Tallon Smith
Griffith Black and Whites President Craig O’Keeffe has praised his first grade side after they secured a huge upset win upset over defending premiers Darlington Point-Coleambally 40-16 in the Grand Final rematch at Coleambally on Saturday afternoon.
After both sides traded tries early in the match, the Roosters opened up a 10-4 lead after Guy Thompson crashed over.
However, the Black and Whites didn’t go away, with Paula Naidike completing a first half double to draw the Griffith side within two at the break.
Things looked good for the Roosters when Ben Jeffery was the first to cross after the break, extending DPC’s lead to 16-8.
However that was where the Roosters’ scoring finished, paving the way for a Black and Whites onslaught, led by a 45th minute try to Jekope Serukalou.
The floodgates opened soon after when Jack Cooper crossed to give the Black and Whites the lead, with Barlow Simpson, Sireli Vulaono and Mason Payne among five second half try scorers as the Griffith side secured victory and the Roger Penrith Memorial Cup.
O’Keeffe said that the win meant a lot to the side after their heart-breaking Grand Final loss last season, but is just the start for the side.
“It’s always good to be the winner and all the better when you are the underdog,” he said.
“However, the memory of the grand final loss, I am sure, will still be well entrenched in the boys’ memories, even after a great win like this.”
O’Keeffe said it was a tough and physical encounter, with neither side giving an inch in the first half, before a couple of key moments in the second half gave the Griffith side the upper hand.
“It was a tough physical game, as it always is against the Roosters, with a lot of penalties going against both teams for contact with the head,” he said.
“In the first half we made too many handling errors and were beating ourselves but managed to turn this around after halftime and a stern speech from the coach, Kodie Charles.
“A key moment was in the second half when Guy Thompson was sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes for back chat, and our boys were able to capitalise on this advantage and by the time he got back on the field our boys had gained the upper hand.
“We also had Jack Cooper sin-binned with 11 minutes left on the clock, but in contrast, we were able to score twice, despite having one less player on the field.”
As for who was the best for the Black and Whites, O’Keeffe was quick to praise a few key men who each made large contributions to the victory in different ways.
“Best for us again was Eseroma Nawaqa who made a lot of metres for us all day and he was well supported by front row partner, hooker Sireli Voulano, whose defence was outstanding as usual,” he said.
“Another to shine for us was new recruit Jack Cooper with his ability to read the game and his organisation and steering of the team around the field.
“He seems he will be the ideal partner for Jarrad Williams in the halves.”
Meanwhile, the Hay Magpies recorded the second upset win of the weekend, downing the Yanco-Wamoon Hawks 26-12 at the Yanco Sports Ground on Sunday afternoon.
The Hawks took a narrow 6-4 lead into the sheds at half time after a bruising first half dominated by defence.
Out of the break however, it was all Hay, with the Magpies scoring four tries through Ben Arandt, Anare Malanicagi, Kynan Headon and Ben Taylor to extend their lead to 26-6.
A late consolation try to the Hawks improved the scoreline, but it was Hay’s day, with the Magpies recording an impressive away victory to kick-start their campaign.
Leeton made it a 2-0 start to their season by virtue of a 62-0 home thumping of West Wyalong at the No.1 Oval.
Jesse Watson, Shanon Bradbrook and teenage prodigy Caydan Hillier all crossed for doubles in the massive victory, which put the Greenies on top of the table after two rounds of play.
Finally, the Griffith Waratah Tigers recorded their second home victory in a row with a 50-16 win over the Yenda Blueheelers at the Exies Oval.
The Waratahs ran in nine tries to three in the victory, with Tupou Tupou Uhi and Mailelaumomo Ngu both scoring a brace.
A stunning six-try second half propelled the Griffith club to a remarkable upset victory, with new recruit Jack Cooper playing an instrumental role at halfback in his first game since joining from cross-town rivals Waratahs this week.
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