Cessnock and Western Suburbs were the big movers in round 10 of the Denton Engineering Cup, as both sides made significant moves over the weekend to relaunch their respective seasons.
On Saturday 22 June at Cessnock Sportsground, the Goannas suffocated the Lions in an impressive 16-6 win over first-placed South Newcastle to propel them into fifth position with a game in hand, putting their finals aspirations well and truly back on track.
Harvey Neville opened the scoring after an intense start to the match when he flew onto a pass from Lewis Young, who has been the form player for Cessnock over the past three weeks, to make it 6-0.
Neville struck again 10 minutes later to stretch the home side’s lead to 10-0.
The contest was played in close confines, with errors from both teams and several refereeing decisions that had both sets of players scratching their heads as frustrations grew leading into the main break.
As the saying goes, good things come in threes, which was ultimately true for Cessnock fans as Neville struck again for his third try right after half-time to take the Goannas to a 16-0 lead.
It appeared an insurmountable advantage for the hosts, who were desperately seeking a victory.
The Lions seemed unable to gain a foothold in the second half in a stop-start affair that left more questions than answers and further added to South Newcastle’s mounting injury toll.
They struggled to find momentum, while Cessnock grew in confidence the longer the contest went on.
The Lions eventually struck with 14 minutes left on the clock through winger Mapu Uasi.
But, Cessnock held firm over the final period to seal an emphatic 16-6 win and move into fifth place on the ladder.
Down the road at Kurri Sportsground, the Bulldogs hosted their centenary celebrations.
However, it was Maitland who spoiled the party with a dominant 32-12 display.
Brock Lamb celebrated his 100th match with a milestone performance, his defensive application leaving a few Bulldogs with sore ribs.
Cal Burgess and Sam Anderson dominated the middle for the Pickers, while Isiah Olsen played his best outing for the club to date.
The win puts Maitland two points clear of second-placed South Newcastle on the table.
At Cahill Oval, Lakes started strongly, but Western Suburbs stormed home to steal two competition points.
The Seagulls controlled possession and momentum for the first 50 minutes until a Steve Widders line break sparked a Rosellas comeback.
Widders threw a long ball to Tyler Moodie to score.
Moments later, Sam Clune put Stone through with a short ball near the line to give the visitors a two-point lead.
Ten minutes later, Nean almost ran the length of the field before putting Storrie away to make it 22-14.
Then, near full-time, Pat Achurch ran 30 metres across field and then 80 metres downfield in a movement described by commentator Adam Murray as “running around them like they were under 8s” to seal a 26-14 victory for Wests.
In the other matches, the Hawks smashed Macquarie 32-8 in their first outing back at Raymond Terrace while, on Sunday, The Entrance found its way back into the winners’ circle with a five-tries-to-two victory over Central Newcastle at St John Oval, prevailing 26-16.
Despite the win, the Tigers remain in eighth position as they prepare for a showdown with Maitland.
For more sports stories:
- Jets welcome Schreiber, bid Grozos farewell
- Knights NSW Cup player Kepaoa to face music for alleged homophobic slur
- Maitland revved up to become region’s motorcycling hub
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