A brave Campbelltown City have ended the unbeaten run of Picton, reports MIKE SHEAN.
The Kangaroos held on grimly to defeat the Magpies 28-22 in a high quality match at Fullwood Reserve yesterday afternoon.
It was a superlative defensive effort from the home side, who had to dig deep to repel wave after wave of attack from the reigning premiers.
The home side were leading 28-10 midway through the second half.
Picton threw everything but the kitchen sink at Campbelltown, but the brave home side managed to hold on at the end for a victory they will long remember at the Kangaroos.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for City, losing key forward Ray Cashmere early in the first half with a left arm injury.
This left them with 16 fit players, disrupting their rotations and interchanges for the match.
The visitors opened the scoring after nine minutes, when Picton centre Josh McIlvenny scored, but the Magpies were far from impressive.
City returned fire 11 minutes later when winger Steve Faoagali crossed for the first of his double, as the local fans were given something to cheer about.
Minutes later fullback Matt Waugh scored, giving City the lead, before Jett Karam, who steered the Roos around the park nicely with Josh Burke all afternoon, scored himself, and City suddenly led 16-4.
Shiem Fuiamono replied shortly after for Picton, before Faoagali scored on the end of a nice City backline move, giving the Roos a 20-10 lead at halftime.
The home side continued their attacking prowess early in the second half, when centre Ihaia Kohonui scored.
Dayne Syron extended the lead for the Roos shortly after, and with half an hour to go, the City faithful were daring to dream of a rare win over the reigning premiers.
However, the Magpies weren’t done yet and three tries over an 11 minute period saw Picton claw their way back to 28-22 with only four minutes left on the clock.
The win meant City claimed the Ron Kain Memorial Shield for the first time.
Campbelltown City coach Drew Dalton was a pleased man when he spoke to Group 6 League Live after the game, saying the win was well earned following recent form which had been patchy.
Dalton said he was concerned about the injury suffered by Cashmere early in the game, and was unclear about his short term future with the club and competition. Dalton praised his forwards for stepping up after losing Cashmere, with Kyle Fraser among the better players for City, especially having to play more minutes than usual.
City captain Kurt Austin worked hard all afternoon, along with Dave Fauonuku and Karl Tyrell, who Dalton also praised post-match.
Dalton admitted next week’s away match against Camden would also be a tough assignment, but knew his side would take confidence from the win over the premiers.
RESULTS
Campbelltown City 28 Picton Magpies 22;
Narellan Jets 32 Oakdale Workers 20;
Thirlmere Roosters 18 The Oaks Tigers 20.
Reserve Grade
Appin Dogs 18 Mittagong Lions 24;
Campbelltown City 10 Picton 22;
Narellan 30 Oakdale 26;
Thirlmere 6 The Oaks 22.
Under 18
Appin 26 Mittagong 10;
Campbelltown City 30 Picton 22;
Camden Rams 12 Moss Vale Dragons 0.
Women’s League Tag:
Campbelltown City 12 Mt Annan Barbarians 6;
Camden Rams 56 Moss Vale Dragons 0.
Second Division:
Bargo Bunnies 26 Mt Annan Knights 10;
Narellan Jets 4 Moss Vale Dragons 28;
Warragamba Wombats 4 Picton Magpies 10.
NEXT WEEK – Round 13, 2.30pm, Sunday, July 17:
Camden vs Campbelltown City;
Narellan vs The Oaks;
Thirlmere vs Mittagong;
Picton vs Oakdale. (All Sun 2.30pm)
♦ Narellan vs The Oaks will be the Group 6 League Live broadcast match from 2pm on Sunday. Click here to listen to it.
