Sharks Dominate on Home Turf

The Belconnen United Sharks secured a phenomenal 54-10 victory over the Tuggeranong Bushrangers on Saturday afternoon at NSWRL HQ.

It's an important win for the Sharks as they needed to re-gain confidence before finals following disappointing performances in their previous two matches. 

Meanwhile, the Bushrangers only had pride to play for, and will be disappointed with the final result.

Sharks captain-coach Zac Patch earned man of the match honors, playing a pivotal role in driving his team's momentum and providing direction in their relentless attacking performance.

The Sharks struck early through a perfectly positioned kick from five-eighth Matt Woolnough which had a friendly bounce for Jacob Piper who beat the fullback to score in the corner in the third minute of the game. 

Shortly after, an identical kick from Woolnough was batted back by his winger Connor Massen, which Woolnough picked up off the deck and crossed for Belconnen's second try. 

With all the momentum in the way of the home side, prop Robert Aratangi recieved short ball from close range and barged over near the posts, which gave the Sharks a healthy 16-0 lead after 14 minutes of play. 

The Bushrangers were able to put some points on the board to stay within reach, as they used numbers on the blindside for Ben Drayton to score in the corner.

But it didn't take long for momentum to swing back the other way, as Sharks fullback Tristan Eldridge made a 60 metre break, before offloading inside to Deakin Bright to score their fourth try, and bring the scores to 22-6. 

Bright delivered another big play shortly after scoring points, finding a gap on the right edge to run the best part of 50 metres, getting his side back in the red zone.

Captain-coach Zac Patch took advantage of the retreating Bushrangers defensive line, as he stepped multiple defenders before barging through two more to score. 

Jesse Bellchambers summed up a relentless half of footy from the Sharks, as he muscled his way over from close range with two minutes left. 

As both sides made their way into the sheds, the scoreboard read 34-6 in favour of the hosts. 

For Tuggeranong to have any chance of mounting an unlikely comeback, they needed first points in the second half. 

But the visitors simply couldn't contain the weapons Belconnen boast in attack, as their big and mobile forward pack continued to march up the field in the second half. 

Two minutes in, Eldridge burrowed over from dummy half to increase Belconnen's lead to 32 points. 

The Bushrangers finally found their way to the line again, as five-eighth Michael Brophy stabbed a grubber through for his winger Samuel Kimori-Edmund to score in his first grade debut. 

Tuggeranong's defensive struggles persisted, with Eldridge and Piper both capitalising on the Sharks' relentless left-edge assault, securing their doubles through support play. 

Sharks back-rower Sonny Tupuola closed out their dominant attacking display, as he single-handedly muscled his way through an army of Tuggeranong defenders to score the final try of the match. 

Patch successfully converted, making it seven out of ten for the day and bringing the final score to 54-10.

The Sharks finish off a strong regular season with a Belconnen derby, as they take on the Warriors.

Meanwhile, Tuggeranong play their final game of the year against another big scalp in the Queanbeyan Blues.