Sport
16 May, 2023
Determined Hawks Edge Out Warriors
In a blazing final stages finish the Gatton Hawks A Grade outfit denied the Wattles Warriors a third season success at a rain impacted Cahill Park on Mother’s Day Sunday finishing 16 – 12 ahead.
The Hawks overcame a 12 – 0 first half deficient to eventually draw level and later ease past the Warriors with just four minutes remaining on the match clock.
Both sides wrestled to a 12 – 12 half time lock up, with Hawks winger Tye Gray’s winning touchdown in the corner the only points registered in the second stanza.
The Stillwater Pastoral Company Warriors asserted themselves early after front-rower Jacob Leach crossed in the fourth minute, and lock forward team mate Jordan Crocker touched down ten minutes later.
The Warriors were looking confident but tries to Gatton hooker George Tavita in the twentieth minute and slick centre Blake Appo seven minutes prior to the break, saw the second half start level pegging.
The latter stages of an error ridden second stanza saw Wattles half Brayden Paix and Hawks sharp shooter Hayden Lipp jostling for field goal attempts, but to no avail.
Both sides failed a roll call with the score still level at a dozen each and sixteen minutes to play, with Wattles fullback Matthew Christensen and centre Nick Van Der Poel dispatched to the sin bin along with Gatton winger Tyrell Woodley.
It was a fierce defensive stoush across the 42 minutes since the previous try before Gray threaded through the edge of Wattles defence.
The Warriors gained possession in the final 39 seconds of the game and tested the Hawks with halfback Brayden Paix sending a rampaging Mitch Duff to the line but success was not to be.
Coach Travis Burns thought his seventeen “played out of their skin” against the Warriors 2023 Grand Final opponents.
“The team didn’t deserve to lose” according to the mentor, who now has the challenge of guiding his side to a much-needed win against the Goondiwindi Boars on Saturday.
Skipper Ty Gardner shone in a strong captain’s knock, along with Crocker, Leach and bench forward Noah Dwyer while Christensen also posted another polished performance in a match that has seen their team tumble from fifth to seventh rung on the Hutchinson Builders A Grade premiership ladder.
Halves Tom Morris and Paix were busy plying their trade and their bag of tricks while the forward pack deserves many accolades for their defence and effort with the ball.
Wingers Jake Meddleton and Mitch Bourke were prominent throughout, while teenage back-rower Harry Schwenke was blooded in his second TRL game, and held firm in a mighty contest between two traditional foes.
Gatton 16 defeated Wattles 12 (Jacob Leach, Jordan Crocker tries; Braydon Paix 2 goals).
Reserve Grade - A spoke fell from the reserve grade Wattles Warrior wagon on Sunday when their four-match undefeated run was halted due to a 24 – 16 loss to the Gatton Hawks.
Wattles trailed marginally 10 – 12 at halftime, with Gatton having the better of the second half.
Veteran back Dale McAntee was impressive in his second outing of the season, while forwards Tim and Jack Duggan were both their usual consistent selves.
The Tony Morris Tiling Warriors have rolled on to the second rung on the Clive Berghofer Land Sales reserve grade ladder on for and against behind the Dalby Diehards, the match against the Hawks a tough gig that really could have gone either way.
Gatton 24 defeated Wattles 16 (Michael Duggan, Jordan Henry, Jack Duggan tries; Jordan Henry 2 goals).
Under 19 - Walloping threequarter Aiden Suhan was a dominant force for the Black Toyota, Warwick Wattles Warriors Under 19’s who proved to tough a challenge for the Gatton Colts winning 30 – 10, the 190 cm 102 kg centre running in a ‘hat trick’ of touchdowns.
Coach Cameron Hamblin couldn’t have been happier as his charges battled out a tough first half and built on a 10 – 4 half time lead to eventually finish as dominant victors.
The win has Wattles perched in third place on the premiership ladder, but they are level on eight points with front-runners Valleys and Highfields.
Wattles 30 (Aiden Suhan 3, Lachlan Clements, Sam Gilmore, Bryce Stewart tries; Koby De Luca 2, Aiden Suhan goals) Gatton 10.
Super Saturday!!! - A massive day of high calibre rugby league is scheduled for Platz Oval next Saturday commencing at 8 am sharp.
Wattles Junior Rugby League Club will take on Warwick’s Collegians Dragons in all grades from Under 6’s to Under 17’s before the Warriors seniors tangle with the Goondiwindi Boars in Under 19, Reserve & A Grades.
- Glyn Rees
