CENTRAL COAST RUGBY UNION RESULTS
SATURDAY, 16th June, 2018
ROUND 9
PREMIER 1 (bonus points in brackets)
Woy Woy 26 (1)
Blake Arahill 2, Matt Graham, Wade Hannell tries;
Alex Moore 3 conversions
defeated
Terrigal 23 (2)
Brent Merritt 2, Salipopo Pamata 2 tries;
Sekope Maea 1 penalty goal
The Lakes 46 (1)
Jerry Tikomailepanoni 2, Tom Cleary, Macui Raulini, Harry Pirini, Reihana Hemopo, James McCombie, Logan Hemopo tries;
Logan Hemopo 3 conversions
defeated
Avoca Beach 31 (1)
Patrick Wheatley, Mitch Jacob, Adam Chettle tries; Penalty try;
Dylan Cadogan 3 conversions, 1 penalty goal
Ourimbah 43 (1)
James Blanch 2, Brett Cunningham, Matt King, Jarrod Grange, Steven Pike, Messa Collata tries;
Jarrod Grange 4 conversions
defeated
Warnervale 26 (1)
Daniel Ford 2, Jacob Griffin, Cameron McNamara tries;
Cameron McNamara 3 conversions
Kariong 36 (1)
Justin Walker 2, Henry Ahovelo 2, Reece Clay, Jake Holwill tries;
Scott Hanley 3 conversions
defeated
Gosford 10
Brendon Montgomery, Jackson Steinbeck tries
PREMIER 2 (bonus points in brackets)
Terrigal 26 (1) Woy Woy 7
Gosford 22 (1) Kariong 14
The Lakes 31 (1) Avoca Beach 20
Ourimbah 71 (1) Warnervale 5
PRESIDENTS CUP (bonus points in brackets)
Terrigal 15 Woy Woy 7
The Lakes 12 Avoca Beach 7 (1)
COLTS (bonus points in brackets)
Warnervale 34 (1) Ourimbah 19
Woy Woy 22 (1) Terrigal 5
WOMEN (bonus points in brackets)
Warnervale 34 (1) Ourimbah 0
Woy Woy 22 (1) Terrigal 7
Avoca Beach 32 (1) Hornsby 5
Warnervale 20 (1) Ourimbah 0
Terrigal 15 Woy Woy 0
Avoca Beach 19 Hornsby 10
REPORT :
Round 9 saw some apparent upsets in a season which is developing into the most interesting in many seasons. The competition is so close and positions on the competition table are changing week by week.
In the Match of the Day, Woy Woy scored one of their best wins of the season when they defeated Premiers Terrigal by 26 points to 23 at The Haven Oval. There was absolutely nothing between these two sides for the entire match but it was Woy Woy who seemed to always have their nose in front. Woy Woy led by the closest of margins at the half way mark, by 21 points to 18 and that was a great indicator of the closeness of the match. Woy Woy got away to a great start and they were able to lead by 21 points to 8 well into the first half. Things were certainly looking very rosy for them. Terrigal did hit back with some very good rugby late in the first half and were able to cross for 2 quick tries to tighten the gap. Goal kicking was an issue for Terrigal as they only able to land one during the entire match. The second half continued in the same vein. It was a very even last 40 minutes with both sides only able to cross for the single try. Defence was the feature of the half with neither team able to gain very much in attack. Woy Woy were able to hang for the narrow win. It was a great boost for them, as the win sees them cling on to 4th spot on the ladder in what is developing into a very tight race to the Finals. We are at the midway point of the season and it will be most interesting to see if the current four leading teams will make up the Top Four this year. It is a question to be answered. Best players for Woy Woy were back Blake Arahill, who crossed for 2 tries, halfback Mitch Hyde and forward Tyrone Fleming. Best for the home side were winger Brent Merritt, who also crossed for 2 tries, lock Joe Taylor and Sekope Maea.
At Slade Park, The Lakes won a classic match by 46 points to 31 over Avoca Beach. The Lakes got off to a great start and were never behind on the scoreboard from that point on. It was a scrappy start as the wind affected play and the teams worked hard to work each other out but it was The Lakes who ran in the first try when their five-eight Fillimoni Seru made a break to score adjacent to the posts. The Lakes followed this up with two more tries and a conversion to be up 19-0 on the scoreboard after only 25 minutes. They knew however that Avoca Beach would fight to the end and they had to keep the scoreboard ticking over, which they did with a try out wide before Avoca Beach crossed for their first try of the game. A further penalty goal to the Sharks on half-time made the score 24-10 at the halftime break. This was definitely a good indication of the flow of the match as The Lakes looked dangerous every time they touched the ball and Avoca Beach just had no answer at this stage for their running rugby. Best for The Lakes was their fullback Macui Rauluni, whose elusive running style was proving impossible to stop. He continued this form in the second half with an early length of the field try running through the entire Sharks team to score under the posts. This try plus two more just after half-time saw The Lakes jump out to a huge lead and it was only then that Avoca Beach started to take some chances and put some points on the board but it was all too late. Other good players for The Lakes were forward Harry Pirini, lock James McCombie and halfback Logan Hemopo. Avoca Beach never stopped trying and they were best served by five-eight Dylan Cadogan, fullback Shaun Townsend and debutante Adam Chettle. The win sees The Lakes in 5th spot on the ladder with a very good chance of reaching the Top Four this year.
Ourimbah cemented their position at the top of the competition ladder with a strong win over Warnervale by 43 points to 26 at Ourimbah Rugby Park. Ourimbah got away to a wonderful start and they were able to post 31 unanswered points in the first half. The first 40 minutes was all Ourimbah and Warnervale had no answer. This period showed why Ourimbah have jumped to favouritism in the race to the Premiership this year, as they played some exceptional rugby. The second half was a far more even affair. Warnervale finally kicked into gear and were able to put the points on the board. In fact, the second half saw Warnervale outscore Ourimbah by 26 points to 12 and really made everyone sit up and take notice during this period. But the first half had secured the win for the home team. However, both teams showed they will be a threat this year. Ourimbah will be a potent force this year. Warnervale will definitely trouble teams and will push for a semi-final spot if the wins come their way. Best for Ourimbah were lock Matt Hopkins, halfback Matt King and flanker James Blanch, who crossed for 2 tries. Warnervale never gave up and their best players were Jack Gray, Brenton Acreman, and Daniel Ford, who also crossed for two personal tries.
Kariong kept their Finals chances alive with a convincing win over Gosford at Kariong Oval, winning by 36 points to 10. Kariong were always in control on the paddock and on the scoreboard, and they led by 19 points to 5 at the halftime break. The second half went much the same way with Kariong winning that half by 17 points to 5. So, it was a most consistent performance by Kariong and they certainly showed they will trouble all teams this year. They would be regretting those close losses they had earlier in the season. It was a tough day for Gosford and they were only able to cross for the 2 tries. Best players for Kariong were No.8 Blake Silvester, flanker Josh Bottero and hooker Justin Walker. Walker capped off a fine game with 2 tries. Gosford were best served by forwards Ben Eccles and Jackson Steinbeck, as well as back Josh McGlynn.