Local Derby - BRET v PIES

[Reek_Havoc]

MAGPIES TO CLASH WITH TIGERS AT CAMPBELLTOWN STADIUM
By Wayne Cousins


4/05/2010 4:28:07 PM



The battle for top spot on the NSW State Cup ladder will be up for grabs when Wests Tigers feeder clubs, Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers and the Western Suburbs Magpies, go head to head at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Saturday, May 8.
The Tigers have won seven of their eight matches to lead the competition on 14 points, one point clear of the Magpies, who have won six from eight games.
Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers will field five players with NRL experience in Mitch Brown, Blake Lazarus, David Gower, Willie Mataka and Arana Taumata compared to the Magpies’ three in Geoff Daniela, Nathan Waters and Simon Dwyer.
Western Suburbs go into the match on the back of a 36-22 victory over Cronulla Sharks at Leichhardt Oval last Saturday in round eight in which centre Andrew Everingham scored two tries in the victory.
The Tigers accounted for Central Coast 28-18 with full-back Sean Meaney also grabbing two tries in the win.
The last time the two teams met saw the Tigers record a 20-14 victory in round two with Lazarus grabbing two tries.
The clash between Lazarus and Waters will be an entertaining one after both halves were called up to make their NRL debuts with Wests Tigers in recent weeks.
Lazarus, Waters and Arana Taumata will be keen to impress as they fight for the Wests Tigers half-back spot alongside Robert Lui, who is tipped to return from an ankle injury next week against South Sydney.Lui was the preferred NRL half-back until injury struck.
Kick-off at Campbelltown Sports Stadium is 3pm.
Western Suburbs Magpies
1 George Kepa
2 Rhys Pritchard
3 Andrew Everingham
4 Geoff Daniela
5 Jarek Goebel
6 Ben Falcone
7 Nathan Waters
8 Duan Poaneki
9 Chris Corby
10 Andrew Pearn
11 Simon Dwyer
12 Josh Davis
13 Jamie Sharkie
14 Nu Akeripa
18 Kurt Kara
19 David Harris
23 Tohi Leha
COACH: Leo Epifania
Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers
1 Sean Meaney
2 Lee Bennett ©
3 Gavin Cowan
4 Mitch Brown
5 Sam Latu
6 Darren Nicholls
7 Blake Lazarus
8 Eloni Vunakece
9 Ryan Carr
10 David Gower
11 Rhys Curran
12 Willie Mataka
13 Jared Farlow
INTERCHANGE
14 Ryan Dalziel
15 John Clayton
16 Matthew Ryan
17 Arana Tamauta
18 Billy Callaway
Coach Paul Fletcher

 

[innsaneink]

 

[madunit]

on paper the Magpies are the better side. Balmain has had a very favourable draw where they have avoided the strongest teams in the comp so far. I reckon Wests will win in a low scoring, close game.

 

[Tigers_are_Pro]

Lets hope someone from either team gets injured, Fitzy is a late inclusion and he gets injured \\\\/

 

[gronkathon]

I think Balmain just have too many players out through injury to get over the line in this one

 

[gronkathon]

Even Fifita & Moors playing couldn't get the Pies home.

 

[Das Hassler]

Lets hope someone from either team gets injured, Fitzy is a late inclusion and he gets injured \\\\/

How old are you.. idiot....12?

 

[Spot]

Where is Stolky these days? Injured?

 

[macnaz]

Any reports on the game, Did sauce play?

 

[gronkathon]

Moors, Fifita, Daniella all played down with Magpies

Alan Schirnack returned for Balmain and Mitch Brown dropped to play centre.

Al reinjured his knee with less than 10 remaining in the game.

