CENTRAL COAST RUGBY UNION
RESULTS
PRELIMINARY FINAL
WOY WOY OVAL
SATURDAY, 3rd SEPTEMBER, 2016
PREMIER 1
Avoca Beach 27
Luke Sheridan, Blake Jacob, Peter Steele, Luke Wiseman tries;
Nathan Brown 1 conversion, 1 penalty goal;
Mitch Jacob 1 conversion
defeated
Ourimbah 25
Brett Cunningham 2, Jack Stonestreet, Owen Turner tries;
Jarrod Grange 1 penalty goal, 1 conversion
PREMIER 2
Avoca Beach 32
Josh Parish 2, Gerard Aldrick, Chris Newton, Justin Staben tries;
Harry Watkins 1 conversion;
Ash Roberts 1 conversion;
Sam Evans 1 penalty goal
defeated
Ourimbah 10
Alex Lucas, Hayden Kendall tries
PRESIDENT’S CUP
Terrigal 15
Declan Shepherd try, Penalty Try;
Josh Bridge1 conversion;
Brent Mungovan 1 penalty goal;
defeated
The Lakes 10
Billy Lambert try;
Jake Du Chateau 1 conversion, 1 penalty goal
UNDER 19’s
Avoca Beach 27
Isaac Barnes, Michael Hobden, Nick Rendall, Jack Magriplis tries;
Connor Kondrat 2 conversions, 1 penalty goal
defeated
Terrigal 0
REPORT :
In the Premier 1 Preliminary Final at Woy Woy Oval, Avoca Beach defeated Ourimbah by 27 points to 25 in what was one of the tightest and hardest fought Finals matches in recent years. There was absolutely nothing in the game from start to finish and the result was not secure until the final whistle.
The match opened up on a very even keel with both teams showing their wares. Both Ourimbah and Avoca Beach had their periods of attack but nothing was coming to fruition on the scoreboard in terms of tries. It was Avoca Beach who did open the scoring in the 5th minute when their fullback Nathan Brown kicked a penalty goal for a 3 points to nil lead. Ourimbah quickly responded and their flanker Jarrod Grange kicked a penalty goal in the 10th minute to square the scores at 3 points apiece. It was a fine day but the quite strong wind was having an effect on play. It was causing some errors with dropped passes, wayward passes, and it was making kicking in general play quite difficult. But both teams handled the conditions very well. Avoca Beach took the lead again in the 17th minute when their flanker Blake Jacob followed up some loose play to cross for the game’s first try. The conversion had taken Avoca Beach to a 10 points to 3 lead with a quarter of the match gone. However once again Ourimbah responded with their own try very soon after – in the 20th minute. This occurred when their fullback Jack Stonestreet made a brilliant run and raced 50 metres to score. The vital conversion was missed. This made the score 10 – 8 and it still very much anybody’s match. The whole match was like this where neither team was able to make a break on the other on the scoreboard and this was certainly building some tension on the field and amongst the spectators. The encounter was certainly proving quite physical with both teams being spoken to about over vigorous play. Avoca Beach went further ahead in the 30th minute when a very effective backline movement saw winger Luke Wiseman scored a very good try in the corner. This made the score 15 points to 8 and that was to be the score at the halftime break. Both teams had shared the territorial dominance in the first half and both had a quite equal share of possession to work with at this stage. The Avoca Beach scrum was proving very strong and was leaving its mark on the match. Avoca Beach had several very good players. No.8 Peter Steele was always effective and made several incisive runs. He was well supported by hooker Josh Meadham, and flanker Chad Martin, while Jake McPhie never stopped giving his all. Ourimbah were best served by their lock Josefa Biu, who was effective both at the lineout and in general play. Others to contribute for Ourimbah were prop Brett Cunningham, who had one of his best games, fullback Jack Stonestreet, and centre Owen Turner.
