In treacherous conditions over the weekend, Collegians were clinical in defeating De La Salle 32-6 to clinch the Harrigan Cup minor premiership with two rounds remaining in the regular season.
Dapto moved to second on the ladder after securing a last-gasp 14-12 victory over Thirroul, and the Corrimal Cougars continued their resurgence, defeating Wests Devils 8-0 to move into the top five for the first time in recent memory.
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Take Two | Cougars Take Down Defending Champs For Second Time
Playing textbook wet-weather football, the Corrimal Cougars have defeated Wests Devils 8-0 in Round 13 of the Harrigan Cup at Mt Kembla Oval on Saturday afternoon.
In wet and slippery conditions, the Cougars’ defence put plenty of pressure on the Devils early, dominating possession and territory.
Ill-discipline also cost the defending premiers two penalty goals to Cougars winger Saifiti Saifiti, giving his side a 4-0 lead at the break.
With both sides failing to cross the stripe in the first 40 minutes, we didn’t have to wait long for the first and only points of the second half, Cougars centre Turoa Williams pouncing on a deft kick in-goal from five-eighth Thomas Maloney in the 44th.
Poor conditions prevailed throughout the second half with the Cougars’ perfect kicking game and rock-solid defence keeping the Devils scoreless for the first time this season in a low-scoring affair.
While the Cougars’ tireless forward pack can take much of the credit for the win, it was Maloney who calmly took control with his kicking game while captain Kamren Cryer spent time on the sideline for an HIA. Fullback Kai Raper was also safe under pressure.
The Cougars have now beaten Wests twice this season and, with the introduction of a top five, have moved a step closer to playing finals footy for the first time in recent memory.
[Watch] Corrimal centre Turoa Williams scores the only four-pointer of the match in the Cougars second win over Wests this season
Collies Wrap Up Minor Premiership
Collegians defeated De La Salle 32-6 in trying conditions at Noel Mulligan Oval, Port Kembla, on Sunday afternoon, after a late switch from Sharks Stadium due to inclement weather.
Collies winger Tex Anderson scored a double, including the opening try inside five minutes, in his team’s six tries to one win to secure the minor premiership.
The competition front-runners scored four unanswered tries in the first half for a 20-0 lead, but it was centre Nic Hall’s try shortly after the resumption that best summed up conditions over the weekend.
Chasing down his midfield kick, Hall dived on the unattended ball after it settled in a puddle in their opponents’ in-goal area to stretch the lead to 26-0.
De La Salle posted their only points 10 minutes into the second half, Tyla Tamou darting out of dummy half after catching the Collies marker defence napping.
Halfback Blair Grant and winger Toby Rumble also crossed for tries, with Grant adding four conversions to his tally, taking him to 102 points for the season.
[Watch] Collegians centre Nic Hall gets a fortunate break from the weather gods to score after chasing down his own kick
Dapto Seal Late Win Over Butchers
Dapto beat Thirroul 14-12 in a willing contest that went down to the wire at Reed Park on Sunday afternoon, with the wet conditions also forcing officials to shift the fixture from Gibson Park.
Dapto opened the scoring in the 7th minute, prop Jane Kamire crashing over with his second carry of the set to give the hosts the early momentum.
The Butchers responded with back-to-back tries from Luke Gallagher and Dane Courtney, the latter coming from the kick-off after the evergreen Wayne Bremner sliced through the Canaries’ defence.
Trailing 10-6, the Canaries scored a converted try to winger Jason Gillard on the halftime siren to lead by two at the break.
The Butchers equalised with a penalty in the 49th minute as the two sides continued the arm-wrestle into the dying minutes in grim conditions.
But it was the ever-reliable boot of halfback Troy Pieper, who had already made two conversions from as many attempts, nailing a penalty goal on the siren to seal the win.
[Watch] Thirroul’s Wayne Bremner splits the defence, sending fullback Dane Courtney to the line
All Harrigan Plate and Shield games were cancelled and deemed a washout.
Words | Angelina Raula