Corrimal extended its recent dominance over the Wests Devils with a hard-fought 14-8 victory at Ziems Park in Round 8 of the Harrigan Cup. The Cougars now climb to third place on the ladder after notching consecutive wins against co-competition leaders Thirroul and Wests in successive weeks.
Thirroul overcame challenging conditions to defeat Collegians 24-18 at Thomas Gibson Park while Dapto returned to the winners list on Sunday afternoon with a 38-10 victory over Sutherland-Loftus Pirates at Dapto Showground.
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Corrimal Upset Devils
Corrimal laid the platform for victory with two quick-fire first-half tries after an opening 20 minute arm wrestle. Kai Raper opened the scoring in the 23rd minute before prop Jacob Karam powered over just two minutes later. Cody Fuz converted Karam’s try to hand the home side a deserved 10-0 lead at halftime.
The Cougars extended their advantage shortly after the restart when Brad Morkus crossed in the 49th minute to push the margin to 14-0.
Despite enjoying plenty of possession and field position, Wests were repeatedly denied by a resolute Corrimal defensive effort. The Devils finally broke through in the 61st minute when Phoenix Vetenibua-Finnerty crossed, with Justin Rodrigues converting to cut the deficit to 14-6 and breathe life into the contest.
A late penalty deep inside Corrimal territory gave Wests one final opportunity to mount a comeback. Needing two scores inside the final minute, the Devils opted for the penalty goal, with Rodrigues reducing the margin to six points in the 79th minute. However, Corrimal held their nerve, forcing a turnover in the ensuing set to seal an important victory.
The Cougars have now won four of their past five meetings with the back-to-back defending premiers, further cementing their reputation as Wests’ bogey side.
Butchers Return To Winning Ways
At Thomas Gibson Park, Thirroul prevailed 24-18 over a relentless Collegians on a rain-soaked surface, with fullback Brent Naden producing a match-winning performance by scoring a hat-trick.
The Butchers struck first through Naden before Collegians responded when a leaping Nic Hall reeled in a Blair Grant cross-field kick, with Grant’s conversion giving the visitors a 6-4 lead.
With points proving hard to come by, Jordan McGrath produced a moment of brilliance in the 24th minute. The Butchers hooker caught the Collegians defence napping on the short side, scooted from dummy-half and sprinted almost 50 metres to score, sending the home side to halftime with a narrow 8-6 advantage.
Collegians emerged from the break with renewed energy as second rower Charly Runciman crashed over early in the second half on the back of a neat ball delivered by five-eighth Max Devlin. Grant’s conversion restored the visitors’ lead at 12-8.
That proved to be the spark Thirroul needed.
Naden grabbed his second try in the 48th minute, pouncing on a loose ball in the in-goal area after a Tarje Whitford grubber, before Flynn O’Mara crossed on the hour mark, chasing through his own grubber kick. With Whitford landing both conversion, Thirroul had established a 20-12 lead.
Five minutes later it was Collegians mounting an attacking raid, but Devlin’s cross-field kick found Naden who raced 80 metres to complete his hat-trick and the Butchers surged further ahead 24-12.
Hall scored his second try in the 73rd minute, with Grant again adding the extras, but Collegians were unable to find another breakthrough as Thirroul held firm to claim an impressive victory in the testing conditions.
Pieper Points Haul Seals Canaries Win Over Pirates
Dapto defeated Sutherland-Loftus on Sunday afternoon at Dapto Showground, running in six tries to two, including doubles to five-eighth Troy Pieper and fullback Jackson Rieck, for a commanding 38-10 victory.
Pieper also impressed with the boot, converting all six tries and adding a penalty goal for a personal haul of 22 points.
Despite early tries to Pieper and Braxton Wallace, the Pirates stayed in the contest, trailing just 12-10 after 25 minutes, courtesy of tries to Thomas Wiseman in the 10th minute and Tyrell Lafituanai in the 23rd.
The Canaries took an 18-10 lead into halftime following Rieck’s first try in the 26th minute, with the fullback looking dangerous whenever he touched the ball. Dapto then sealed the result with three unanswered tries in the second half to Pieper, Jason Gillard, and Rieck.
The Lower Grades
Collegians upset Harrigan Plate ladder-leaders Thirroul 15-8, handing the Butchers their first defeat of the season with a two tries to one victory at Gibson Park. Wests defeated Corrimal 20-12 to maintain second place on the ladder, four points clear of the third-placed Cougars. Dapto forfeited to Helensburgh in the remaining fixture.
Windang spoiled Corrimal’s Old Boys Day celebrations with a 12-4 victory, while Berkeley defeated the Avondale Greyhounds 32-6 in the second match of the Harrigan Shield double-header at Ziems Park. Northern Suburbs edged out Mt Kembla Lowries 12-10 at Jim Allen Oval, following Figtree’s 14-10 victory over the Avondale Wombats.