The Oaks Tigers kept their slim finals hopes alive and the Picton Magpies confirmed they will be in the thick of it at the business end of the season when both recorded victories in deferred Group 6 matches played last night
Picton demolished Narellan 46-6 at Victoria Park, while Mike Shean watched The Oaks Tigers record an impressive 39-20 win over Appin Dogs.
Appin opened the scoring after only a couple of minutes, when Roman Ioelu crossed following a long range intercept.
However, the Tigers weren’t going to allow the visitors to get away to a lead and Mitchell Brasington returned serve following the restart.
Appin led 6-4 after only five in what had been a frenetic start to the match.
Handling wasn’t the best, but the conditions – a cool night and dewy surface – didn’t assist either side, but both adjusted once they settled into the rhythm of the match.
Ross Brown also impressed for the Tigers, and crossed after 11 minutes, giving the Tigers a 10-6 lead. Experienced Appin hooker Stuart Flanagan replied shortly after for the Dogs, with a typical dummy half scoot to score and give Appin the lead again.
The teams settled into play after the opening stages, and handling improved as the match got into a nice flow.
Mitchell Brasington broke the game open when he scored his second try with 10 minutes left in the first half to give the Tigers a 14-12 lead, which they took to the halftime break.
The Tigers returned to the field stronger in the second half, with Josh Vandermeulen scoring six minutes after the resumption, extending the Tigers’ lead to 8 points.
Appin continued to press the Tigers line, but their defence, especially on the goal line, was impressive, as the Dogs made errors on a regular basis, preventing any further scoring.
The Dogs scored two tries in six minutes to level the scores, with Matt McCauley finishing a nice movement in the right corner, before Jake Fellows scored to see a 20-20 scoreline with 22 minutes left.
Tigers hooker Mick Pes took some initiative by kicking a field goal with 14 minutes remaining, surprising the Appin defence to give the home side a 21-20 lead.
However, the main turning point in the match came with 9 minutes left, when Ioelu hit the post from a penalty goal attempt, which was taken at close range.
The Dogs were to rue the miss, when Bryce Hoskin scored to give the locals a seven point lead, and effectively close out the match.
The Oaks scored two late tries through Ben Scambary and Brasington, who ended the night with three tries and kicked several goals, as the Tigers won 39-20.
Tigers coach Mitchell Brasington was delighted with the performance from his side, admitting after the game desperation was the key.
Brasington praised Scambary, Ross Brown, and Hamish Oxley as the better players, but said the whole team effort was the most pleasing aspect of the result.
