Post by padds on Mar 5, 2021 11:28:55 GMT
Premier League
The Match of the Day in Week 2 was the game between Gold Coast Crusade and Auckland Orcas at the Cbus Super Stadium and it certainly lived up to its billing. Gold Coast were coming off the back of thrashing Adelaide, while Auckland had sneaked home against a plucky Glasgow side. Crusade took a chance on playing Nic Cotric, who picked up a knock last week, but the Orcas were at full strength.
Ex Auckland player Adam Reynolds put the home side ahead with a penalty, then converted tries by Dylan Edwards and Euan Aitken, but the excellent Mikaele Ravalawa, who was Man of the Match, scored a converted try with the last touch of the first half to reduce the score to 14-6.
Bill Townsend’s half-time ‘talk’ must have been memorable as Auckland scored within a minute of the restart.. Damien Cook’s temperament had been questioned last week, but he put that behind him and crashed over for a try. Stefan Ratchford converted and repeated the feat 7 minutes later as Tom Trbojevic scored his first try for his new club. After a penalty by Reynolds Joseph Paulo scored his second try in two games to put Gold Coast ahead, only for Ben Garcia to equalise with an unconverted try. With 8 minutes left Cody Walker dropped a goal apparently seal victory for the Orcas, but once again the lead changed as Auckland were caught offside. From 42 metres Reynolds had the last laugh as he slotted home the winner, as Crusade sneaked home, 24-23.. They paid the price, though, as Edrick Lee, Cotric and Reynolds all picked up injuries. A super game and a wonderful advert for the ASRL.
The early kick-off game saw Adelaide Attitude play Brisbane Raiders at the Adelaide Oval. After Round 1’s nilling at Gold Coast Adelaide were looking for a bounce back, but they had a hard job as they faced the impressive Brisbane outfit, who had scored 40 points in week 1.. Raiders were without prop Aiden Tolman and replaced him with William Isa, who was destined to pick up a bad injury, which will keep him out for 5 weeks.
It took Brisbane just 4 minutes to take the lead as Manu Ma'u scored a converted try. James Maloney kicked Adelaide’s first points of the season as he punished Raiders for stripping the ball. Josh Charnley scored a fine try, and Gareth Widdop continued his fine form with a good conversion. Konrad Hurrell walked through a paper thin defence and Brisbane led 18-2, and looked good for another 40 points.
After Michael Morgan added another try Alex Brimson, who was impressive at fullback, got a consolation try for the Attitude. After Isa’s serious injury Adelaide seemed to find some form, but it took till 70 minutes to break the Raiders resolute defence. Siosiua Taukeiaho scored a try and when Brimson scored his 2nd try to earn himself Man of the Match it looked ominous for Brisbane. However, despite a couple of nervous moments Raiders saw the match out winning 24-18. To rub salt into the wounds, James Maloney took a knock and will miss next week’s match for Adelaide.
Last week’s big winners Merseyside Dockers took on the big losers Darwin at Anfield and it looked like a foregone conclusion. Dockers changed their goal-kicker for some reason and Kotoni Staggs put them ahead in a boring first half, which ended with impressive Man of the Match Morgan Knowles scoring a converted try for an 8-0 lead.
The second half was not much better as Staggs kicked 3 penalties for Merseyside and Jeremy Marshall-King picked up a consolation try for Darwin, as the Dockers won 14-6. . Bad news for the Dragons as influential half Luke Keary picked up a 4 week injury and prop Blake Lawrie 5 weeks. Jake Trbojevic got a knock for Merseyside and may miss next weeks big one against Brisbane while winger Ken Maumalo will be out for 4 weeks.
Sydney Oilers entertained Hull Kingston Redskins at the Sydney Football Stadium. Sydney really are an enigma, as on paper they have one of the best sides in the competition. Redskins travelled to Sydney missing star forwards Daryl Clark and Viliame Kikau so a rare win for the Oilers looked on the cards, especially as Hull were still sulking after their first round thrashing by Merseyside. Sydney started best and Paul Vaughn scored. Hull replied with a try by debutant Kevin Naiqama, converted by Shaun Johnson. Soon after Reegan Campbell-Gillard barged over for a converted try and Redskins led 12-4 at the break.
Sydney didn’t seem to have an answer to a resurgent Hull side and Naiqama scored his 2nd try early in the second half. Johnson converted and repeated when Campbell-Gillard got his second. Hull eased off and David Nofoaluma crossed the whitewash. The conversion was by Daly Cherry-Evans. New signing Alex Mellor was Man of the Match for his constant attacking presence and this was an improvement, but some will say ‘It was only Sydney’. A few niggling injuries for the Oilers, but coach Roger Bossert will need to find a way to turn his super players into a super team. Also a few minor injuries for Hull, but their replacements stood up and were counted as Redskins won 24-10.
