Roosters dominate Charity Challenge again
Wednesday April 1, 2009
The Cobar Roosters Over 40s side before the Charity Challenge match on Saturday night at Ailsa Fitzsimmons Memorial Oval.
The final score of 15-0 to the ‘Old’ Roosters over the Rugby Union Cobarbarians in the over 40s Charity Challenge on Saturday night at the Ailsa Fitzsimmons Memorial Oval now gives the rugby league bragging rights for 2009.
The game kicked off under rugby union rules and the rugby union Old Boys were able to dominate possession, picking and driving to keep the Roosters under huge pressure who, to their credit, defended superbly.
However, at the start of the second quarter the Cobarbarians lost focus for rugby league’s Geoff Potter, Jim ‘Nookie’ Russell and Richie Douglas to create a simple overlap enabling centre Mal Hillier to score a soft try.
The Roosters led 5-0 at half time with the Cobarbarians only threatening to breach Ian Prendergast’s men’s defence.
For the rugby veterans half-back Damian Wray drove his forwards and busily organised his backs, John Carswell, Tony Ellison and Phil Kosef.
Winger Kevin ‘Rusty’ Mitchell used his red shorts to advantage until he was “bushwhacked by a cheap shot”. (By Old Boys rules, players in red shorts cannot be tackled with force.)
At three-quarter time and the Roosters, now playing their game, looked far more comfortable enabling their ‘young legs’ to settle into a familiar pattern.
Bulked-up forward Phil Gilligan and skipper Prendergast took the ball up off the ruck to set up the Roosters’ inside backs whose quick hands and incisive running tested the Cobarbarians’ defence.
Forward Steve Manns eventually touched down and wide running Hillier scored his second to take the Roosters out to a 15-0 lead.
For the Cobarbarians Stu Harland, Colin Farr and Greg Lumber were punishing in defence while Bourke visitors Phil and Keith Harvey helped steady a ‘floundering’ rugby ship in the league session.
For the final quarter the Roosters elected not to return to the field.
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