Canberra Raiders Cup: Round 6 Wrap
It was an entertaining weekend around the grounds for the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup first grade competition, filled with some dominant wins and late drama.
Queanbeyan Kangaroos 46 d Belconnen United Sharks 4
The first place Queanbeyan Kangaroos secured a dominant win over the Belconnen United Sharks over the weekend in Bruce.
The Roos got an early lead, scoring first thanks to a smart left side play by hooker Lachlan Ingram, putting winger Jake Kiely over the line in the third minute.
The Roos continued to be relentless, running in eight unanswered tries to give themselves a 46-0 lead by the 71st minute with Kiely, Thomas Williams, and Jesse Dent all scoring doubles.
In the final stages of the game the Sharks got their first points on the board through a well-placed chip by Zachary Patch, seeing winger George Wood score in the right corner.
Gungahlin Bulls 46 d Queanbeyan Blues 26
Bulls centre Keith Walsh opened the scoring down the left edge to give Gungahlin a 6-0 lead in the ninth minute.
Gungahlin continued to score a glut of tries, with Albert Watego, Matthew Richards, Trent Borthwick, and Jesse Croker all scoring to give the Bulls a 28-0 lead heading into the break.
A refreshed Blues squad came out in the second half and it was clear they wanted to redeem their first half effort.
Blues fullback George Morseu scored the Blues first try, crossing over in the 45th minute and converting his own try to make it 28-6.
The Bulls continued to pile on the tries with Jason Brown and Walsh running in two more tries for the Bulls to further their lead to 40-6.
Thomas Ruediger and Tyrel Kimori-Edmond ran in two more tries for Queanbeyan to set the score at 40-16 in the 69th minute.
Gungahlin continued the scoring through Tre Holten-Williams, with the Blues fighting back late as Charlie Woolford and Ernest McCarthy scored to close the game off at 46-26.
Tuggeranong Bushrangers 22 d Yass Magpies 16
It was a close game in Yass, with tensions boiling over late for a dramatic end as the Bushies took home the victory.
The Bushies were first to score as Mark Tuialii and Darby Medlyn crossed over the line to give Tuggeranong a 12-0 by the 13th minute.
Yass fought back, scoring in the 20th minute through Bruce Barrie, but the Bushies were quick to reply with winger Brigham Moeakiola scoring in the 34th minute to make it 16-4 at half time.
Yass came out firing in the second half, leveling the score at 16-all by the 74th minute after Benjamin Davis and Bayley Maher both crossed over.
Tensions began to boil over as both sides pushed for victory with a Yass player sent off with two minutes remaining.
The Bushies capitalised on this with winger Jayden Pollard scoring in the final minute of the game to lock in a narrow 22-16 victory.
West Belconnen Warriors 22 d Woden Valley Rams 12
Rams halfback Joshua Fattore helped his side score the first try of the match, crossing over in the sixth minute with an elusive left side solo try.
The Warriors slow start was soon put aside as they replied promptly with Lekani Mpaso, Bayley Graham, and Timothy Middleton all scoring to gain the Warriors a 16-6 lead at the break.
The Warriors looked to dominate the second half as they were first to score after the break with a set of strong runs from their forward pack, allowing hooker Harry Brown to sneak through the backtracking Rams defence in the 52nd minute.
Rams debutant Ethan Alaia attempted to salvage the game for Woden, scoring his first try of the season in the 59th minute to make it 22-12.
Unfortunately for the Rams, the Warriors defence proved too strong as the home side rallied together to get a ten-point victory.
