Overcast and wet are the two key words for the first round of footy at Ringrose this year. The rain has lightened up but it will be a heavy track so both teams are looking at a real slog today. No known changes to the Wenty line up as far as I can tell so sit tight for kick off in just under 10min.

 

Wentworthville Magpies

1. Honeti Tuha

2. Bureta Faraimo

3. George Jennings

4. Dane Aukafolau

5. Scott Schulte

6. Jamal Fogarty

7. Jeff Robson (c)

8. Alex Twal

9. Cameron King

10. Kelepi Tanginoa

11. Marata Niukore

12. James Hasson

13. David Gower

Interchange

14. Jack Morris

15. Sam Gorman

16. Reece Goldsmith

17. Danny Howard

 

First Half

 

The old warhorse Jeff Robson leads the Magpies onto the park as we have a short delay while we wait for the Bears to take to the field.

Wenty will kick off and run towards the canteen (not literally of course!).

Good contact on the first tackle of the game. Kelepi and Gower well involved in the first few tackles. The Bears take the ball down their left and then come back to the middle to build for their kick but they run it on the last but Dane Aukafolau swallows up Robert Jennings for a turnover.

Oof, that was close as a late ball out the back from Robson to Tuha nearly gets Honeti on the outside of the edge defence. Great last ditch tackle to bring him down. Wenty work back to the posts before Robson looks to run the ball into the in goals. It is trapped in the line by a defender and Robson dives on it but no 6-again call comes, somewhat bizarrely. Turnover on tackles.

The Bears go on to post first points as Wenty are beaten in midfield down their right edge. I think Aukafolau might have been the culprit there as Robert Jennings cuts passed him. Tuha and Fogarty try to mount a last line of defence but there are too many Bears pushing up in support and they get away one pass too many for the scrambling defence.

 

Try scored by the Bears. Conversion successful.

North Sydney lead 6-0

5min gone

 

The rain is back now. Gower and Kelepi put on another terrific shot in defence but on the second tackle the Magpies are pinged for a hand on the ball. Big set of defence needed now.

TWAL! Massive shot from the tap restart. The forwards are definitely aiming up here. Kelepi follows again! Brutal contact on show here. The Bears start to work the ball down their left before coming back to their right where Robson and George Jennings force the ball loose as Robson goes low and Jennings attacks the arms. Good defence.

Now a penalty follows for Wenty as the North Sydney defence is caught offside. Play resumes on halfway.

Niukore takes the tap charge. Works hard for a penalty as the ruck is slowed down but it is to no avail. Twal goes one better on the next run though and draws the penalty. Quick tap from King as he makes a good 15m and Gower steams on to the ball on the second as yet another penalty is blown. Twal is up first before Robson looks to work the ball to the left but his outside men are too far away. Kelepi hurls himself at the line with not much doing and simply uses brute force to drive his way over the line! Heroic effort there.

 

Try scored by Tanginoa. Conversion successful by Fogarty.

Wenty lock the scores up at 6-all

11min gone

 

Tanginoa in the thick of it again as he actually throws himself into the defence. Fogarty has a nice scamper down the right edge and Twal is then used to centre the ball. Quick play the ball as well. Hasson is the option for the kick and he rolls it along the ground from midfield – not sure that was the plan there.

The Bears work the ball back into Wenty’s half midway through their set and focus their attack on Wenty’s right edge, which is resolute this set. Fogarty cleans up their kick with some neat hands and links up with Tuha.

Simple set for Wenty now as they look to work the ball up near halfway and get to their kick. Robson rifles off a brilliant kick down the left edge short side that finds touch 10m out as he is hit late and hard. Tough as teak is our Robson though as he gets up to job to the scrum. No penalty there to the dismay of the crowd

There is a penalty shortly after though as Wenty are pinged for shooting up too early from the scrum. That isn’t something you see penalised every day.

Let off for Wenty in the following set though as the Bears grass the ball early in the count. Double knock on follows with the feed going to Wenty.

The Magpies look to take the ball down their right in the start of the next set but quickly switch play back to their left as Tuha and Niukore get the carries in consecutive tackles. Wenty run the ball down their right edge on the last as Aukafolau gets a decent pass away to Schulte while under pressure. Schulte looks to kick into the in-goals but it catches a defender and rolls into touch. Not played at there.

