Post by padds on Apr 29, 2021 7:07:33 GMT
Match of the Day saw the two in form teams Merseyside Dockers and Hull Kingston Redskins meet in the late kick off at Anfield. The ‘Battle of Britain’ matched up the Dockers, who had won 3 and drawn one of their last 4 games against the Redskins, who had won their last 3, the latest being the demolition of Brisbane. Merseyside were still missing Lachlan Fitzgibbon, and Luke Thompson from the starting line up while David Klemmer returned in place of Alex Walmsley who was on the bench. Redskins were without Dane Gagai and Jack Hughes, with Roger Tuivasa Sheck coming back on the wing. Hull kicked off and unlike last week when they didn’t concede a single point they gve up a try on Merseyside’s first real attack. The Dockers have tended to be Hull’s bogey team and it certainly looked that way when Tom Trbojevic waltzed through a paper thin defence on 6 minutes and Clint Gutherson converted. The Redskins hit back immediately and on the 5th tackle of the next attack Cameron Munster put up a bomb which Gutherson fumbled and Daryl Clark was on hand to poach a try, his first this season. Munster's halfback partner Shaun Johnson, back to his best, added the extras to square the game. The Dockers suffered a major blow when star winger Josh Addo Carr had to be helped off the pitch with a leg injury. Hull started to dominate now and Jackson Hastings notched 2 tries to put them in command. The first was thanks to the video ref and the second as a result of another bomb. Johnson goalled both and Redskins led 18-6 at the break. Merseyside started the second stanza best and pulled back a score when bad defence allowed Jacob Saifiti to crash over for a four pointer. Gutherson goalled, but this woke Hull up and in the next attack Kevin Naiqama spotted a gap in the defence to touch down for his 6th try of the season. He followed this 12 minutes later with his 7th try, making his joint top scorer with Jesse Ramien. Johnson added both goals and Hull led by 18. Jonny Lomax reduced the deficit to 12 with a try 7 minutes from time. Gutherson converted and when Alex Walmsley tried to force his way over under the sticks great defence prevented the try. The video ref decided he had lost the ball in the attempt to score and the final score was 30-18 to Hull. Coach Dave Paddock later confided to this reporter that that tackle had cost him $150,000 on his ASRL bet as Merseyside had a 7.5 start and 4 correct forecasts, and a converted try would have brought the score difference to 6. This win moved Hull above Merseyside in the league and took their tally to 4 successive wins, but news of Jackson Hastings was not good. He suffered several knocks during the game and will be out for a month.
The early kick off was Brisbane Raiders against Darwin Dragons at the Suncorp Stadium. Brisbane have been struggling of late, while Darwin broke a 4 match losing streak last week with their win over Adelaide. Brisbane were missing Manu Mau, replaced by Marata Niukore, David Fifita came in for John Bateman in the Darwin side. The first half was pointless, in more ways than one, and the crowd was glad for something to cheer on 45 minutes, even though it was a score for Darwin. Kurt Mann took advantage of lazy defence by the Raiders and scored an easy try. Latrell Mitchell added the goal. Gareth Widdop kicked a penalty when the Dragons infringed at a play the ball and then a piece of magic by Niall Evalds produced a try for Brisbane. Widdop converted to put the Raiders ahead and added a 2nd penalty to extend their lead. Darwin's fighting qualities now came to the fore and with 3 minutes left on the clock David Fifita took advantage of poor defence to touch down under the sticks to give Mitchell an easy conversion for a 12-10 win and another victory over a top team.
Sydney Oilers took on fellow cellar dwellers Perth Panthers at the Sydney Football Stadium. The Oilers were looking to stop a 4 match losing streak while Perth had lost 2 in a row. Sydney were missing Daly Cherry Evans and re jigged their backs in an effort to get a win while Perth were missing top scorer Craig Hall and Mike McMeeken. Perth set off like a house on fire and centre Ian Gildart celebrated his return for the Panthers with his 4th try of the season in the first minute. Jack Wighton took on the role of goal kicker and slotted the conversion. After 5 minutes Sydney suffered a major blow when James Tedesco was carried off after suffering a serious looking leg injury. Tries from Sione Katoa and Jesse Sene-Lefoa, the first converted, gave Perth a 16 point lead and the Oilers were looking down the barrel of 5 defeats in a row. A mini revival from the Oilers brought tries from Josh Mansour and Liam Watts, the second converted by Ryan Papenhuyzwn gave Sydney some hope, but Bevan French settled Perth's nerves when he skipped out of some weak tackling to score under the stick with the last move of the half. Wighton goalled and Panthers led 22-10 at the break. The second half was poor fare, typical of 2 struggling sides and French added the only score of the half with a well taken try. Sydney had no answers and Perth cruised to victory 26-10. News after the match was that Tedesco will be out for a month.