 

[Reek_Havoc]

TIGERS TRASH THE HOMECOMING



10/05/2010 12:04:34 PM



Western Suburbs were desperate to put on a good show for the fans in their return to Campbelltown Stadium for 2010. Despite spending the first 8 rounds of the NSW Cup on the road the Magpies were making a huge impression on the competition and sat just 1 point out of 1st place.
The chance to snatch top spot from the league leading Tigers whilst extracting revenge on the only side to lower their colours this year had the Magpies primed for a big performance. In the end though the pressure to put on a show may have contributed to an error-ridden performance where Wests squandered a winning position to allow Balmain to escape with a come from behind victory.
From the kick off the vistors looked the far more likely side and the game was only 2 minutes old when Balmain centre Mitch Brown broke through a one on one tackle and sprinted away 60m to score.
The Tigers went further ahead minutes later through an inexplicable Magpies error. Blake Lazarus' grubber into the ingoal was cleaned up by Wests custodian Gearge Kepa, but as he ran the ball back into the field of play the No.1 was shepherded towards the sideline.
Kepa threw a deperate ball back inside that landed straight into the arms of Tigers centre Gavin Cowan who simply had to bend down to score.
Sean Meaney showed what he thought of the Magpie fans heckling to drill two magnificent sideline conversions and Wests were looking down the barrel of a hiding at 12-0 down within the first 10 minutes of the game.
It took until the 20th minute for Wests to finally put some pressure on the Balmain defence and big Front Rower Andrew Fifita made the breakthough with a trademark powerhouse run to score.
With Corby adding the extras Wests were back in the game at 12-6.
The injection of interchange forwards Andrew Pearn and Duan Poaneki seemed to inspire a much more disciplined and cohesive performance from the Magpies. Wests would score 3 more unanswered converted tries with Jamie Sharkie scoring before the break, followed by tries to Falcone and Daniella early in the second half from kicks giving the home side a 24-12 lead and all of the momentum in the game.
That momentum swung dramatically when Wests were awarded a penalty right in front of the posts 10 minutes into the half. Despite having first choice kicker Corby on the sidelines the Magpies elected to take the shot for goal.
Stand in kicker Jamie Sharkie had already piloted two good conversions through the posts, but he shanked the kick badly and the Tigers could feel they had dodged a bullet.
With the hard working Pearn going off for a spell not long after the game opened up for the Tigers as they started to take advantage of Wests' errors. It was to be the Magpies destroyers from the Round 2 game, Balmain halves Arana Taumata and Blake Lazarus, that would once again land the knock out blows.
In the 20th minute Fifita rushed out of the line to put a hit on Taumata, but the Tigers 5/8 is simply too fleet of foot for that to work and he sprinted through the gap created to score. Just a couple of minutes later the Magpies made exactly the same mistake when Everingham raced up to shut down Taumata, but he managed to roll a clever grubber into the ingoal for his Captain Lee Bennett to ground the ball.
Meaney's conversion attempt hit the uprights and Wests were barely hanging on at 24-22.
Both sides spent the last quarter hour of the game trying to lose it with silly options and errors. Lazarus, who had been having a quiet game up until then, took on the line and reached out to score with just 4 minutes remaining.
Meaney's missed conversion made things interesting but the Tigers were back in front 26-22. The Magpies weren't able to mount any last minute attacks and Balmain earned a late penalty which allowed to Meaney cleverly wind down the clock before calmly slotting the goal for a 28-24 victory.
Despite the close score and the come from behind victory it was a scrappy game from both sides and not of the standard of recent clashes between the Joint Venture partners.
In the end Wests errors invited the Tigers into attacking position one too many times and to their credit the competition leaders found a way to win. Best for the Magpies were interchange forward Andrew Pearn who lifted the side whenever he was on, lock Jamie Sharkie and winger Rhys Pritchard.
The Magpies will be looking to strike back hard when they take on Shellharbour next Sunday from 3pm at Ron Costello Oval Shellharbour.
Balmain 28 (Brown, Cowan, Taumata, Bennett, Lazarus; Meaney 4 goals) defeated Western Suburbs (Fifita, Sharkie, Falcone, Daniella; Corby 2, Sharkie 2 goals)

 

[macnaz]

Thanks for the report Reek.