Roos Claim Victory in Grand Final Qualifier
The Queanbeyan Kangaroos have secured their spot in the 2024 Canberra Raiders Cup Grand Final after claiming a 22-14 victory over the Blues in a Queanbeyan derby major semi-final.
After a back-and-forth first half which saw both sides head into the sheds locked up at 10-all, the Roos fought hard in the second half to overpower the Blues and push through to the grand final.
As the previous matchups between these teams ended in thrilling draws in rounds two and 11, Seears Workwear Oval was filled with excitement on Sunday afternoon as crowds gathered to watch the cross-town rivals finally determine a winner.
Both sides came onto the field determined. The Blues maintained majority possession for the first 15 minutes, testing the Roos solid defensive line.
Roos halfback Sam Williams managed to find a gap and was first to slice through and score. Williams followed up by converting his own try, giving the Roos an early six-nil advantage.
The Blues were quick to respond as five-eighth Connor Williams chased down and pounced on a grubber from halfback Dylan McLachlan.
However, an unsuccessful conversion left the Roos with the two-point edge at the 20-minute-mark.
The Roos answered with a slick shift to the right as centre Lucas Thomson crossed to score, extending the margin to a six-point-lead.
The competition remained back-and-forth until the 2024 Les McIntyre Medallist Dylan McLachlan intercepted and ran to score a full field try under the posts.
Connor Williams added the extras, balancing out the score to ten-all which was maintained until the match went into half time.
The Roos came out of the sheds determined, as hooker Lachlan Ingram sliced through and bagged early points in the second half. Sam Williams added the extras, bringing the score to 16-10.
Not long after, Blues fullback Joshua Pokoney shook up the momentum as he clutched an intercept.
Connor Williams capitalised off of this, collecting a kick bomb from McLachlan and crossing to score his second try of the day. With an unsuccessful conversion, the Roos continued to lead by two-points.
The Blues fought hard to close the gap, but their efforts were undermined by ill-discipline and errors that repeatedly handed possession back to the Roos.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Roos five-eighth Lachlan Bristow powered through the defense to score a crucial try. Sam Williams added the extras again, pushing out his sides advantage to 22-14.
In a nail biting final ten minutes, the Blues attempted to capitalise off of a Roos penalty as Connor Williams made a line break, however this was ruled no try due to an unforced error.
As the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read 22-14, advancing the Queanbeyan Kangaroos to the Grand Final. Meanwhile, the Blues will look to make amends next week in the preliminary final against the Woden Valley Rams.
