Round 3 of the Oilsplus South West Rugby Competition saw the Young Yabbies travel down to the heart of Cootamundra Rugby League, Fisher Park, to battle old rivals the Cootamundra Tri-Colours. The game this week was brought forward to 2pm by request from Cootamundra and was relocated whilst the facilities are being upgraded at Country Club Oval. The weather this week cooled a bit, but the intensity and pace of the game made sure that it didn’t make the job any easier for both sides.
Yabbies’ Captain Brendan Shoard showed that he definitely has a penchant for coin tosses and elected for the Yabbies to kick-off. The first 10 minutes saw some intense rugby played mostly in Coota’s half. Big hits from both sides and strong runs from the Yabbies’ forward pack saw Thomas “TK” Kent create an opportunity early on, which saw Beau “Bubbles” O’Connor cross the line for the first try of the match after some terrific support play. TK then nailed the conversion from the sideline.
The Tri-Colours made sure to let the Yabbies’ know that this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, making some big hits off the kick-off. The remainder of the first half saw Coota control the ball for ~75%, with the Yabbies’ defence showing only a handful of chinks, which were quickly capitalised on by the Tri-Colours.
Half-time saw the Tri-Colours leading the Yabbies by 24-7.
Both teams came out after half-time with a renewed intensity, which showed that both teams remember vividly the old rivalry. Unfortunate the Yabbies’ had a lapse in their defence for a 20 minute period in the second half which saw Coota pile on enough tries to make the game out of reach for the Yabbies’. However some fantastic support play and strong running rugby saw both Tom Hurley and Will Munday cross the line.
The final score was 64-19.
Coach Ned Mullany commented, “All credit to Coota that they were able to manipulate some of our out-of-position players out wide, but I believe the scoreline was not a true reflection of the game. I’m proud of the defensive efforts of the boys and especially proud of that last try today. We had the ball in hand for more than 5 minutes and would have put together 20+ phases before Tom Hurley crossed the line for his try.”
Club Captain Brendan Shoard said that he also felt the scoreline was not a true reflection of the battle on the field, “The boys dug deep and played hard. Despite the scoreline, it still feels like we’re building momentum and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can produce when we get a full-strength side on the field.”
Points Scorers
Young
Tries
Beau O’Connor, Will Munday, Tom Hurley
Conversions
1/1 - Thomas Kent
1/2 – Jesse Pittman
Cootamundra
Tries
Patrick Cameron (3), Matt Berkrey (2), Cameron Stanley, Aaron Byrne, Corey Nicholson, Robert Scott, Darryl Hemopo
Conversions
7 – Matt Berkrey
1 – Aaron Byrne
Best & Fairest Points
3 – Dan Parker
2 – Jesse Pittman
1 – Will Munday
Players Player - Will Munday
This Saturday, May 4th, sees the Young Yabbies take on the Condobolin Rams at the home of Young Rugby, Cranfield Oval. Keep your eyes out for a team list and more details later this week!
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