Some more terrific defence from Wenty on halfway as Tanginoa jolt the ball loose with a heavy shoulder under the ball. Gower scoops it up for the turnover. The Magpies secure a penalty late in the tackle count and briefly contemplate going for the two points before a trainer tells them to tap and get on with it.

Give that bloody trainer a raise as well! Gower makes light of the heavy track as he dances between the big boppers guarding the uprights and dives over from short range. Great footwork before the line from David there.

 

Try scored by Gower. Conversion successful by Fogarty.

Wenty lead 12-6

21min gone

 

Twal wears a stiff shot from the kick return. Good defence there. George Jennings jumps in to help his forwards. Niukore then provides a strong carry. Tanginoa and Twal are up next with Kelepi offloading to Gower who then earns a penalty. Great footy here.

Tuha taps and goes but slips over as he meets the defensive line. Wenty roll the ball up the middle before going left with Robson. His cutout pass to Faraimo is pretty poor as it hits the deck but Bureta does brilliantly to scoop it up. Back to the posts for the Magpies now as Fogarty wants to run it down the right on the last. He tries to hit Hasson with a crash ball on the unders line but the ball flies out of Hasson’s hands as the defence closes in. The grubber kick was probably the better option there.

Some bad luck for Wenty now as the kick from the Bears clips a Wenty defender in midfield. Tanginoa tries to dive on it and looks to have it at one point but the hit from a defender forces it out backwards and the Bears are first to it. It is a bit too easy for the Bears afterwards though as we are somehow caught short down our right edge. First impression is that neither Aukafolau nor Schulte were to blame but Robert Jennings scores none the less as the final pass gets him between Aukafolau and Schulte. Fogarty tries to come across and aid Schulte in stopping the young centre from crossing but Jennings has too much strength and rolls through the tackle to score.

 

Try scored by the Bears. Conversion unsuccessful.

North Sydney trail 10-12

27min gone

 

Decent set from Bears after points now. Hasson misses his assignment which lets the Bears get a minor roll on but Wenty recover. Tuha cleans up the kick. Schulte takes the first run afterwards before Faraimo pokes his nose through the line and gets an offload to Robson! Jeff trundles into the backfield and is tackled by the fullback but on the next play Wenty lose direction as Fogarty comes down the left and has a long think before turning Niukore back inside. Marata tries too hard to free himself from defenders and loses the ball and the Bears put the blow torch onto Wenty as the drive the ball into the red zone and earn a line drop out with a neat grubber kick.

Pressure on here.

Gorman and Gower lead the drop out chase but our right edge is seriously struggling here as Robert Jennings gets around Dane Aukafolau and offloads to his winger who crosses with ease. The problem seems to be between centre and backrower if my read is correct but which of whom has exactly how much responsibility to play in the problem is up in the air. It needs to be tightened up ASAP though.

 

Try scored by the Bears. Conversion successful.

North Sydney lead 16-12

33min gone

 

Well this is odd. The referee has blown a penalty for the Bears but I honestly didn’t see anything worth pinging. To compound matters the ref made zero motion as to what the infringement was for. Weird.

Regardless, Wenty survive the ensuing set as Tuha cleans up the low kick from the Bears. Fariamo and Schulte rolls their sleeves up the middle before Morris gets a carry down the right. The midfield bomb from Fogarty has far too much gusto on it though as it sails in-goals from 40m out and is easily taken on the full.

Good enough set in defence for the home team in reply and Tuha does really nicely to scoop up a shallow kick and beat a couple of defenders but alas the Magpies have the ball knocked out on the following tackle. Massive set of defence for Wenty now as the Bears pack down for the feed 25m out from Wenty’s goal line.

Morris and Howard make the first tackel as the Bears work from right to left. Very good sliding defence from Wenty as the Bears go to their right and turn the ball back inside to their winger. Much better defence from our right edge follows as well. The Bears go to Robert Jennings once more but Aukafolau is right there on him with the jam. He passes to his winger but he quickly steps into touch.

The Bears lift for a solid defensive set as Wenty try to grind the ball up to halfway. They fall short of that goal but a very, very useful kick out of dummy half by Cameron King finds touch 10m out. That was a good 45m net gain.

