave McGarry his second before the team set off the fireworks with an excellent long-range effort.
Working his way out of his own end, Western centre Logan Coombes showed off some nice footwork and a palm to break through the line. From here he stepped past two more defenders before passing on McGarry, who had enough speed to race to the corner to claim a first-half hat-trick and give his side a 22-6 lead at the break.
After a disappointing opening 35 the Colts needed to score first to give themselves any chance of staying in the game.
A penalty in the opening set of the half gave the side a piggyback up field before some nice work on the right edge by Troy Codey helped fullback Kruger Roache go over in the corner less than two minutes after the restart.
Five minutes later the Colts were back on Western line, and when Rams’ playmaker Baker failed to clean up a grubber it was game on as Monaro’s Blake Slater picked up the scraps to bring the scoreline back to 22-18 with 25 minutes to play.
What followed what a case of missed opportunities for both sides.
After another powerful run Coombes thought he had extended his side’s lead, only to be penalised for double-movement.
For Monaro, halfback Codey came closest 15 minutes from time but was ultimately held up over the line.
At one stage Western had three consecutive sets on the Monaro line but was unable to break through as the team looked to put the game to bed.
Then with just three minutes on the clock Monaro had one last roll of the dice with a set in the Western danger zone. However in what was a common theme for the second game, the visitors were unable to capitalise on the opportunity as some solid defence from the Rams forced an error and helped them close out the game.
Western Rams 22 (McGarry 3, Sutcliffe tries; Innes three goals) defeated Monaro Colts 18 (Koen, Roache, Slater tries; Milne three goals)
STUNNING PLAY SEALS ILLAWARRA’S COMEBACK FOR THE AGES
A stunning piece of individual brilliance has capped off a comeback for the ages as the Illawarra South Coast Dragons defeated the Macarthur Wests Tigers 26-22 in a top-of-the-table thriller at Kirkham Oval in Camden.
With scores locked at 22-all in the dying stages of the match, Illawarra winger Jack Koster came up with a truly stunning piece of play good enough to win any game.
Parked under the high ball deep in his own half, Koster showed incredible poise to outjump the chasing Macarthur players and defuse the bomb. Not done there, he palmed off two defenders and shot through the line.
With a host of Tigers desperately chasing him, the winger put on the afterburners to speed away from the pack, running 90m to break Macarthur hearts with a brilliant solo effort that won the game for his side. Watch the remarkable try in the video player at the top of the article.
It was part of a remarkable three tries in the final 12 minutes that saw Illawarra overturn a 12-point deficit to remain undefeated in the competition.
In what was a blockbuster clash between two previously unbeaten sides, Macarthur was the first to strike after the Dragons made the mistake of giving fullback Aaron Paea too much space in broken play, with the speedster shooting through a gap to open the scoring after 10 minutes.
The Tigers then extended their lead on 17 minutes when another one of the team’s stars in five-eighth Tyson Walker stepped through the line to score an excellent try.
Despite trailing 10-0 the Dragons kept cool heads and were rewarded shortly after when fullback Jack Talbott gave his opponents a taste of their own medicine by dummying past five-eighth Walker before wrong-footing Paea to score a brilliant 45m solo try.
Then within the blink of an eye the Dragons were level, with a penalty and repeat set after the kick-off giving the team good field position and five-eighth Beau Baldock sending half the Macarthur team down the river with two fantastic steps to score next to the sticks.
Things remained tight between the two sides, with only a late penalty for a crusher tackle giving the Tigers a narrow 12-10 lead at the break.
In what was a high quality game between two good teams, Macarthur took a crucial lead nine minutes into the second half when the Tigers capitalised on some good yardage from their forwards by putting hard-running centre Glassie Glassie through half a gap to score and make it 18-10.
The try gave Macarthur a huge boost as the team continued to charge up field. Four minutes later they were in again when Walker put in a pinpoint perfect kick for winger Tyler Volcov, who despite giving up some size did incredibly well to outjump his opponent, take the ball and plant it down for a stunning try.
Leading 22-10 and with all the momentum, the Tigers looked in control of the contest until a key moment 13 minutes from time turned the game on its head.
With his team defending multiple sets on their own line, Tigers fullback Paea was ruled by the touch judge to have used his shoulder to strike the head of a Dragons’ player while on the ground and was subsequently sent to the sin bin.
The pressure showed almost immediately as Illawarra centre Archie Wheeler crossed out wide just two plays later to slash the lead to six.
Suddenly it seemed that everything had changed, with Macarthur penalised for being in front of the kicker from the restart.
