Thirlmere Roosters were merciless in thumping Oakdale 68-0 on Saturday night but it was the exception in a round when all other clashes were tight.
Jake Plunkett scored all of Camden Rams’ points when they scraped past Picton Magpies 9-6 to win the Harvey Shephard Shield.
In the third match of the round, the Narellan Jets remained undefeated after their thrilling 18-14 win over The Oaks Tigers.
But the big story from the weekend was that the premiers, Campbelltown City Kangaroos, remain winless after going down 36-26 at home to Mittagong.
It means the Lions retained the Corkery-Andrews Cup, and the Kangaroos now have to prepare for a must win game against the Magpies in Victoria Park, Picton this Sunday.
New coach Isaac de Gois knows that his team desperately needs the two points a victory would bring.
The Kangaroos worked very hard a Fullwood Reserve yesterday, but were edged by a team that looks like it will be playing finals footy at the pointy end of the season.
Macarthur Sports Radio’s MIKE SHEAN was at Crane Oval on Sunday, to report on the thriller between home side the Narellan Jets and The Oaks Tigers:
The top-of-the-table clash was played in front of a healthy and vocal home crowd, who enjoyed what was on offer from both sides.
Narellan headed into the match as the surprise packet of the competition, having won their first three matches against local rivals Camden, 2017 runners-up Thirlmere and reigning champions Campbelltown City.
Just one try was scored in the first half – Narellan hooker Jermaine Haule crossed 11 minutes before halftime, giving the home fans something to cheer about after being starved of scoring action in the opening half hour.
That’s not to say there wasn’t plenty of action on the field, with the match being one of the highest quality games seen in recent times.
Both sides put everything on the line in both attack and defence, with solid hits and great attack being kept out by the Jets and Tigers alike.
Jets fullback Jay Bonnell kicked a penalty goal three minutes into the second half, giving the Jets a 6-0 lead.
Narellan’s coaching staff, led by Jason Small, wouldn’t have been relaxing after the opening period, as they would know the Tigers had the firepower to create plenty of points, and in a hurry as well.
Haule added a second try minutes later, and with the conversion, Narellan extended their lead to 12-0, but the Tigers were well and truly in the contest and were not about to concede the match.
Tigers’ recruit Michael Bullock steamed on to a pass to score untouched, giving the visitors their first points of the afternoon 15 minutes into the second half and a confidence boost.
Fullback Rory Vale also added another try for the Tigers, and suddenly it was game on at 12-10 in favour of the home side.
Narellan winger Hayden Cini stole an intercept and raced away to give Narellan an 18-10 lead with six minutes on the clock.
But The Oaks weren’t done with yet, though, and when hard working backrower Ben Scambary crossed inside the final two minutes to reduce the score to 18-14, the crowd knew a grandstand finish was on the way.
Narellan was able to hold on, despite some desperate attempts to score by the visitors.
Narellan’s best included Josh and Cameron Graham, hooker Haule, who was in everything all afternoon, and their halves Adam Hoffman and Jacob McKinnon, along with Jay and Luke Bonnell.
The Oaks were well served by their props, James Kovac and Michael Bullock, along with their two hookers, Ryan Russell, who worked hard all day, and replacement Kyle Bell, who provided plenty of spark in attack during his time on the field.
RESULTS – First Grade
Thirlmere Roosters 68 Oakdale Workers 0;
Campbelltown City 26 Mittagong Lions 36;
Camden Rams 9 Picton Magpies 6;
Narellan Jets 18 The Oaks Tigers 14.
RESERVE GRADE
Thirlmere 36 Oakdale 6;
Oran Park Chargers 24 Appin Dogs 20;
Campbelltown City 0 Mittagong 12;
Camden 10 Picton 30;
Narellan 6 The Oaks 14.
UNDER 18
Thirlmere 20 Mt Annan Oakdale 12;
Campbelltown City 54 Mittagong 10;
Camden 18 Picton 12.
Moss Vale def Warragamba.
LEAGUE TAG
Thirlmere 76 Oakdale 0;
Oran Park 64 Moss Vale 4;
Campbelltown City (1) 62 Mittagong 4;
Camden 36 Picton 10;
Campbelltown City (2) 0 The Oaks 22.
SECOND DIVISION
Oran Park 16 Picton 4;
Campbelltown City 28 Bowral Blues 16.
NEXT WEEK – ROUND 5 FIRST GRADE
Moss Vale v Camden;
The Oaks v Thirlmere;
Mittagong v Oakdale;
Picton v Campbelltown City
Macarthur Sports Radio will be covering the Picton v Campbelltown City match on Sunday from 2pm.
Illawarra-South Coast Dragons v Western Rams and Riverina vs GSR-Wests Tigers will be played at Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday in the CRL Country Championships (Ladies League Tag and Under 23 Mens). The matches will begin at 11am and spectators are welcome to enjoy the day’s action.
