Thirlmere Roosters have served notice that they have what it takes to be contenders in 2017 after disposing of Narellan Jets 38-22 on Sunday. The match was played at Thirlmere Sportsground and Macarthur Sport Radio’s MIKE SHEEN was there to cover the round six encounter.
The Roosters took control of the second half and ran away with what in the end was a comfortable win over a Narellan side who were competitive for around 50 minutes.
Scoring was at a premium in the first half, with plenty of solid defence inside the 20 metre lines.
The first try came after 29 minutes when Narellan centre Nano Katoa crossed to give the Jets a 6-0 lead.
Thirlmere replied almost immediately when they gathered possession from the restart.
From the same set, Thirlmere scored through winger Jordie Reid to level the scores at 6-6.
Minutes later, Narellan regained the lead, with a nice try to fullback Shannon Gallant, who later left the game injured with what appeared to be a serious injury to his left knee.
However, the Roosters were in for the fight, and captain/coach Jake Mullaney was able to force a kick in the Narellan ingoal moments before halftime, and with Eddie Paea converting, the scores were level at halftime at 12-12.
Mullaney was at his dangerous and damaging best, ending the afternoon with three tries.
His kicks were probing during play, and his runs constantly caused problems for the Narellan defence. Mullaney bagged his second try 10 minutes after halftime, giving the Roosters a lead which they didn’t give up again until fulltime.
Blake Sutton scored a second half double, and was another who caused problems for the Narellan defence. Sutton and centre partner Riley Nairn were asking a lot of questions and the Jets didn’t seem to have any answers.
Levi Broomfield, who is still eligible for the Under 18 side, and has played less than a handful of games, also scored for the Roosters.
The Jets managed to score two consolation tries through Adam Hoffman and winger Jack Pearce.
Narellan coach Shayne McMenemy told Group 6 League Live after the game, his side got away from their basic game plan which involves earning the right to attack in the right areas of the field.
Thirlmere assistant coach Nathan Sutton told Group 6 League Live he was confident his side can be a real threat in the second half of the season, with several key players due back in the coming weeks.
♦ RESULTS – first grade
The Oaks Tigers 10 Picton Magpies 36;
Campbelltown City 42 Oakdale Workers 35;
Thirlmere Roosters 38 Narellan Jets 22.
Ladder – Picton 10; Campbelltown City 8; Camden 7; Thirlmere 6; Mittagong 5; Oakdale, Narellan 3; The Oaks 2
Reserve Grade
The Oaks 22 Picton 10;
Campbelltown City 38 Oakdale 10;
Thirlmere 6 Narellan 42.
Under 18
Moss Vale Dragons 6 Picton Magpies 40;
Campbelltown City 54 Mt Annan Oakdale 22;
Thirlmere 58 Narellan 12.
League Tag
Campbelltown City 40 Oakdale 0;
Thirlmere 10 Narellan 18
Second Division Cup
Robertson Spuddies 14 Appin Dogs 22;
Oran Park Chargers 6 Narellan Jets 24.
Second Division Shield
Robertson Spuddies 10 Picton Magpies 17;
Bundanoon Highlanders 48 Bargo Bunnies 0.
NEXT WEEK – Round 7 (first grade only – home teams listed first)
The Oaks v Thirlmere;
Camden v Campbelltown City;
Narellan v Oakdale;
Picton v Mittagong.
♦ Camden vs Campbelltown City will be the Group 6 League Live broadcast match, with coverage from 2pm on Sunday. Coverage can be found via www.macarthursportsradio.com