With another fresh set on the Tigers’ line, the Dragons didn’t waste their opportunity as hooker Flynn O’Mara darted out of dummy-half to scoot through to score. Lexin O’Dea threw the conversion over to level things up at 22-all with six minutes on the clock.
Now the Dragons were well and truly breathing fire as a line break from O’Dea once again helped the side charge up field.
And while Macarthur saw off that challenge, they had no answers for Koster’s brilliance as the Dragons recorded their third win from as many starts to remain on top of the ladder.
As for the Tigers, they remain second in the Southern Pool with a record of two wins and one loss.
Illawarra South Coast Dragons 26 (Talbott, Butler, Wheeler, O’Mara, Koster tries; O’Dea three goals) defeated Macarthur Wests Tigers 22 (Paea, Walker, Glassie, Volcov tries; Richards three goals)
NORTHERN COMPLETE RIVERINA DOUBLE
The Northern Tigers have capped off a strong weekend by completing the double over Riverina with a 26-16 victory in the Daley Cup.
A dominant first half led by skipper Jayden Seckold and five-eighth Leif Dietrich set the Northern Region side up for victory as it ran out five-tries-to-three winners.
In what proved to be a sign of things to come, hooker Seckold made the first major impression on the game when he burrowed over from dummy-half in just the sixth minute.
A Northern knock-on then gave Riverina a chance to hit back on the quarter-hour mark.
With his side feeding an attacking scrum 20m out from the Tigers’ line, Bulls centre Jordan Ercegovic came up with an excellent offload for Isaiah Pulleine, who showed incredible strength to run over the top of three defenders to level things up at 4-all.
While scores were level, the Tigers were about to turn to another star player to take control of the game.
Receiving the ball five metres short of halfway, five-eighth Dietrich showed great speed to burst through some patchy defence before drawing in the last defender and passing on to Dustin Wyrzykowski to score under the sticks.
Dietrich was giving Riverina all sorts of headaches and soon after did it all himself to give his size a 12-point lead.
It was clear that the Bulls were tiring and Northern exploited this ruthlessly. After the team charged up field from the very next set, some nice decoy runs and clever passes put fullback Toby Robinson over to give the side a comprehensive 22-4 lead at the break.
In need of something to get them back in the game, the Bulls forced an error out of their rivals in the first set of the second half. This allowed the silky right edge connection of Ercegovic and Pulleine to combine once again to give the latter his second of the day and reduce the deficit to 12.
Unfortunately for Riverina this didn’t prove to be the start of a grand comeback, with Seckold once again showing how deadly he is from dummy-half with another try from close range to seal the match.
And while the result wasn’t in doubt, the Bulls nevertheless came up with the try of the match with 15 minutes to play.
Catching a Northern kick 25m out from his own line, fullback Cody Plum busted straight through the Northern defence before putting on the afterburners down the right-hand touchline. After being dramatically pulled down by two chasing defenders just five metres out from the line, Plum then miraculously popped an offload out around the corner for teammate Caydan Hillier to score.
While unlikely to qualify for the finals, the Tigers managed to record their first victory of the campaign in what was an improved performance. Meanwhile for the Bulls, despite the defeat it was a much improved performance from the side, who will be looking to bounce back next week against Monaro.
Northern Tigers 26 (Seckold 2, Wyrzykowski, Dietrich, Robinson tries; Davidson three goals) defeated Riverina Bulls 16 (Pulleine 2, Hiller tries; Broekman two goals)
TITANS BOOST FINALS HOPES IN KNIGHTS’ ARMWRESTLE
The Northern Rivers Titans have given their chances of playing final football a huge boost after defeating the Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights 26-16 in a seesawing clash in Lismore.
After the teams went blow for blow for much of the contest, a strong second half and sharp goalkicking saw the Titans move above the Knights into second place in the Northern Pool with two rounds of the regular season remaining.
With both sides coming into the game with records of one win and one loss, it was the Knights who struck first in the sixth minute through centre Fletcher Sommerville.
However an excellent chargedown from Titans’ backrower Jett Flatley in the first set after the kick-off landed in the hands of five-eighth Lynton Close, who ran 50m into clear space to put his side up by two.
It was a tit for tat opening, with Sommerville going in for his second on the back of a lovely cut-out ball from halfback Lachlan Hails, only for the Knights to almost immediately give a penalty away while in possession of the ball, which allowed Northern Rivers centre Thomas Welman to crash over for his team’s second.
At two tries apiece, only goalkicking separated the teams as the Titans took a 12-10 lead into the break.
