Camels’ Reserve Grade final berth
Wednesday August 26, 2009
A superb tight head scrum win by hooker Al Ewan, as the Brewarrina Brumbies threatened to fight their way back in to the elimination semi final at Gilgandra on Saturday, took the wind out of the Brumbies’ sails and allowed the Cobar Camels to advance into the Western Plains Rugby Union Reserve Grade final.
When Cobar played tight and controlled rugby in the forwards, they were dominant and easily shut out the dangerous counter-punching pace and brilliance of the Brewarrina attack to run out winners 34-24.
But the Camels were dealt a crippling finals blow when the cornerstone of the Cobar backline defence, centre Daniel Howard, dislocated his hip as he scrambled for a try right on fulltime.
Following the initial kick off, Ewan hijacked the ball and took off through the Brewarrina defence to link up with prop John Noel.
He found flanker
Lachie Sullivan in support who was tackled tantalisingly short of the Brumbies’ line.
A Cobar pick and dive assault through five phases resulted in a towering cross-kick from Howard which full-back Justin Schick chased, gathered and placed down to put Cobar in front 5-0.
Second rower Andrew Schmidt then charged the Brewarrina defence from which five-eighth Chris O’Hara breached the Brumbies’ fortifications to link with Noel who had put himself
in a position to gallop 15 metres to touch down.
Schick converted to establish a Cobar lead
12-0 but a dropped Cobar ball and a penalty gifted to Brewarrina allowed the Brumbies to hit back with to tries of their own to bring them back into contention at 12-all.
O’Hara, who was varying play cleverly at pivot, copped the shoulder charge but won the penalty which then put the Camels on the attack and threatening the Brewarrina line.
With a Schmidt, Netava Tagi and Tull Mitchell-powered rolling maul grinding the opposition backwards, captain-coach Jarrod Marsden milked the forward push to ground the ball for an unconverted try out wide.
But again the Camels turned over possession for the fleet footed Brewarrina boys to split the Cobar defence and level the scores at 17-all at half time.
From the second half kick off, Schick set off on a long, searching run and was backed up by winger Scott Meadows and Marsden.
Noel grabbed the ball from the big second rower and belted his way over the Brumbies’ line for his second try.
The Cobar forwards continued to dominate phase after phase, picking and driving, with Ewan, Tagi, Bryce Rixon and Schmidt relentless.
Prop-cum-centre Steve Gillette then broke through the Brewarrina backline and picked up half-back Matt Low and found that man again, Ewan, in support.
But the Brumbies’ defence held fast for Brewarrina to force Marsden in to touch just short of the goal-line and also hold up Schick over the line.
Shortly after, Tagi, fresh from night shift, dove into the Brumbies’ bulwark to allow O’Hara and Gillette the room to combine to nail another try, the conversion of which was inexplicably missed from in front by Schick.
With Cobar leading 27-17, Sullivan followed a Cobar kick through and barrelled the opposing full-back in possession.
When the Brumby failed to release, Low took a quick tap from the penalty and
covered the requisite 10 metres to score and allow Schick to regain his goal kicking credibility.
Brewarrina countered to trail 34-24 but their full sail went limp when Ewan stole the tight head.
Replacement forwards Darran Wells and Tim McKern brought fresh legs and, with Gillette, Mitchell and Rixon hanging in the mix tenaciously, thumped the Brumbies into disarray as Cobar took the ball up time and again.
With Schmidt and Tagi out on their feet, an O’Hara up and under was contested by Howard, Schick and winger Phil Dent.
When Howard went down seriously injured, the referee blew the final whistle.—contributed
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