At the Glasgow Stadium the Reapers took on Perth Panthers in the evening kick-off. Reapers were missing Mitch Pearce. In a slow game Perth took the lead with a try by Craig Hall, converted by Kyle Feldt. The Panthers were a little aggressive and Glasgow benefitted when Perth were penalised for fighting. Mitch Moses kicked the goal and then converted a try by Jared Waeara-Hargreaves, who has started the season in phenomenal form. Maika Sivo extended Reapers lead and a Moses penalty concluded the scoring.
A quick start to the second half brought a 2nd try to JWH as Glasgow took advantage o poor defence. Glasgow turned off now and Perth replied with tries from Josh Papa'ali and Jack Wighton with a conversion from Feldt, but Panthers left it too late and the Reapers held on 20-16. Jared Waeara-Hargreaves took the Man of the Match award for the second week in a row.
We look forward to this weeks fixtures as Brisbane take on Merseyside in a top of the table clash.
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Sunshine Coast Fury played Byron Brewers in the early match at the Sunshine Coast Stadium. Both teams came off the back of a first round win, so were confident of a repeat. Jordan Riki opened the scoring for the Fury, chalked off by an effort from Charnze Nicol-Klokstead. Paul Momirovski converted a try by Mitch Dunn and then added a try himself. That was the end of the scoring for Sunshine Coast as Byron settled and scored just before half-time. When injuries hit the Fury, Chris Randall 6 weeks and Declan Patten 5 weeks, the Brewers took over and scored 20 points unanswered. Connor Tracey, Keaon Koloamatangi and Peta Hiku scored tries while Man of the Match Jamayne Isaako kicked 4 goals. Brewers eventually cruised home 24-16.
Champions Kensington Highrollers took on a very strong Surfers Paradise Punks at Hindmarsh Stadium. With the line-up available to them it’s surprising the Punks lost in Round 1. The excess from Brisbane had a setback when Jake Granville scored a try converted by Herbie Farnworth. The Punks settled and scored 3 tries before half-time through Francis Molo, Nene MacDonald and Pauli Pauli, all converted by veteran Cameron Smith. Molo and Pauli Pauli scored again in the second half as the men beat the boys 30-6, with Benji Marshall Man of the Match.. Punks break the ice and Highrollers record a second defeat. The only blot for Surfers was Blake Ferguson’s injury, as he will miss 3 weeks.
South Lancs Saints were home to Alice Springs Dingoes at Langtree Park. Alice were coming off a win over comp favourites Surfers Paradise, so were looking for an easy win. 2 penalties by Mason Lino plus a last minute converted try by young gun Tommy Talau left us with a 10-0 lead at the break for the Dingoes. The break seemed to unsettle Alice and South Lancs started to play. Two penalties from Semi Valemei, plus tries from Mikolaj Oledzki and Corey Norman were enough to get the Saints home 12-10. While South Lancs don’t have a dedicated goal-kicker they arent going to win too many matches
Partick Pirates played Mandurah Maples at Melbourne Cricket Ground. A strong Mandurah side arrived at Melbourne CG having won well in Round 1. Partick fell to defeat in Round 1 on the back of a bad injury to Reihana Marsh. Andrew Fifita started off the scoring after 3 minutes with a try. The Pirates hit back with 2 Rhyse Martin penalties and a converted Charlie Staines try. Just before half-tome Mandurah sucker punched Partick with 2 tries in 2 minutes by Enari Tuala and Joe Shorrocks, both converted by Tuimoala Lolohea. The second half ebbed and flowed with it being anybody’s game till the final whistle. Partick scored further tries trough Staines and Martin with 2 goals fro Martin and Mandurah scored a try and 2 goals from Lolohea as the Maples ran out 26-22 winners.
Balmain Storm took on Trafford Metro at the Leichardt Oval. In a game notable for great defence the half-time hooter went with a football score on the board 0-0. Fouad Yaha, Trafford’s winger limped off with an ankle injury will keep him out for 4 weeks. The second half continued in the same vein as the first until the 56th minute when Trafford were penalised for holding down. Ashley Taylor kicked the goal and repeated the trick 5 minutes later when Redskins infringed at the play-the-ball. Michael McIorum limoed off and things looked bad for Metro. To make things worse a bad tackle on Tony Gigot caused him to be carried off with a 6 week injury. Time ticked away and with 11 seconds left on the clock Jake Trueman spotted a gap from the play-the-ball and scooted through for a touchdown under the sticks. Lee Gaskell gleefully converted as the clock stood at 80.00 and maintained Metro’s 100% start..