In an armwrestle that had gone back and forth, it was the Titans who created a bit of breathing space 12 minutes into the second half when Ashley Watts stuck his nose through some sloppy Newcastle defence to plant the ball on the line and give his side an 18-10 lead.
However the seesawing nature of the game continued when Knights’ interchange hooker Tyce Hall helped set up a grandstand finish by going over from dummy-half to make it a two-point ballgame with 12 minutes remaining.
The game was well and truly in the balance until another Knights error opened the door for the Northern Rivers side to strike.
With a set of six in the red zone, Titans halfback Jimmy McCombie came up with a brilliant dummy and pass to put Watts through the Newcastle defence for his second. The conversion gave the home side a crucial 24-16 lead with six minutes to play before a late penalty capped off the crucial win.
The victory moves the Titans into second in the Northern Pool with a record of two wins and one loss, while the Knights’ chances of qualifying finals have taken a hit after falling to a record of one win and two losses.
Northern Rivers Titans 26 (Watts 2, Close, Welman tries; Close five goals) defeated Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights 16 (Sommerville 2, Hall tries; Clenton two goals)
BULLDOGS GO TOP AFTER 11-TRY THRILLER
The North Coast Bulldogs have shot to the top of the Northern Pool after seeing off the Central Coast Roosters 36-24 in a pulsating top-of-the-table clash at Woy Woy Oval.
After shooting out to an 18-point lead, the Bulldogs were forced to hold off a spirited Central Coast comeback before sealing the game late to remain undefeated in the competition.
In a game with two previously undefeated teams, it was the Bulldogs who got off to a flyer when halfback Toby Batten stepped and palmed his way through to score the opening try in just the fourth minute.
The game remained fairly even for much of the first half before a stunning late burst gave North Coast a crucial lead going into the break.
It started when winger Jesse Stevens did brilliantly to catch a Roosters’ attacking bomb and charge 75m up field. A couple of plays later the Dogs went back to the left wing where Stevens finished the job with a try in the corner.
Then in the very next set a towering bomb from Batten was allowed to bounce, with the ball taking a wicked turn for North Coast centre Zayne Shutes to dive on the ball and give his side an 18-0 lead at the break.
The Roosters had been stunned in the first half but hit back just four minutes after the restart when centre Cooper Hall crashed over.
The Bulldogs then re-established their lead when Batten put in a clever grubber for Shutes to grab his second to make it 22-6.
Just like in the earlier fixture, what followed was a stunning final quarter of the game that saw both sides throw everything at each other.
Indeed, many spectators might have thought they were seeing double when Isaac Fotu-Moala, the older brother of the Johns Cup matchwinner Tukia Fotu-Moala, kicked a 40/20 to trigger his side into action.
A nice backline move put Hall in for his second of the day, before a penalty helped the side up field in the very next set. From here, winger Bodie Jeffreys once again showed his class with an expert finish in the corner.
When Brok Elliott slotted the conversion from the sideline, suddenly the scoreline was 22-18 with 15 minutes to play.
The Roosters had all the momentum and looked like rolling over their opponents before a couple of strokes of luck once again changed the nature of the game.
In the next set the Central Coast charged up field, with North Coast fullback Karl Turner spilling a bomb backwards. Fotu-Moala looked destined to score but Turner somehow managed to knock the ball loose as the Roosters man was about to jump over the line in what was a very lucky escape for the visitors.
The Bulldogs’ good fortune then continued in the next set. After putting up a shallow bomb that didn’t go where it was intended, North Coast five-eighth Rielly Laverty regathered the ball on the bounce and then showed some individual brilliance to dummy, break the line and then put in a pinpoint grubber for Stevens to score in the corner.
Leading 26-18, the try gave the Bulldogs a great boost. The team then rolled up field, with a quick play-the-ball allowing interchange hooker Samuel Schilt to go over from dummy-half to seal the game.
Although the Dogs were ahead by 14 the action was far from over, with Wesley LeRougetel going over for North Coast before Fotu-Moala pounced on a loose ball to score a late consolation.
The victory puts the Bulldogs clear at the top of the Northern Pool with three wins from three while the loss means the Roosters remain in a battle to make the finals.
North Coast Bulldogs 36 (Shutes 2, Stevens 2, Batten, Samuel Schilt, LeRougetel tries; Batten four goals) defeated Central Coast Roosters 24 (Hall 2, Jeffreys, Fotu-Moala tries; Elliott four goals)
The following match reports are still to come.
Originally published as Andrew Johns/Laurie Daley Cup: Wrap, results, standouts from round three
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