Mackay Cutters claim victory over Western Clydesdales in tale of two halves

The Western Clydesdales faced off with the Mackay Cutters in a clash where the first half and second half could not be more different. Check out the biggest talking points from the game here.

Corey Fenning for the Western Clydesdales. Picture: Benny Hassum Photography

In one of the more bizarre clashes of Hostplus Cup rugby league you will see, the Mackay Cutters came away with a triumphant 54-18 win over the Western Clydesdales in the penultimate round of the season on Saturday night.

Check out the biggest talking points from the clash here

Tale of two halves

Rarely will you see two vastly different halves in the one game like what occurred on the weekend.

The Clydesdales came out to play in the first half scoring the first try of the game after just six minutes.

Momentum went back and forth throughout the opening stages with the lead swapping hands before scores were eventually tied at 18-all at the break.

However, the second half was another story as Mackay put the Clydesdales to the sword with a six-try shutout.

Despite conceding the first try of the half in the 47th minute, the Clydesdales were still in the contest with less than 25 minutes to go as the Cutters held a narrow six-point lead.

However, that soon changed as Mackay crossed over for four tries in the space of 11 minutes.

Tries in the 57th, 60th, 62nd and 68th minute put the nail in the coffin for the Clydesdales.

Duo’s incredible first half

One of the Clydesdales’ breakout stars of the 2024 campaign, Corey Fenning was a force to be reckoned with in the first half.

Despite dominating at centre throughout the season, Fenning was moved to the wing on Saturday night and the move immediately paid dividends as he set up Esom Ioka for the opening try of the contest.

This was just the tip off the iceberg for the scintillating outside back as he crossed over for two tries himself and made three conversions in a stunning start to the clash.

Luke Rouland in action for the Clydesdales during a trial game. Picture: Nev Madsen.

However, Fenning was not alone in the first half as five-eighth Luke Rouland had the ball on a string throughout the opening stages of the contest.

The Clydesdales have not scored many tries off kicks this season but all three of their tries on Saturday came off perfectly placed kicks from Rouland towards the left corner, with Fenning flying through the air to claim possession.

What made this dynamic duo’s performance even more incredible was the fact both players sat out the entirety of the 2023 seasons due to injuries.

Poor completions

The Clydesdales were their own worst enemy at times with a poor completion rate hurting their chances of a win.

Jason Alchin’s side completed just 19 sets for the game at a completion rate of 55 per cent.

Their opponents meanwhile, completed 28 of their 38 sets at 73 per cent.

These errors ultimately were reflected when you take a closer look at the average set distance for the two sides, with the Cutters averaging a solid 42.5m per set, while the Clydesdales managed just 26.1m per set.