North Sydney get the opportunity to run the ball up the guts for a handful of tackles before the half time siren rings out. Time for the intermission!

 

Half Time

North Sydney Bears 16 lead Wentworthville Magpies 12

 

Second Half

 

Wenty are left waiting for the Bears once more. The home team will be receiving the ball in the second half.

Well that was a comedic start to the game. The kicker’s boot skies up 15m into the air as the ball is drilled along the ground. Tuha looks to trap it with his foot bu the slides under it and he has to race back in goals to clean it up before barely getting back into the field of play. Somebody get the Benny Hill music pumping.

Wenty get to their kick, albeit a relatively shallow one but defend solidly in reply. The Bears trap Tuha inside the 10m mark with their kick as the game quickly settles into an arm wrestle.

The Magpies take the ball down their left edge as they come out of their red zone before Robson heaves the ball downfield. Better set by Wenty there as they re-establish field position. Unfortunately a late flop by Niukore undoes a promising start to the defensive set for the Magpies and gifts the Bears an attacking opportunity.

Sam Gorman rattles the rib cage of a runner at the start of the set with a pearler of a hit. Wenty aim up as a unit now – and they need to – before Gower release the pressure valve as he fields the grubber kick in the line.

The home crowd bays for a penalty as clearly offside defenders are allowed to make tackles through consecutive plays. Howls ring out from the bleachers but no penalty comes. Jack Morris nearly splits the line as he bets back in behind the ruck to bring up the last. Fogarty tries to peel the banana kick from right to left, looking for Tuha. Honeti flies through and leaps up to contest the ball but is very harshly called for taking the defender out in the air. Poor officiating here in the second half.

The Bears get on a roll on from the penalty restart as they rumble the ball up the guts. They kick crossfield towards Schulte on his goal line as their final play of the set. Shulte leaps up and looks to have taken it but as he comes down the balls pops out backwards into the in-goals. There is a mad scramble for the ball but Tuha plants it down first. Line drop out.

Morris does well defensively in this set as he stops a dangerous cross field runner on the fourth tackle. Wenty have a fragmented defensive line though and there is a short pass and a dive over from the Bears. Gower caught trying to push across there. Plenty of work to do for the Magpies now as the visitors secure the two-score lead.

 

Try scored by the Bears. Conversion unsuccessful.

North Sydney lead 20-12

50min gone

 

Good set after points from the Bears. Wenty defend alright as well. There is a real heart-in-mouth moment as Tuha tries to pick the ball up from a low skid. He juggles once and twice before securing it by the finger tips.

The going is very though for the home team in return though. They end up going no where fast before Cameron King steps out of dummy half and fires off a 40/20 attempt. Great length and line but the ball takes an unfriendly break in-field to save the Bears. The home team do however force an error shortly afterwards. This might be the chance Wenty need.

Good carry from George Jennings as he comes back to the posts. Beats a few defenders and takes some serious stopping. The Magpies shift the ball to the right on the play after but Fogarty is not all there with it as he loses it backwards. He needs to dive onto the pill but instead he tries to scoop it up but is beaten to it by Robert Jennings. Poor stuff.

Wenty are proving to be their own worst enemies here as on our next set we drop the ball working it out of our red zone. Should have been a penalty on the previous tackle for blatant slowing down of the ruck but that is very much a moot point. Hold onto the bloody ball.

North Sydney are quick to punish the lapse in concentration as Dane Aukafolau is beaten on the right edge. This one looked purely on the young centre, as he and the right-egde, were caught flat-footed on the goal line. Easy try for the Bears.

 

Try scored by the Bears. Conversion unsuccessful.

North Sydney lead 24-12

58min gone

 

Best set in some time for Wenty after they get possession back following the kickoff set. They muster their troops down the right edge before King stabs the ball in behind the defensive line. The Bears are brought down on their 10m line as a result.

Wenty are finally getting on top in the arm wrestle, perhaps 20min too late, but strong carries from Tanginoa and Twal have Wenty surging forwards this set. Twal’s carry has left the North Sydney hooker strewn in his wake and the referee quickly blows time off.