The Match of the Day in Week 2 was the game between Gold Coast Crusade and Auckland Orcas at the Cbus Super Stadium and it certainly lived up to its billing. Gold Coast were coming off the back of thrashing Adelaide, while Auckland had sneaked home against a plucky Glasgow side. Crusade took a chance on playing Nic Cotric, who picked up a knock last week, but the Orcas were at full strength.
Ex Auckland player Adam Reynolds put the home side ahead with a penalty, then converted tries by Dylan Edwards and Euan Aitken, but the excellent Mikaele Ravalawa, who was Man of the Match, scored a converted try with the last touch of the first half to reduce the score to 14-6.
Bill Townsend’s half-time ‘talk’ must have been memorable as Auckland scored within a minute of the restart.. Damien Cook’s temperament had been questioned last week, but he put that behind him and crashed over for a try. Stefan Ratchford converted and repeated the feat 7 minutes later as Tom Trbojevic scored his first try for his new club. After a penalty by Reynolds Joseph Paulo scored his second try in two games to put Gold Coast ahead, only for Ben Garcia to equalise with an unconverted try. With 8 minutes left Cody Walker dropped a goal apparently seal victory for the Orcas, but once again the lead changed as Auckland were caught offside. From 42 metres Reynolds had the last laugh as he slotted home the winner, as Crusade sneaked home, 24-23.. They paid the price, though, as Edrick Lee, Cotric and Reynolds all picked up injuries. A super game and a wonderful advert for the ASRL.
The early kick-off game saw Adelaide Attitude play Brisbane Raiders at the Adelaide Oval. After Round 1’s nilling at Gold Coast Adelaide were looking for a bounce back, but they had a hard job as they faced the impressive Brisbane outfit, who had scored 40 points in week 1.. Raiders were without prop Aiden Tolman and replaced him with William Isa, who was destined to pick up a bad injury, which will keep him out for 5 weeks.
It took Brisbane just 4 minutes to take the lead as Manu Ma'u scored a converted try. James Maloney kicked Adelaide’s first points of the season as he punished Raiders for stripping the ball. Josh Charnley scored a fine try, and Gareth Widdop continued his fine form with a good conversion. Konrad Hurrell walked through a paper thin defence and Brisbane led 18-2, and looked good for another 40 points.
After Michael Morgan added another try Alex Brimson, who was impressive at fullback, got a consolation try for the Attitude. After Isa’s serious injury Adelaide seemed to find some form, but it took till 70 minutes to break the Raiders resolute defence. Siosiua Taukeiaho scored a try and when Brimson scored his 2nd try to earn himself Man of the Match it looked ominous for Brisbane. However, despite a couple of nervous moments Raiders saw the match out winning 24-18. To rub salt into the wounds, James Maloney took a knock and will miss next week’s match for Adelaide.
Last week’s big winners Merseyside Dockers took on the big losers Darwin at Anfield and it looked like a foregone conclusion. Dockers changed their goal-kicker for some reason and Kotoni Staggs put them ahead in a boring first half, which ended with impressive Man of the Match Morgan Knowles scoring a converted try for an 8-0 lead.
The second half was not much better as Staggs kicked 3 penalties for Merseyside and Jeremy Marshall-King picked up a consolation try for Darwin, as the Dockers won 14-6. . Bad news for the Dragons as influential half Luke Keary picked up a 4 week injury and prop Blake Lawrie 5 weeks. Jake Trbojevic got a knock for Merseyside and may miss next weeks big one against Brisbane while winger Ken Maumalo will be out for 4 weeks.
Sydney Oilers entertained Hull Kingston Redskins at the Sydney Football Stadium. Sydney really are an enigma, as on paper they have one of the best sides in the competition. Redskins travelled to Sydney missing star forwards Daryl Clark and Viliame Kikau so a rare win for the Oilers looked on the cards, especially as Hull were still sulking after their first round thrashing by Merseyside. Sydney started best and Paul Vaughn scored. Hull replied with a try by debutant Kevin Naiqama, converted by Shaun Johnson. Soon after Reegan Campbell-Gillard barged over for a converted try and Redskins led 12-4 at the break.
Sydney didn’t seem to have an answer to a resurgent Hull side and Naiqama scored his 2nd try early in the second half. Johnson converted and repeated when Campbell-Gillard got his second. Hull eased off and David Nofoaluma crossed the whitewash. The conversion was by Daly Cherry-Evans. New signing Alex Mellor was Man of the Match for his constant attacking presence and this was an improvement, but some will say ‘It was only Sydney’. A few niggling injuries for the Oilers, but coach Roger Bossert will need to find a way to turn his super players into a super team. Also a few minor injuries for Hull, but their replacements stood up and were counted as Redskins won 24-10.
