RMC Rd 21 Highlights
http://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2017/08/02/highlights_ron_masse.html
Footage Courtesy of NSWRL Website
The St Marys Saints returned to form with a hard-fought 30-10 win over the Guildford Owls in the Ron Massey Cup feature match played at St Marys Leagues Stadium last Saturday.
In a scoreline that flattered a Saints outfit that which had star half Adrian Davis sensationally dropped back to Sydney Shield by coach Brad Drew to re spark their attack, Guildford stayed with the competition leaders for 60 minutes, before the Saints scored three tries in 10 minutes late in the second half to secure their victory.
After Jamie Hill got the opening try in the 11th minute for St Marys, Guildford hooker Daniel Vasek scored the reply for the Owls to level scores at 6-all seven minutes later with Josh Camroux’s conversion.
In what became a tight arm wrestle through the middle, Saints second rower Tom Eisenhuth scored five minutes from half time to give the home side a 12-6 lead at the break reshuffled five eighth Matt Place landed his second conversion.
The arm wrestle continued into the second half – with Place slotting a penalty goal nine minutes into the second stanza tp give the Saints an eight point buffer at 14-6.
However, when Camroux scored wide out six minutes later, Guildford threatened to score their second win over the Saints for the season as the Owls got bac to 14-10.
The new look Saints spine of Blacktown Workers defector Place along with interchanging hookers Peter Nay and Shanan Wood then clicked the Saints attack into gear.
Classy centre Tony Satini scored with 18 minutes left to extend the lead to 20-10 with Place adding the extras, before winger John Tuliatu got a try in the corner five minutes later.
Saints fullback Mason Cerruto then celebrated his return from the Penrith ISP side to score the match winning try with 10 minutes left, with Place’s conversion closing out the 30-10 win.
In the upset of the round, a 12 man Cabramatta Two Blues scored a stunning 40-26 win over the Concord-Burwood-Glebe Wolves at Leichhardt Oval last Saturday.
After a tight and scoreless opening 20 minutes of the Wolves’ last home match for the year in the Glebe ‘Dirty Reds’ heritage jumpers, the Two Blues showed they were up for the contest when centre Teni Ahovelo got his first try to open the scoring in the 21st minute.
Shortly afterwards came the flashpoint of the match when former Newtown and Workington Town second rower Ryan Verlinden was sent off by referee Kieren Irons for dissent.
Despite being reduced to 12 men, the Two Blues doubled their lead when winger Tyla Tamou scored wide out four minutes from half time. Representative fullback Don Thompson converted for a 12-nil Cabramatta lead.
Wolves fullback Latrell Schaumkel got the home side on the board with his try wide out for a 12-4 Cabramatta lead at the break.
Cabramatta winger Brent Anderson scored in the Two Blues’ first attack of the second half to extend the visitors’ lead, before Wolves centre Ray Lesoa replied three minutes later to keep the home side in touch.
The 12 man Cabramatta outfit then blew the match wide open with two converted tries in four minutes in the middle of the second half – through prop Tesi Taliauli from close range and Anderson completing his double wide out – to set up a stunning 30-8 lead with 20 minutes left.
That was a lead too great for the Wolves to reel in despite mounting a late comeback with a double to winger Anthony Raheb in the space of five minutes in the closing stages against the tiring 12 man Two Blues defence.
Ahovelo’s second try with seven minutes left ensured Cabramatta’s win, while Tamou completed his double with under four minutes left to bring up Cabramatta’s 40 points.
Wolves five eighth Scott Williams ensured that the Wolves had the final word in defeat with the last try following a late turnover with two minutes left – but that only made the final 40-26 scoreline flattering against the victorious 12 man Cabramatta outfit.
The Wentworthville Magpies stayed with St Marys at the top of the ladder with a 28-20 win over arch rivals and double defending premiers Mounties in their match at Ringrose Park last Sunday.
Prop Taniela Lasalo got the Magpies going when he crashed over for the opening try in the 10th minute, before Lebanese international winger Danny Barakat finished off for a try in the corner eight minutes later to double the Wenty lead to 12-nil with Jake Walsh’s second conversion.