Glasgow Reapers took on league leaders Auckland Orcas at the Glasgow Stadium. Reapers had lost their last 2, while Auckland had won 6 of their last 7. Isaah Yeo was ruled out for Glasgow, coach Simon Laing moving Josh Aloiai back into the pack and Mosese Suli coming in at centre. Auckland were without injured Stefan Ratchford, but had an able deputy in veteran Cameron Smith. The Orcas started the game like Champions Elect and Glasgow had no ideas how to stop the onslaught as Bill Townsend's charges ran in 3 tries in 14 minutes through big Tom Burgess, Cam Smith and Andre Savelio, Smith adding 2 goals. As the Orcas took a breather the Reapers scored through Mitch Garbutt, who trundled over from 2 metres. Mitch Moses added the extras, but Auckland hit the gas again to score another easy try, this time from Nelson Asofa-Solomona. Smith added the 2 and the game was already settled by half-tome, Orcas leading 22-6, Glasgow made a better fist of the second half, but didn’t start playing until after Liam Marshall had scored another try, goalled by Smith. Once again Auckland relaxed and Glasgow plundered tries from Lachlan Coote and Brenko Lee. Moses converted the first and score almost looked respectable. The Orcas cruised through the second stanza, saving themselves for the big one next week against Gold Coast. As well as having an easy game and no injuries Auckland took a big step to go clear at the top, as the 3 teams below them lost.
Adelaide Attitude entertained 2nd placed Gold Coast Crusade at the Adelaide Oval. Adelaide have not been producing the form of Champions and were wallowing in 6th place after losing to Darwin last week, while Gold Coast looked to be back on track after 2 wins. Attitude coach Anthony McElroy mad several positional changes to accommodate Stephen Crichton while and enforced change saw Joseph Tapine replace injured Liam Farrell. Crusade picked Nick Cotric to replace injured Xavier Coates and Matt Whitley came in for Ryan James. Adelaide thought they had taken the lead after 7 minutes, but the video ref had other ideas and ruled out claims for a try. The half resembled a game of chess as master coaches McElroy and Matt Lyons’ game plans cancelled each other out. All the scoring of the half was condensed into the last 4 minutes as Waqa Blake scored an individual try, goaled by James Maloney, who added a penalty just after, then Tevita Pangai scored with the last touch of the half. Adam Reynolds couldn't convert, a fact that did not go unnoticed in the final reckoning. Attitude stretched their lead to 6 when Maloney kicked a penalty early in the second period, but Crusade hit back to equalise through a converted Paul Momirovski try. Half an hour to play and it was anybody's game, and after a head high tackle by Adelaide Reynolds put Gold Coast ahead. A rare Maloney try, to which he added the 2 put Attitude in the driving seat once more, but Crusade wouldn't lie down and Addin Fonua Blake got on the end of a kick in goal to score his first try of the season. Reynolds converted and Gold Coast were ahead once more. A head high tackle by Crusade gave Maloney the chance to equalise. It was all down to character now and Maloney clinched the Man of the Natch award with a drop goal with 3 minutes on the clock. Nerves were shredded as Adelaide held on 19-18 as Crusade were left to reflect on Reynolds missed goal. Gold Coast scored 3 tries to 2 but gave away too many penalties in kick-able positions.
Top 5
Auckland Orcas 8 2 0 210 143 67 16
Gold Coast Crusade 7 3 0 171 128 43 14
Brisbane Raiders 6 4 0 193 152 41 12
Hull Kingston Redskins 6 4 0 155 131 24 12
Merseyside Dockers 5 4 1 155 169 -14 11
Next Week
Auckland v Gold Coast - 1st v. 2nd
Brisbane v Adelaide
Darwin v Merseyside
Hull v Sydney
Perth v Glasgow
The early kick off was Brisbane Raiders against Darwin Dragons at the Suncorp Stadium. Brisbane have been struggling of late, while Darwin broke a 4 match losing streak last week with their win over Adelaide. Brisbane were missing Manu Mau, replaced by Marata Niukore, David Fifita came in for John Bateman in the Darwin side. The first half was pointless, in more ways than one, and the crowd was glad for something to cheer on 45 minutes, even though it was a score for Darwin. Kurt Mann took advantage of lazy defence by the Raiders and scored an easy try. Latrell Mitchell added the goal. Gareth Widdop kicked a penalty when the Dragons infringed at a play the ball and then a piece of magic by Niall Evalds produced a try for Brisbane. Widdop converted to put the Raiders ahead and added a 2nd penalty to extend their lead. Darwin's fighting qualities now came to the fore and with 3 minutes left on the clock David Fifita took advantage of poor defence to touch down under the sticks to give Mitchell an easy conversion for a 12-10 win and another victory over a top team.