The second stanza started in much the same vein as the first. The match was proving very even and both teams had their chances to boost their scores. It was Ourimbah who opened the scoring in this half when, in the 6th minute, when a forward surge resulted in their prop Brett Cunningham crossing for the try. Once again the conversion was waved away, but with the score being 15 points to 13, things were proving very tight. In fact Ourimbah who took the lead for the first time in the match at this point when a quick tap was taken after a penalty and their centre Owen Turner was quick to act and he crossed for a decisive try. This occulted in 19th minute and with a quarter of the match to go, and the score Ourimbah 18 Avoca Beach 15, there was certainly huge intensity around the ground. However it was Avoca Beach who was quick to respond this time again. After some excellent mauling, their prop Luke Sheridan crossed for a try in the 22nd minute. This once again had placed Avoca Beach in the lead by 20 points to 18. Kicking conversions was proving difficult in the strong wind and another conversion was missed after this try. Avoca Beach went further ahead in the 27th minute when No.8 Peter Steele crossed for a vital converted try and suddenly Avoca Beach had jumped to a very handy 27 points to 18 lead with time running out. This try was after several minutes of concerted attack and there had been some frustration building prior to the try being scored. Ourimbah then threw everything they had at Avoca Beach to try to get back into the match. This attack did result in a converted try in the 38th minute and scores were then 27 – 25 and this all made for a very hectic final few minutes. Ourimbah continued to try to get those vital points in the dying seconds of the match but Avoca Beach held on to gain the win. Avoca Beach will now continue to next week’s Grand Final against Terrigal in what should prove a classic encounter. This was an excellent game of rugby played in difficult, windy conditions.
Avoca Beach defeated Ourimbah in Premier 2 when they won the Preliminary Final by 32 points to 10. The match was quite even early on and it did take both teams quite some time to settle down. However it was Avoca Beach who soon very quickly took control in the match. By halftime Avoca Beach has scored two tries and led by 10 points to nil at that stage. However it was the early stages of the second half that Avoca Beach really did assert their authority. They were able to post a further 15 points at that stage to lead by 25 points to nil before Ourimbah were able to cross for their first try. By the midway point of the second half the match was all but over. Ourimbah gave it their all in the final stages to score a further try but it was all too late. Avoca Beach continues on and will play Woy Woy in the Grand Final next Saturday.
In what proved a very close match, Terrigal were able to win the President’s Cup Preliminary Final, defeating The Lakes by 15 points to 12. The scores remained relatively level throughout this match and both teams will probably rue several chances they could have taken. The scores were tight throughout and Terrigal only led by 12 points to 10 at the halftime break. Both teams knew they could win this match. The Lakes were playing the exciting rugby and were playing expansive, running rugby in an attempt to break the deadlock. Terrigal did score two tries to one in the match, and it was their huge experience that may have been the difference in the match. The Terrigal scrum was strong and this control did make attack by The Lakes quite difficult. Terrigal will now play Gosford in the President’s Cup Grand Final next Saturday.
In what proved a one sided game of Colts rugby, Avoca Beach defeated Terrigal in the Under 19 Preliminary Final by 27 points to 0. Avoca Beach controlled proceedings from start to finish and were always in control on the scoreboard and on the paddock. Avoca Beach led by 17 points to nil at halftime, and they were able to score a further 10 points in the second stanza to secure the win. Terrigal had periods of attack but things just did not go their way. Wrong options and several errors stopped any chance they had of getting back into the match. Avoca Beach will now play Ourimbah in the Grand Final next week.
GRAND FINAL next week
Woy Woy Oval 10th September
10.15 am Under 19’s Ourimbah v. Avoca Beach
11.45 am President’s Cup Gosford v. Terrigal
1.15 pm Premier 2 Woy Woy v. Avoca Beach
3.00 pm Premier 1 Terrigal v. Avoca Beach
SPONSORS OF CENTRAL COAST RUGBY UNION
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