Tallon Smith
After winning six straight games to start the season, the Yanco-Wamoon Hawks will face their biggest test of the year so far when they travel to Griffith to take on the Waratah Tigers at the Exies Oval tomorrow afternoon.
Both sides remain unbeaten through seven rounds, each with their share of big wins and thrillers, a scenario almost unthinkable two years ago as Waratahs returned from recess in the same year the Hawks withdrew from first grade.
Heading into the top two showdown, Yanco-Wamoon coach Kye Longford said he is “extremely excited” to face one of the competition heavyweights in a mid-season test for his high-flying Hawks.
“[I am] extremely excited, it’s a really good test to see where we are at,” he said.
“The past two weeks we have finally got the chance to get the same side on the park two weeks in a row, which has been quite helpful.
“Waratahs have been the standout with a few blowout scores in the first few rounds, and it will be a good challenge for us to test where we are at and what we need to work on.”
While the win-loss column reads 6-0 for Yanco through the opening seven weeks of the first grade competition, tomorrow won’t be the first time the side has been tested by quality opposition.
Despite winning their matches by an average of 31.7 points, the Hawks were pushed all the way by local rivals Leeton in round five, prevailing by a slim 14-10 scoreline at the Yanco Sports Ground.
Reflecting on the victory, Longford said while the side was in some respects lucky to walk away with the two points, the experience was a valuable one in winning a close contest.
“That local derby one was quite close, [there were] a few key moments [where] we were able to make the most of our opportunities,” he said.
“Leeton probably could have won it there a couple of times at the death.
“We were glad we got away with the points, it probably wasn’t our best game, [and] we haven’t been able to put two halves back-to-back this year, which has been disappointing, but also we were realistic about that with some key changes coming in over the off-season.”
Following that match, the Hawks bounced back to their previous high-scoring ways, defeating Darlington Point-Coleambally 64-18 on the road in club legend Billy Ingram’s 150th first grade game, before backing that effort up with a 68-10 victory over a depleted Tullibigeal-Lakes United side at home on Sunday.
In a stunning individual display, back rower John Wharepapa-Rawiri crossed for four tries in the latter match, to overtake Harden’s Riley Manwaring as the state’s top tryscorer with 14 four-pointers so far this season.
Longford said the star signing has combined well with his new teammates, despite the remarkable effort marking his first time on the scoresheet at home.
“He hadn’t scored at home, so he challenged himself to go out and get a couple and he was lucky to get across for four,” he said.
“He is a super talented bloke, got a good footy IQ and a deadly palm, but then he has also got Shan Bradbrook inside him and on the outside he’s got Mesu [Navakayala] and Caleb Atkinson too.
“It is quite a lethal edge, and they work well for each other.”
As for if the Hawks have worked on a plan to shut down the Tigers’ key men, Longford said the side’s focus remains on themselves, though he did identify Waratahs’ back three of James Girdler, Fili Mahe and Ulu Akolo as the opposition’s key men.
“We haven’t looked too much at the opposition, the big focus for the first round [of the competition] is definitely just on ourselves and our shape and our structures that we want to play,” he said.
“Looking at them, [they are a] super talented team, one through to 17 they are all quite big and mobile.
“I am a big fan of their back three, they get through a mountain of work, and they are really good on those plays one and two.”
Tomorrow’s top of the table clash kicks off at 2:30pm at the Griffith Exies Oval, before three fixtures follow on Sunday as TLU hosts DPC, Yenda takes on West Wyalong, and Leeton travels to Griffith Black and Whites.
