Campbelltown City have gone to the joint-top of the Group 6 Rugby League ladder, following a 16-6 win over The Oaks on Sunday afternoon in Round 2 of the shortened competition.
The Kangaroos defeated the Tigers in atrocious conditions at Dudley Chesham Oval, scoring all their points before halftime, with Mother Nature not being in a co-operative mood for much of the weekend.
City have played two matches and recorded two wins, neither of which were overly impressive, but the scoreline doesn’t show how they got the wins, simply the success of their results.
The match never really reached any great heights, with handling for both sides being poor.
City managed better, with a higher completion rate, but neither side would want to take anything out of the game besides the result and completing the match itself.
Edwin Connor, the Roos halfback, has been a welcome addition to the Campbelltown side, steering the team around the park nicely in the opening weeks.
He scored the first try of the day on 12 minutes, giving the Kangaroos a deserved lead after dominating possession and territory early in match.
The teams traded errors, with the match being played between the 20 metre lines and few breaks being made on a heavy surface.
The Oaks went down to 12 men when Kyle Bell was sent to the sin bin on 24 minutes, and shortly after, Josh Lemalu crossed for the visitors to double their lead to 12-0.
The Kangaroos then extended their lead just before halftime, when Beau Webster-Mansfield scored on the right hand side of the field, giving them a 16-0 lead at the break.
The halftime break was welcome by both sides, and many would have wanted to stay in the rooms, but the football had to continue, even though the conditions did not improve in the final 40 minutes.
The Tigers, to their credit, fought hard all afternoon, with the possession and territory evening up throughout the second half, but with little reward.
Surprisingly, few penalties were blown throughout the 80 minutes, and the game was played in relatively good spirits, despite the poor weather.
The Oaks did manage to score a try with 12 minutes remaining, when halfback Nathan Rumsby crossed to reduce the margin to 10 points.
And while they enjoyed most of the possession in the closing stages of the match, the home side were unable to crack the Kangaroos line.
City will be relieved with the win, given the poor conditions on Sunday, but will be happy to escape with the points and move on to next week’s Round 3 game, at home against Mittagong, who are winless after two rounds.
The only other result from Round 2 in first grade saw Oakdale Workers defeat Mittagong Lions 26-6 at Mittagong Sportsground.
Thirlmere will meet Oakdale in a top of the table clash next Sunday at Thirlmere Sportsground as the competition moves to the halfway mark of the season.
RESULTS ROUND 2 – FIRST GRADE:
Mittagong Lions 6 Oakdale Workers 26;
The Oaks Tigers 6 Campbelltown City 16.
Thirlmere def Narellan on forfeit.
SECOND GRADE:
Appin Dogs 20 Campbelltown City 6;
The Oaks 10 South West Goannas 4;
Mittagong 10 Oakdale 8.
Thirlmere def Narellan on forfeit.
UNDER 18:
Appin 24 Campbelltown City 16;
Thirlmere 22 Narellan 12;
Mittagong 0 Camden 26.
Mt Annan Bye.
WOMEN’S LEAGUE:
Highlands Storm 0 Campbelltown City 18;
Thirlmere 0 Narellan 26.
Mittagong Bye.
LEAGUE TAG:
Campbelltown City Gold 18 Camden 38;
The Oaks 0 Campbelltown City Blue 48;
Thirlmere 4 Narellan Blue 44;
Mittagong 8 Oakdale 30.
Narellan White Bye.
THIRD GRADE:
Oran Park Chargers 10 Narellan Jets 30;
Warragamba Wombats 44 Mt Annan Knights 6;
Highlands Storm 22 Camden Rams 18.
South West Goannas Bye.
NEXT WEEK – ROUND 3 – FIRST GRADE:
Narellan v The Oaks;
Thirlmere v Oakdale;
Campbelltown City v Mittagong
(All Sunday 3pm).
