There were important wins for Tuggeranong and Goulburn as the race for the finals heats up, while the Queanbeyan Blues came from behind to beat fierce rivals, the Queanbeyan Kangaroos in round 11 of the Austbrokers Canberra Raiders Cup.
Queanbeyan Blues 24 (Tries: B Taueki 2, T Stevens, T Reudiger, G Stewart; Goals: T Campese 2) d Queanbeyan Kangaroos 20 (Tries: N Ngere, J Simbiken, L Spander, M Connolly; Goals: J Essex 2)
Brendon Taueki delivered the final blow as the Queanbeyan Blues came from behind to defeat the Queanbeyan Kangaroos 24-20 at Seears Workwear Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Behind ten points at halftime and with captain coach Terry Campese in the sin bin it appeared as if it would be the Kangaroos day but once Campese returned to the field, he and Ilaisa Ngata led a second half onslaught as they kept the Roos scoreless in the second half.
The Kangaroos caused the Blues plenty of troubles early in the match with the direct, powerful running as they raced ahead.
A Terry Campese sin binning on the verge of halftime didn’t help the Blues and Michael Connolly took advantage with a try in the corner.
The second half was an entirely different story as Iliasa Ngata took control of the middle with some powerful running of his own.
With Campese back on the field the Blues had more structure to their attack but it was an unpredictable chip and chase from the five-eighth that gave the Blues their first points of the second half.
George Stewart brought the scores level 15 minutes from time when the winger scored after the Blues moved the ball from left to right but the Blues hopes were further dented when Josh Baker had to helped off the field with an injury to his left leg.
However, Baker’s absence didn’t affect the Blues as they continued to attack in hope for a winning try and they were rewarded when Brendon Taueki dived next to the left corner post to secure the win.
The win sees the Blues move four points clear at the top of the table while the Kangaroos remain in second place.
Yass Magpies 46 (Tries: S Aiolupo 2, K Danilczac 2, J Collins, S Naughton, S Naughton, A Swaffield; Goals: S Davis 7) d Belconnen United Sharks 12 (Tries: M Kirk 2; Goals: D Eason 2)
The Yass Magpies have secured a third straight win to further cement their claim as premiership contenders.
The Magpies scored eight tries as they condemned the Sharks to their fourth straight loss.
Prop Saipani Aiolupo and lock Kyle Danilczak were the unlikely heroes for Yass as they both scored two tries each.
Mitch Kirk managed to get the Sharks on the scoreboard with two tries but it wasn’t enough as the Naughton brothers both scored to give the Sharks a 46-12 win.
The win sees Yass remain in third place, three points ahead of fourth placed Goulburn while the Sharks remain rooted to the bottom of the ladder.
Tuggeranong Bushrangers 38 (Tries: I Afemui 2, B Brophy, J Pollard, J Mitchell, B Solomon; Goals: J Mitchell 4, K Mitwari) d Gungahlin Bulls 22 (Tries: K Allan, S Keita Opo, D Low, D Williams, B Scholes; Goals: C Smith)
The Tuggeranong Bushrangers returned to the winners circle with an impressive 38 -22 win over the Gungahlin Bulls.
After suffering back to back losses for the first time this season, the Bushrangers were relentless in a 80 minute performance against the Bulls.
Isileli Afemui helped Tuggeranong on their way with a brace as the Bushrangers secured a 28-10 lead at halftime.
Gungahlin hit back after the break with 12 points but never threatened to hit the lead.
The win sees the Bushrangers move to 5th on the ladder while Gungahlin slide down to 8th.
Goulburn Workers Bulldogs 28 (Tries: D Stephens 3, N Cornish, P Cooke; Goals: B Hewitt 4) d West Belconnen Warriors 20 (Tries: R McQueen 3, T Moa; Goals: B Roberts 2)
The Goulburn Workers Bulldogs have continued their rise up the ladder with a well earned win over the West Belconnen Warriors.
Having sat in seventh place only a fortnight ago, the Bulldogs find themselves in fourth place after back to back wins.
Three tries to Goulburn winger Dominic Stephens helped the Bulldogs on their way as he scored his 11th try of the season.
A three try haul to Warriors captain Ryan McQueen wasn’t enough for the Warriors as the loss sees them drop out of the finals positions.
