Queanbeyan derby ends in another stalemate
History has repeated itself as an exciting Queanbeyan Derby resulted in a 24-all draw at Seears Workwear Oval.
The Queanbeyan Blues dug deep to bounce back in a huge second half which saw them close an 18-point deficit.
The Kangaroos dominated field position in the first 15 minutes of play, having multiple shots at the line but the Blue’s to showcased strong goal line defence.
The deadlock was finally broken by Roos hooker Lachlan Ingram, as he broke through to score the first of the day. Ingram proceeded to kick the extras, giving the Roo’s an early six-point lead.
In a period where each side traded multiple sets, unforced errors from the Blues kept gifting field position to the Roos.
With five minutes remaining in the first half, the Roos used the full width of the field as winger Thomas Williams planted the ball in the right corner.
Shortly after, Blues winger George Morseu capitalised off a Roo’s fumbled pass, snatching the intercept and running 40 metres to open up the scoring for his side.
A successful conversion from Morsue saw the scores read 10-6, providing his side some much-needed confidence as they headed into the sheds.
The second half kicked off with a bang as the Roos bagged early points. Brayden Draber off-loaded to an unmarked Jake Kiely who planted the ball in the left corner.
The Roos built off of this momentum, as errors from the Blues gifted two additional tries to Roos, with Williams getting his second and prop Bayley Hitchcock bashing through the middle from close range.
Ingram successfully added the extras to one of the tries, giving the Roos an 18-point lead.
The game shifted when the Roos were reduced to a twelve-man team as Jaxen Yow was sin-binned close to their own line.
The Blues took this opportunity to bounce back and score their first try of the second half off the back of Atunaisa Tupou.
Blues winger Tyrel Kimori-Edmond built off of this momentum, scoring a long range try, shaking off multiple defenders on the edge before beating the fullback to score.
Morseu kicked the extras on both tries, narrowing the margin to 24-18 with six minutes remaining.
In the dying stages, the Blues were in close range again, and in the final play of the game, halfback Dylan McLachlan put a grubber in which Connor Williams planted under the posts with two seconds left.
Morseu’s kicking game was on fire, as he successfully converted all tries and brought the final score of the day to a 24-all draw.
The Blues will look to secure a win next week as they face off against the Belconnen United Sharks at Seiffert Oval. Meanwhile, the Roos will look to rest and recuperate next week as they enjoy a bye.