Mounties winger Jake Steadman finally got the Mulga’s first try with his first major in the 26thminute, before a fired up Magpies set up Barakat for his double on Wenty’s next attacking raid five minutes later. Walsh’s conversion gave Wenty a handy 18-4 lead at half time.
Steadman completed his double 10 minutes into the second half to keep the Mulga in touch at 18-8, before the Magpies again gained a buffer when hooker Blake Cook scored from close range to restore Wenty’s 14 point cushion at 22-8.
Blacktown Workers defector Henry Raiwalui kept Mounties in the contest with his try that Maurice Kennedy converted with 15 minutes left, before winger Jordan Martin scored a sweet match winning try against his old club with just on 12 minutes left. Walsh converted for the Magpies’ match winning 28-14 lead.
Mounties fullback John Kennedy got a consolation try in the final minute that Raiwalui converted to make the final score respectable at 28-20, but could not stop the Mulga crashing to a fifth straight Massey Cup defeat in their last five starts.
Finally, another Manaia Rudolph masterclass – with a hat trick of tries by enigmatic centre Addison Demetriou offering more than handy support – propelled the inform Auburn Warriors to a 46-22 thumping of the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles at Laybutt Fields, Blacktown last Sunday.
Returning to Laybutt Fields for the first time since being leaving Blacktown in the wake of the sacking of coach Pat Weisner in April – Rudolph had more than just a point to prove.
The Massey Cup’s form half back of the moment went about proving his point in no uncertain terms – sparking Demetriou for his first try to open the scoring in just the third minute.
Warriors hooker Jamie Clark followed up with his try three minutes later for an early 10-nil lead, before Blacktown struck back for their best period of the match in a tight first half.
Centre Ben Fritz got the Workers Sea Eagles first try when they finally had some ball to work with in the 14th minute, before winger Pattyloma Aupaau scored 11 minutes later. Amanaki Manu converted both tries to give the home side a 12-10 lead with 10 minutes left in the half.
That was the only time that the Workers Sea Eagles led as Rudolph took command. First he slotted a penalty goal to level scores at 12-all, before scoring his first try four minutes from half time which he duly converted to give the Warriors an 18-12 lead at the break.
The Warriors attack then unleashed five unanswered tries in 20 minutes to blow Blacktown away in the second half.
With Rudolph pulling the strings with an excellent passing and kicking game, Demetriou scored his second try six minutes into the second half to start the attacking blitzkrieg.
Rudolph completed his double eight minutes later, before ageless former Cantrebury and Wests Tigers winger Matt Utai scored three minutes later.
Demetriou completed his hat trick on the Warriors next attack, and former Newtown forward Ahmad Ellaz completed the avalanche of second half Warriors tries on his return from suspension with 13 minutes left.
Rudolph converted Ellaz’s try to give him a personal tally of 22 points – having proven his point as the lynchpin of the Warriors’ 46-10 lead.
Blacktown got two late converted consolation tries – through second rower George Tsikrikas and a second try to Aupaau – but they only added some respectability to the final 46-22 thumping win to the Warriors.
The Hills District Bulls and Western Suburbs Magpies both enjoyed byes.
St Marys and Wentworthville (36 points each) still lead the field by six points from the Bulls (30) and Blacktown clinging to fourth on 28 points.
Guildford (27) are still fifth, with Mounties now joined by the Auburn Warriors and Concord-Burwood-Glebe on 26 points – the Warriors now up to seventh with a bullet on percentages.
Wests (21) and Cabramatta (18) seem to be out of Finals contention.
This weekend sees a full round of five matches for the last time this season – with two games on Saturday and three games on Sunday.
All five matches have a bearing on Top Eight calculations – with the pick of the matches being the Mounties clash with the Auburn Warriors at Aubrey Keech Reserve on Saturday at 3pm, and the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles match against St Marys at Laybutt Fields on Sunday at 3pm.