Sydney Oilers took on fellow cellar dwellers Perth Panthers at the Sydney Football Stadium. The Oilers were looking to stop a 4 match losing streak while Perth had lost 2 in a row. Sydney were missing Daly Cherry Evans and re jigged their backs in an effort to get a win while Perth were missing top scorer Craig Hall and Mike McMeeken. Perth set off like a house on fire and centre Ian Gildart celebrated his return for the Panthers with his 4th try of the season in the first minute. Jack Wighton took on the role of goal kicker and slotted the conversion. After 5 minutes Sydney suffered a major blow when James Tedesco was carried off after suffering a serious looking leg injury. Tries from Sione Katoa and Jesse Sene-Lefoa, the first converted, gave Perth a 16 point lead and the Oilers were looking down the barrel of 5 defeats in a row. A mini revival from the Oilers brought tries from Josh Mansour and Liam Watts, the second converted by Ryan Papenhuyzwn gave Sydney some hope, but Bevan French settled Perth's nerves when he skipped out of some weak tackling to score under the stick with the last move of the half. Wighton goalled and Panthers led 22-10 at the break. The second half was poor fare, typical of 2 struggling sides and French added the only score of the half with a well taken try. Sydney had no answers and Perth cruised to victory 26-10. News after the match was that Tedesco will be out for a month.
Glasgow Reapers took on league leaders Auckland Orcas at the Glasgow Stadium. Reapers had lost their last 2, while Auckland had won 6 of their last 7. Isaah Yeo was ruled out for Glasgow, coach Simon Laing moving Josh Aloiai back into the pack and Mosese Suli coming in at centre. Auckland were without injured Stefan Ratchford, but had an able deputy in veteran Cameron Smith. The Orcas started the game like Champions Elect and Glasgow had no ideas how to stop the onslaught as Bill Townsend's charges ran in 3 tries in 14 minutes through big Tom Burgess, Cam Smith and Andre Savelio, Smith adding 2 goals. As the Orcas took a breather the Reapers scored through Mitch Garbutt, who trundled over from 2 metres. Mitch Moses added the extras, but Auckland hit the gas again to score another easy try, this time from Nelson Asofa-Solomona. Smith added the 2 and the game was already settled by half-tome, Orcas leading 22-6, Glasgow made a better fist of the second half, but didn’t start playing until after Liam Marshall had scored another try, goalled by Smith. Once again Auckland relaxed and Glasgow plundered tries from Lachlan Coote and Brenko Lee. Moses converted the first and score almost looked respectable. The Orcas cruised through the second stanza, saving themselves for the big one next week against Gold Coast. As well as having an easy game and no injuries Auckland took a big step to go clear at the top, as the 3 teams below them lost.
Adelaide Attitude entertained 2nd placed Gold Coast Crusade at the Adelaide Oval. Adelaide have not been producing the form of Champions and were wallowing in 6th place after losing to Darwin last week, while Gold Coast looked to be back on track after 2 wins. Attitude coach Anthony McElroy mad several positional changes to accommodate Stephen Crichton while and enforced change saw Joseph Tapine replace injured Liam Farrell. Crusade picked Nick Cotric to replace injured Xavier Coates and Matt Whitley came in for Ryan James. Adelaide thought they had taken the lead after 7 minutes, but the video ref had other ideas and ruled out claims for a try. The half resembled a game of chess as master coaches McElroy and Matt Lyons’ game plans cancelled each other out. All the scoring of the half was condensed into the last 4 minutes as Waqa Blake scored an individual try, goaled by James Maloney, who added a penalty just after, then Tevita Pangai scored with the last touch of the half. Adam Reynolds couldn't convert, a fact that did not go unnoticed in the final reckoning. Attitude stretched their lead to 6 when Maloney kicked a penalty early in the second period, but Crusade hit back to equalise through a converted Paul Momirovski try. Half an hour to play and it was anybody's game, and after a head high tackle by Adelaide Reynolds put Gold Coast ahead. A rare Maloney try, to which he added the 2 put Attitude in the driving seat once more, but Crusade wouldn't lie down and Addin Fonua Blake got on the end of a kick in goal to score his first try of the season. Reynolds converted and Gold Coast were ahead once more. A head high tackle by Crusade gave Maloney the chance to equalise. It was all down to character now and Maloney clinched the Man of the Natch award with a drop goal with 3 minutes on the clock. Nerves were shredded as Adelaide held on 19-18 as Crusade were left to reflect on Reynolds missed goal. Gold Coast scored 3 tries to 2 but gave away too many penalties in kick-able positions.
Top 5
Auckland Orcas 8 2 0 210 143 67 16
Gold Coast Crusade 7 3 0 171 128 43 14
Brisbane Raiders 6 4 0 193 152 41 12
Hull Kingston Redskins 6 4 0 155 131 24 12
Merseyside Dockers 5 4 1 155 169 -14 11
Next Week
Auckland v Gold Coast - 1st v. 2nd
Brisbane v Adelaide
Darwin v Merseyside
Hull v Sydney
Perth v Glasgow
