RMC
St Marys 32 Mounties 26
Cabra 20 Wests 18
Mounties were impressive from the start, forcing errors and converting pressure into tries to lead 20-6 after 30 minutes but gradually the big physical St Marys pack started to gain the ascendancy and did all the scoring from them apart from a consolation to Mounties a minute from the end. With Canberra resting players in the NRL, Mounties lost Vince Rennie and Steve Tavita to NSW Cup, removing a lot of grunt from the RMC lineup.
Wests also came out firing on all cylinders and assisted by 7 consecutive penalties ran up a 14-0 lead in the first 25 minutes, even though Cabra managed to get over the line twice during this period only to drop the ball. Cabra crossed a 3rd time after they received 4 consecutive penalties but again where denied by an illegality in the lead up.
After Fotu scored Cabra' first try they were reduced to 12 with 20 minutes left when Milone was marched for a spear tackle and it looked as if Wests would hold them out but Cabra had a glimpse when Falakiko Manu found the line 12 minutes from time for a 8-14 score. Then Honeti Tuha showed why he could be the buy of the year by stealing the ball in a tackle and raced over to even the score and with the clock running down he set himself for a field goal but with defenders pouring through he stepped and beat 3 men on the way to what seemed like the winning play. Wests came again and scored in the corner but could not convert.
SS
East Campbelltown 22 St Marys 16
Ryde Eastwood 26 Cabra 22
Last year ECE put in a shocker on the first week and still won the comp. They looked far more resolute today and despite the Saints holding a lead in the early part of both halves, ECE always looked like they would win. They have size right across the field apart from the back 3. The Lahey's had great games, Morrison very solid and Leato and Potifara in the centres provided a lot of thrust. The main threat from the Saints was when hooker Pupu was wrong footing the big ECE forwards with his darts from dummy half.
Apart from the outstanding Tristan Evans Tsoi, Ryde Eastwood were incompetent for much of the game and very much looked losers when Cabra led 22-8 with 15 minutes to go but the Hawks finally clicked into gear and via sweeping passing movements ran in 3 tries in 9 minutes. They would not have needed extra time if a Cabra defender had not knocked the ball from Evans Tsoi's hands as he was about to score another try. The game seemed to be endless, with constant stoppages, taking 115 minutes before extra time came into play.