This is disgraceful officiating. Do not get me wrong. Wenty have been poor and the Bears good but from the resumption of play the ref allows the Bears to creep up within 5m of the ruck. Insane stuff.

Fogarty is caught like a deer in headlights on the next tackle, the last tackle, as he juggles the ball and is swallowed up by the defence. Needs to regain his composure.

The Bears split Wenty down their right edge again, this time it takes a nice offload at the very least. Tuha can’t make the tackle at the last line but a fantastic chase from Cameron King sees him make the crucial tackle. Wenty concede a penalty for slowing the play down but dodge losing a man for 10min. The infringement does however let the Bears pot over an easy two points.

 

Penalty conversion attempt successful by the Bears.

North Sydney lead 26-12

63min gone

 

Holy crap. Wenty finally get their first penalty of the half when there is both a shoulder charge on Scott Schulte and offside chasers. About bloody time.

Hasson takes the first charge and slips away an offload before the held call but play comes back for the play-the-ball. Nothing too fancy from Wenty this set as they slowly work the ball from right to left before Robson puts perfect touch on the ball to earn a line drop out. We needed that badly.

Twal and Tanginoa up first here. We go left to Jennings where he is well tackled before Marata takes the ball back to the posts. We look for a sweeping play down the right but the Bears read Tuha perfectly and jam nicely. Fogarty runs the ball down the right edge shortside on the last and picks up a second line drop out for the Magpies with a deft kick. Good play but we needed that a fair few minutes back.

Tanginoa up first in this set. Twal follows as they invert their roles from the prior set. Dane Aukafolau breaks away from Jennings and heads back infield on the third before picking up a penalty for a slow ruck. King taps and goes. We go three wide to Niukore down the left but he is well tackled by a shooting line. Tanginoa centres the pill before Twal has a crash ball to the posts. Hasson swings from right to left on the fifth tackle before Robson finds the in-goals with his boots once more. Jennings pelts through in pursuit but is barely beaten to the ball by Fuimaono, I believe. Third line drop out incoming with 10min left.

Twal and Niukore up first this set. Kelepi gets the ball wide on the right on the third but the ball takes some time getting to him. Gorman has a dart next before Kelepi, again wide out eight, is our next option. The defence read the play though and jam him. Gorman’s pass at the line on the next tackle catches a hand from the defence so 6-again.

The pressure finally proves to be too much for the Bears as Cameron King of all people takes the crash ball from dummy half to burst over. Is there enough time left for an unlikely comeback?

 

Try scored by King. Conversion successful by Fogarty.

Wenty trail 18-26

74min gone

 

Not enough doing in this set for Wenty as they can’t find their way over halfway before their kick. Fogarty rolls the ball over the line on the last – not the play we needed given we have to score twice.

Hasson lays down a nice shot in defence and Gorman does exactly the same on the next tackle. The Bears try to drill the ball into touch on the last but it catches a Wenty defender and ends up finding out-of-bounds a fair bit shallower. Wenty ball with 4min to play.

Twal and Tanginoa continue to toil away tirelessly. They have really put their hands up today. We got wide to Aukafolau who is turned back in-field by Fogarty. Twal comes back for his second run of the set and on the last we pull a real ace out of the deck. Robson runs it down the left on the last and quickly finds Morris who pivots back to his left and pops the ball to a flying Tuha. Brilliant set play there. Tuha races into the backfield and hits the fullback before passing to Faraimo who dives over out wide.

 

Try scored by Faraimo. Conversion successful by Fogarty.

Wenty trail 24-26

78min gone

 

All or nothing play on the last tackle as Fogarty tries to chip ahead for Tuha. Tuha tries to clean the ball up in traffic but loses it forwards and the Bears clean it up.

North Sydney just roll it up the middle before a bizarre sequence of play sees the Bears score on the buzzer. The ball looked to have been passed into Cameron King and the Bears clean it up. No call for a knock on either way comes and the Bears pick it up and make a line break. Wenty hold on for that tackle but on the next play the Bears run across the posts. It looked to be held up from the my angle but the ref points to the spot.

 

Try scored by the Bears. Conversion successful.

 

Full Time

 

North Sydney Bears 32 DEF Wentworthville Magpies 24