Magpies surge to victory with four tries in last 20 minutes

Picton are one of three teams which remain unbeaten after four rounds of football in the 2017 Group Six premiership race.

MIKE SHEAN, of Macarthur Sports Radio, reports that the Magpies snared the two points but needed a late flurry to overcome a determined Thirlmere outfit on Sunday afternoon.

The Magpies eventually beat the Roosters 36-16, but the scoreline did not reflect the effort from the two sides.

Thirlmere dominated for almost 60 minutes but the Magpies surged to score four tries in the last 20 minutes.

Played at Victoria Park in what was a perfect autumn afternoon in the Wollondilly Shire, the match was one of three rescheduled from round one, which was a washout.

Picton captain-coach Michael Bullock, who led from the front all afternoon, opened the scoring after just five minutes, after accepting a loose pass from Thirlmere halfback Eddie Paea.

Adam Campbell, playing in the centres for Thirlmere, scored an acrobatic try in the right corner on 13 minutes after some nice lead up play on the right hand side.

The touchline conversion levelled the scores at 6-6.

Blake Sutton then put the Roosters in front, following a try against the run of play, and gave the Thirlmere supporters something to cheer about, with a 10-6 lead 11 minutes before halftime.

Adam Campbell added a penalty, before a try in the dying minutes of the first half to Bryce Hoskin levelled the scores 12-12.

The Roosters were the first to score after halftime, with Riley Nairn crossing on the right hand side.

But the 16-12 lead was where the joy for Thirlmere ended.

Rory Vale scored the first of four tries in the final 20 minutes, giving the Magpies an 18-16 lead, before Tim Dengate added another minutes later, and the Roosters were suddenly behind on the scoreboard at 24-16.

Michael Lett added another for the Magpies, before Alex Peters, who was a star in attack and defence, crossed with five minutes left, to seal the win for the home side.

Picton manager Will Klein told Group 6 League Live they were relieved after getting the win, because the Magpies were outplayed for around 60 minutes.

Klein said they will be confident but wary heading into next week’s blockbuster at home with Camden Rams.

Thirlmere assistant coach Nathan Sutton told Group 6 League Live they were struggling with injuries, and had eight players unavailable for selection next week through injury.

Sutton said he didn’t want to make any excuses for their loss to the Magpies.

“This is a young side who put in a big effort today but they were outclassed by the Magpies late in the match,’’ Sutton said.

The other two matches played on the weekend saw The Oaks record their first win of the season over Oakdale on Saturday night with a gritty performance.

The remaining Sunday match saw Camden record a 38-20 win over Narellan at Harvey Shephard Field, keeping them unbeaten and joint leaders on top of the ladder with Picton and Campbelltown City Kangaroos.

RESULTS – First Grade

The Oaks Tigers 14 Oakdale Workers 6;

Picton Magpies 36 Thirlmere Roosters 16;

Camden Rams 38 Narellan Jets 20

Reserve Grade

The Oaks 34 Oakdale 10;

Picton 56 Thirlmere 0;

Camden 26 Narellan 14

Under 18

Mt Annan/Oakdale Knights 16 Moss Vale Dragons 18;

Picton 14 Thirlmere 22;

Camden 8 Narellan 24;

Mittagong Lions 22 Campbelltown City 28.

League Tag

The Oaks 28 Oakdale 6;

Oran Park Chargers 16 Thirlmere 20;

Camden 12 Narellan 16

G6 Cup

Robertson Spuddies 42 Appin Dogs 20

G6 Shield

Bargo Bunnies 10 Bundanoon Highlanders 38;

Picton Magpies 20 Robertson Spuddies 4

NEXT WEEK

Narellan v The Oaks (Sat 7.30pm);

Campbelltown City v Thirlmere;

Picton v Camden;

Oakdale v Mittagong;

[All three matches on Sunday 2.30pm]