By Russ Haylock
After kicking off their season in style by defeating reigning premiers the Penrith Panthers in Round One, the Steelers Harold Matthews Cup team will be looking to continue their winning start when they take on the Central Coast Roosters away from home on Sunday.
The team shot out to an early 14-0 lead against the Panthers before trailing by two points at half-time, and with 10 minutes to go they were down by four points, but late tries to winger Lucas Borg and halfback Kade Reed saw them take a 34-26 win.
Coach Aaron McDonald says he was pleased with his team’s effort with ball in hand and their resilience at the back end of the match.
“In the second half we challenged them a bit to step up and make sure they defended better, and I think they did. Penrith are big boys and used to rolling through teams, but our boys stood up to them when it mattered and that’s what got us the win.”
Momentum
The high-scoring match had many momentum swings, with McDonald noting that tightening up their defence will be key to ensuring they remain in the winner’s circle. “It’s a bit of a cliche but it’s all about defending the next set. A couple of times on the weekend we made error on error which can be costly against big sides.
“I think it’s about learning to really put in for that one set after an error and making sure that we get the ball back and we control the game.”
Five-eighth Aaymon Fitzgibbon played an important role in the Steelers win on the weekend, with the Thirroul Butchers junior relishing the opportunity to debut in the scarlet red jersey in front of a vocal home crowd.
“To debut was pretty incredible. Just a dream to run out on WIN Stadium with the crowd behind you and everyone roaring, you can’t go wrong with that,” said Fitzgibbon.
“We had to go out there and show them what we’re made of and I guess that’s what we did. Obviously we’ve still got some room for improvement in some areas, but we got it done.”
Family Ties
Fitzgibbon is a name synonymous with the Steelers jersey; Aaymon’s father Craig played the first 20 of his 263 NRL matches with the Club, while his grandfather Allan coached the Steelers first grade team in the early 80s and for a season in 1995.
“It’s always an honour putting on the Steelers jersey, especially with Dad and Pop doing it before me, and all of the other great Steelers players to have put on the ‘6’ before me, it’s just an honour to be able to wear it.”
Aaymon will line up at five-eighth once again this weekend as his team goes in unchanged for the match at Morry Breen Oval on the Central Coast, while the Steelers SG Ball team will look to bounce back from their narrow loss to the Panthers last week when they travel to Melbourne to face the Storm.
Both the Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership and Tarsha Gale Cup teams have the bye, but will be back in action in Round 3.
Photo: Allan Barry