Tallon Smith (Article #500!)
The Shellharbour Sharks narrowly lead a three-way race for the Group 7 First Grade Minor Premiership after a strong 64-12 win over the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets at Ron Costello Oval on Saturday.
The Sharks sit level with the Kiama Knights and Stingrays of Shellharbour on 25 points, holding a narrow advantage over both sides on points differential heading into a blockbuster final round this coming weekend.
The Jets started the match the stronger of the two sides, opening up an early 12-6 lead courtesy of tries to halfback David Carpenter and rookie fullback Keagan Solberg-McGuinness.
However, the match was dominated by the Sharks from there onwards, with the Shellharbour side running in ten unanswered tries to secure the 52-point win.
Halfback Braxton Wallace was the star of the show, putting on a clinic with his passing and kicking games, while also crossing for a double of his own.
Palu Tausala joined him in scoring two tries, while the biggest cheer of all from the ‘Harbour faithful was saved for the try of crowd favourite front rower Bryce Magnone.
Speaking with Battlers For Bush Footy after the game, Sharks coach Abed Atallah said that while his side’s slow start was far from ideal, he was happy with how they recovered and went on with the job when they gained the ascendancy.
“The first 15 or 20 minutes were probably just a little bit passive in everything that we were doing,” he said.
“The intent was there, but it wasn’t exactly how we wanted it to be, but in saying that I mean you’ve to hand it to Nowra, they took the opportunities that we presented them [with].
“We did well to come back from it, but it was a pretty ordinary start by us.”
Runners-up the past two seasons, the Sharks have played lots of football across the past couple of years, with a Minor Premiership and week off looking like a worthy reward should they finish atop the table.
However, despite the carrot of a week off looking appetising, Atallah said the focus for his side first and foremost is to win Saturday’s clash with Jamberoo.
“We’ll just wait and see what comes out of today and how the boys pull up tomorrow,” he said.
“We’ve got Jamberoo in the last round, we’ve got to go around and win the game first, that’s where our focus will be.
“We can’t control anything else other than what we do and how we perform.”
As for the performance of his star halfback Wallace on the day, Atallah said that he has been in superb form all year, and is only getting better heading into the finals.
“He’s been like that all year, I think arguably he’s probably the best player in the competition,” he said.
“I think there were some other really good standout performances today too, I thought his brother Bailey had a really good game, played 80 minutes today there at hooker and it’s probably the first time this year he’s had to do that.
“And I thought just across the park, there were some opportunities there and we took them when we needed to.”
“I think had a couple of tries this too, he’d be trying to push Braxton for his tries assists, but Brycey in the middle of the park mate, look I think him and Morgs [captain Jayden Morgan] up front again mate, I think two best leaders in the competition as well.”
Looking around the Group, the Gerringong Lions blew the Minor Premiership race wide open with their 22-10 win over the Stingrays of Shellharbour at Michael Cronin Oval.
Four different try scorers in Liam Holland, Beau Doosey, Rixon Russell and Tyrell Taione crossed the stripe for Scott Stewart’s defending premier outfit, who have moved to just one point behind Albion Park-Oak Flats in the battle to host a home final in week one.
The Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs also enjoyed some success at home in their final game of the year, running in five tries to one for a 26-4 win over the Berry-Shoalhaven Heads Magpies at Bill Andriske Oval.
Five-eighth Jayden Millard led the scorers with a double for the Bulldogs, as the Magpies did their best backing up on a three-day turnaround following their mid-week loss to Kiama.
Finally, in the lone Sunday game, the Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles showed their premiership credentials in a ruthless 54-0 win over Jamberoo.
Jesse Prinsse, Cooper Barnes, Cooper Tunbridge and Kane Ball all scored try doubles in the win, which kept the Eagles above the Lions, and still an outside shot of making the top three.
A massive final weekend of action kicks off on Saturday, when Kiama travel to Flinders Field to take on the Stingrays in a massive Minor Premiership showdown at 3:30pm.
However, Shellharbour looks well placed to steal it from the both of them as they travel to face the Superoos at Kevin Walsh Oval half an hour earlier.
The other two matches across the weekend also have major finals implications, with Albion Park-Oak Flats taking on Berry at the Berry Showground, before Gerringong travel to Bomaderry to face the Jets in the final regular season game on Sunday.
Battlers For Bush Footy 