Thirlmere Roosters have extended their lead atop the Group 6 Rugby League premiership ladder after a 38-18 victory over The Oaks Tigers in a spiteful clash.
Upsets were the order of the day in round nine, with the Narellan Jets returning from Mittagong with a stunning 20-18 win.
In the other games, Picton claimed the Ron Kain Shield with a 28-10 win over Campbelltown City at Fullwood Reserve, while the Camden Rams succumbed to Oakdale Workers 32-22.
Referee Damien Briscoe was made to work hard at Thirlmere Sportsground as tempers flared between the Roosters and the Tigers.
Briscoe had to resort to the sin bin to try to calm things down during the 80 minutes.
Hayden Sutton, the Thirlmere fullback, opened the scoring on six minutes, with a nice try down the Tigers left hand side. The Roosters repeated the dose, down their right-hand side, with prop Michael Wright scoring after 18 minutes.
Thirlmere led 10-0 after the second try, in what was a physical game, with neither side prepared to roll over.
The Roosters had to wait another 15 minutes before their next try, with young centre Blake Harrison crossing to extend their lead to 16-0.
The Oaks scored through replacement Levi Dodd with only seconds remaining in the first half.
Dodd was sent to the sinbin for an incident after the try was scored, while Daniel Smith added the conversion for a 16-6 scoreline in favour of the home side.
Thirlmere’s Blake Harrison scored his second early in the half, extending the lead back to 16 points.
Both sides had players removed for 10 minutes, but the home side settled the better, with Allan Shipley crossing for the Roosters.
The final 10 minutes was full of points, with The Oaks scoring two tries, courtesy of Daniel Smith and prop Tyson Lokeni.
Thirlmere matched their efforts with Blake Sutton and replacement Vai Toutai crossing in the final minutes.
Roosters’ coach Jake Mullaney would have been relieved with the 38-18 win, knowing he has the likes of Jacob Loko, Raui Poaru, and Matt Scott among those to return in the coming weeks.
The Oaks will know they certainly can match teams like the Roosters, and with captain Aaron Farkas also absent, they can add to their roster in the coming matches.
RESULTS – ROUND 9 – FIRST GRADE
Thirlmere Roosters 32 The Oaks Tigers 18;
Mittagong Lions 18 Narellan Jets 20;
Campbelltown City 10 Picton Magpies 28;
Camden Rams 22 Oakdale Workers 32.
South West Goannas – BYE.
DEFERRED MATCHES
The Oaks 24 Campbelltown City 13;
Mittagong 72 South West 20
LADDER: Thirlmere 16; Oakdale, The Oaks 14; Mittagong 13; Camden 11; Narellan 8; Campbelltown City, Picton 6; South West 2.
RESERVE GRADE
Appin Dogs 28 South West Goannas 22;
Thirlmere 14 The Oaks 32;
Mittagong 20 Narellan 16;
Campbelltown City 20 Picton 8;
Camden 16 Oakdale 22.
LADDER: The Oaks 16; Mittagong 15; Campbelltown City 12; Appin 11; Picton 10; Thirlmere 7; Narellan, Oakdale 6; Camden 5; South West 2.
UNDER 18
Appin Dogs 10 Mt Annan Knights 16;
Camden Rams 42 Warragamba Wombats 8;
Thirlmere 50 The Oaks 0;
Mittagong 18 Narellan 30.
Campbelltown City – BYE.
WOMEN’S LEAGUE
Mittagong 14 Campbelltown City 10;
Camden 60 Oran Park 0;
Thirlmere 10 Narellan 20.
LEAGUE TAG
Narellan B 26 Campbelltown City B 8;
Thirlmere 10 The Oaks 24;
Camden 16 Oakdale 34;
Mittagong 10 Narellan 44;
Campbelltown City A 28 Picton 10.
THIRD GRADE
Oran Park Blue 20 South West Goannas 44;
Appin Dogs 22 Mt Annan Knights 28;
Camden Rams 12 Warragamba Wombats 10;
Oran Park Green 38 Picton Magpies 18;
Mittagong Lions 10 Campbelltown City 18
NEXT WEEK – ROUND 10 – FIRST GRADE
Oakdale v The Oaks (Saturday 4pm);
South West v Campbelltown City;
Picton v Thirlmere;
Narellan v Camden (all Sunday 2.30pm)
