The Central Coast Rugby Union round 10 Match of the Day saw Woy Woy defeat Gosford at Gosford Showground by 37 points to 11 on Saturday, June 21.
After a first half where both teams had their opportunities, it was Woy Woy who finished stronger and ran out quite easy victors. The win by Woy Woy allows them to overtake Gosford on the competition ladder and displace Gosford in fourth position. Woy Woy started the match strongly and opened the scoring with a converted try. Gosford hit back with a penalty goal to centre Tim Hill but this was also followed by a penalty goal to the visitors.
At the midway point of the first half Woy Woy led by 10-3. Gosford closed the gap soon after, when they kicked a second penalty goal to reduce the lead to 10-6. Woy Woy then had more chances to post points and had several near misses on the try scoring stage late in the first half. They were rewarded with their second try towards the end of the half and went to the halftime break leading by 15-6. It was a hard fought first half where both teams had laid the foundation of a good game of rugby. Best players for Woy Woy were centre Junior Stowers who was always putting his support players on the go forward. He was well supported by back Jovesa Kunawave who crossed for another try, and fl anker Alifeleti Atiola was everywhere in attack.
Gosford had their good players and these included centre Tim Hill, and forward Sam Kearney who scored Gosford’s lone try. The second half saw the match continue in the same vein. Woy Woy were doing most of the attacking and were setting the pace in the match. Woy Woy were proving to be quick and strong and Gosford were struggling to stop the fl ow of their attack. Woy Woy are a big team and with their pace in attack, they were creating many opportunities. They scored two converted tries early in the second half to Gosford’s one try, to take a big lead of 29 points to 11 at the midway point of the second half. They seemed comfortable of victory at this stage and with a further late penalty goal and a try on fulltime, Woy Woy had cemented a pleasing win for their club.
Woy Woy scored five tries to one which was a good indication of the fl ow of the match. Woy Woy, with this win, enter the Top Four and their current form will question the potential of the teams above them on the ladder. Gosford, with this loss, drop out of the Top Four for the first time this season and will need to regroup for their upcoming matches. Avoca Beach defeated Warnervale by 41 points to 12 at Heazlett Park. Avoca Beach continues on their undefeated way but Warnervale, despite the size of this loss, did put in a far more concerted effort this weekend.
Avoca Beach led throughout but they did only lead by 17 points to 12 at the halftime break. With the scores so close at the break, both teams knew they had their chances of victory, however, the second half was all Avoca Beach. They took control of the final 40 minutes and were able to post a further 21 points to take control of the match. Best players for Avoca Beach were fl anker Brad Mitchell who crossed for an individual three tries, fiveeight Mitch Graham, No. 8 Chad Martin, and halfback Justin Staben. Warnervale played well as a team, but their best players were winger Ben Rennie and fl anker Tevita Moala. The Entrance scored a win over Kariong at Kariong Oval, winning by 23 points to 15. It was an even match throughout with both teams having their chances. Both teams scored two tries apiece, but it was the goal kicking of The Entrance’s Adam Williams which proved the difference.
Williams totalled 13 points through his boot to ensure the victory for the visitors. Kariong would be reasonably pleased with this result despite the loss, because in recent weeks they have suffered some quite big losses. Best players for The Entrance were hooker Russell Hughan, lock Luke McLenaghan, and back Adam Williams. Kariong had several good players but none were better than halfback Reece Clay, while Scott Hanley’s return from injury saw him put in a most creditable effort. A good win by The Entrance but both teams will take a lot from the match.
Media release, 22 Jun 2014
Larry Thomson,
Central Coast Rugby Union