At the Glasgow Stadium the Reapers took on Perth Panthers in the evening kick-off. Reapers were missing Mitch Pearce. In a slow game Perth took the lead with a try by Craig Hall, converted by Kyle Feldt. The Panthers were a little aggressive and Glasgow benefitted when Perth were penalised for fighting. Mitch Moses kicked the goal and then converted a try by Jared Waeara-Hargreaves, who has started the season in phenomenal form. Maika Sivo extended Reapers lead and a Moses penalty concluded the scoring.
A quick start to the second half brought a 2nd try to JWH as Glasgow took advantage o poor defence. Glasgow turned off now and Perth replied with tries from Josh Papa'ali and Jack Wighton with a conversion from Feldt, but Panthers left it too late and the Reapers held on 20-16. Jared Waeara-Hargreaves took the Man of the Match award for the second week in a row.
We look forward to this weeks fixtures as Brisbane take on Merseyside in a top of the table clash.
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Sunshine Coast Fury played Byron Brewers in the early match at the Sunshine Coast Stadium. Both teams came off the back of a first round win, so were confident of a repeat. Jordan Riki opened the scoring for the Fury, chalked off by an effort from Charnze Nicol-Klokstead. Paul Momirovski converted a try by Mitch Dunn and then added a try himself. That was the end of the scoring for Sunshine Coast as Byron settled and scored just before half-time. When injuries hit the Fury, Chris Randall 6 weeks and Declan Patten 5 weeks, the Brewers took over and scored 20 points unanswered. Connor Tracey, Keaon Koloamatangi and Peta Hiku scored tries while Man of the Match Jamayne Isaako kicked 4 goals. Brewers eventually cruised home 24-16.
Champions Kensington Highrollers took on a very strong Surfers Paradise Punks at Hindmarsh Stadium. With the line-up available to them it’s surprising the Punks lost in Round 1. The excess from Brisbane had a setback when Jake Granville scored a try converted by Herbie Farnworth. The Punks settled and scored 3 tries before half-time through Francis Molo, Nene MacDonald and Pauli Pauli, all converted by veteran Cameron Smith. Molo and Pauli Pauli scored again in the second half as the men beat the boys 30-6, with Benji Marshall Man of the Match.. Punks break the ice and Highrollers record a second defeat. The only blot for Surfers was Blake Ferguson’s injury, as he will miss 3 weeks.
South Lancs Saints were home to Alice Springs Dingoes at Langtree Park. Alice were coming off a win over comp favourites Surfers Paradise, so were looking for an easy win. 2 penalties by Mason Lino plus a last minute converted try by young gun Tommy Talau left us with a 10-0 lead at the break for the Dingoes. The break seemed to unsettle Alice and South Lancs started to play. Two penalties from Semi Valemei, plus tries from Mikolaj Oledzki and Corey Norman were enough to get the Saints home 12-10. While South Lancs don’t have a dedicated goal-kicker they arent going to win too many matches
Partick Pirates played Mandurah Maples at Melbourne Cricket Ground. A strong Mandurah side arrived at Melbourne CG having won well in Round 1. Partick fell to defeat in Round 1 on the back of a bad injury to Reihana Marsh. Andrew Fifita started off the scoring after 3 minutes with a try. The Pirates hit back with 2 Rhyse Martin penalties and a converted Charlie Staines try. Just before half-tome Mandurah sucker punched Partick with 2 tries in 2 minutes by Enari Tuala and Joe Shorrocks, both converted by Tuimoala Lolohea. The second half ebbed and flowed with it being anybody’s game till the final whistle. Partick scored further tries trough Staines and Martin with 2 goals fro Martin and Mandurah scored a try and 2 goals from Lolohea as the Maples ran out 26-22 winners.
Balmain Storm took on Trafford Metro at the Leichardt Oval. In a game notable for great defence the half-time hooter went with a football score on the board 0-0. Fouad Yaha, Trafford’s winger limped off with an ankle injury will keep him out for 4 weeks. The second half continued in the same vein as the first until the 56th minute when Trafford were penalised for holding down. Ashley Taylor kicked the goal and repeated the trick 5 minutes later when Redskins infringed at the play-the-ball. Michael McIorum limoed off and things looked bad for Metro. To make things worse a bad tackle on Tony Gigot caused him to be carried off with a 6 week injury. Time ticked away and with 11 seconds left on the clock Jake Trueman spotted a gap from the play-the-ball and scooted through for a touchdown under the sticks. Lee Gaskell gleefully converted as the clock stood at 80.00 and maintained Metro’s 100% start..
