Tallon Smith
Defending Group 20 premiers Darlington Point-Coleambally Roosters ended a five-game losing start to the season with a 38-36 comeback victory over the Hay Magpies at the Coleambally Sports Ground on Sunday.
In a grand final rematch contested by two winless sides, the Roosters chased down an 18-point deficit to claim a two point victory in a seven tries to six shootout that elevated the side a game clear of the last-placed Magpies.
Darlington Point-Coleambally coach Guy Thompson said the side played far from perfect, but managed to get itself back into the contest after a slow start for a gritty win.
“It was just a gutsy effort,” he said.
“We dropped the ball didn’t complete a set until maybe six or seven sets in, so we knew once we got a chance and we held the ball and completed sets we can score tries.
“That hasn’t been our issue, it has mostly been our defence.
“Our defence was pretty poor again on the weekend, good in patches, but it was a gutsy win, that is all I can say.”
The standout performer for the Roosters on the day was two-time Ray Thorpe Medallist Thompson himself, with the lock forward for the side’s first two tries and later added a third to complete his hat-trick and seal a much-needed victory.
Reflecting on his crucial contribution to DPC’s win, the 34-year-old coach told Battlers his vast footballing experience proved useful in pinpointing the right times to attack.
“[I] was just going off the back of boys who were getting quick play-the-balls basically, playing smart,” Thompson said.
“I’m at that age now where you can see the weaknesses out there on the field and you can pick your times to run, if you pick the right times you can take advantage of it, so that is basically what I [did].
“I knew we were behind, and instead of me basically bashing it up having the first one or two carries I just stepped back and tried to play more of an important role in the team.”
Aside from providing some much-needed positivity for the side, Sunday’s win is also critical in the context of the reigning premiers’ overall season, with the side now just one game behind fifth-placed Griffith Black and Whites on the competition table despite sitting in eighth.
Thompson said that the Roosters were aware of the need to win to remain any hope of making the finals this season and defending its crown, as the side battles on with a very different and depleted roster compared to last season’s.
“If we didn’t win yesterday, it would have made it hard to push for the top five,” he said.
“We are still two wins outside the top five and have got to count on a couple of losses but it is more doable.
“It’s hard keeping our full-strength team on the paddock, [we have lost] six boys from the premiership side.
“We have bought some decent players, but we don’t have the depth there at the moment.
“Whether you win by two or 32, as long as we got the win it gives us the chance to push through to next week and build a bit of confidence and hopefully string a couple of wins together.”
Looking around the grounds at other results in Group 20 during round seven, the Yanco-Wamoon Hawks continued their unbeaten run with a 68-10 victory over the Tullibigeal-Lakes United Sharks at the Yanco Sports Ground.
Back rower John Wharepapa-Rawiri scored four tries in a dominant display to take his tally for the season to 14 from six games and usurp Harden’s Riley Manwaring as the state’s current top tryscorer this year.
Meanwhile, other games saw the Griffith Waratah Tigers take out the local derby over the Griffith Black and Whites 26-12 at EW Moore Oval, and Leeton pick up a second straight win 38-16 over Yenda.
