2013 WARL Premiership

Saturday May 18, 2013 – Round 8

Sea Eagles Rally

North Beach Sea Eagles turned their game around in the second half against Rockingham Sharks to force an impressive four point win. The final score was 34 to 30.

The game was pivotal for Rockingham who needs to get some wins behind them to get the season rolling. They were hoping it was going to be this week.

Both coaches agreed it was a game that was played in two halves with disappointing periods for them. Sharks coach Jamie Papa could not explain it and felt they just lost momentum.

“We did not give them the respect we should have in the second half. I thought we had it today and we really need to get a win under our belt to get the season going. When we do I really think we can make a difference.”

North Beach coach Ryan Gundry thought the slow start would get them, and was happy with the win at the end. “We came out of the shed after half time knowing things had to change and it was a credit to the boys who worked hard and turned the game around.”

The Sea Eagles were behind 8 to 24 at half time and finally hit the lead at the 68 minute mark, which they then took out to 10 points with 3 minutes left on the clock. The Sharks brought it back to four points with a converted try on the siren.

Best players were Kieran Tarrant and Craig Phillis for North Beach and Vincent Silulu and Keelyn Tutua-Edwards for the Sharks.

Willagee Bears returned to form with a solid 54 to 18 win over Joondalup Giants. They put in a full 80 minutes controlling the game from the four minute mark and never allowed the Giants into the game.

The loss was soured with two injuries to Joondalup early in the game leaving them with a two man bench. The worst was to forward Nathan Searle with a broken ankle which will also force him out of the state side which plays in Adelaide in June.

Fremantle Roosters and Kalamunda Bulldogs fought out a scrappy game which was won by the Roosters 34 to 24. The Bulldogs made the most of their chances and showed a bit of promise. Fremantle after a big top of the table win last week would be disappointed with the way they went about the game.

Game Results

First Grade

North Beach Sea Eagles 34 – Rockingham Sharks 30

Willagee Bears 54 – Joondalup Giants 18

Fremantle Roosters 34 – Kalamunda Bulldogs 24

BYE: South Perth Lions

Premier Grade

North Beach Sea Eagles 34 – Rockingham Sharks 26

Joondalup Giants 42 – Willagee Bears 24

Fremantle Roosters 40 – Kalamunda Bulldogs 26

South Perth Lions 54 – South West Warriors 20

Under 18

Rockingham Sharks 32 – North Beach Sea Eagles 22

Joondalup Giants 42 – Willagee Bears 24

LeagueTag

Rockingham Sharks 34 – North Beach Sea Eagles 4

Joondalup Giants 30 – Willagee Bears 0

Fremantle Roosters 12 – Kalamunda Bulldogs 0

South Perth Lions 32 – South West Warriors 0

By Richard Campbell

2013 WARL Premiership

Saturday May 11, 2013 – Round 7

Fremantle over Willagee in Derby

In a game that could shape the season for either side Fremantle Roosters put in a solid second half to win 38 to 12 against Willagee Bears and show them what they will need to do to become a major threat later in the season.

After scoring on the bell of half time the Roosters held a 6 point lead after a physical first forty minutes. The Bears seemed tentative to start with and allowed Fremantle too much ball, but when they settled they looked like they could take the game all the way.

Fremantle’s Ben Wood scored four tries including a hat-trick within ten minutes in the second half which broke open the game. The Roosters structure in the second half was the difference as they piled on 24 points to 4.

Both sides were frustrated with the high penalty count which influenced and spoilt what could have been a good free flowing game and saw five players sent to the sin bin.

Andrew Korn, coach of Fremantle felt his side played too much individual football in the first half.

“In the second half we came out and played more like a team and were able to counter the defensive tactics of the Bears”.

Willagee’s coach, Lenoir Tairea realised what they need to do. “They started and finished better than we did, and we will need to work more on the basics to improve in the future”.

Best players were Wood and Gareth Martin for Fremantle and Brigham Martin with a big tackle count and Carlos Rameka for the Bears.

South Perth and North Beach both returned to some good form to end the round with convincing wins for the day.

South Perth still without a full squad had a 48 to 6 win over Kalamunda Bulldogs, who remain winless. They were able to control the play for the game with Jon Phipps returning and scoring two tries from five eight. Michael Guthrie who has been building back to his best form played well and was best afield.

North Beach Sea Eagles hit their best form for the season with a runaway 70 to 6 win over Joondalup Giants. They shared the ball across the lines and created a lot more run than in recent weeks and seem to have their season back on track.

Matt Doeg and Kieran Tarrant were best for the Sea Eagles with SG Ball debutant Tom Leddey scoring three tries after coming off the bench.

Game Results

First Grade

Fremantle Roosters 38 – Willagee Bears 12

North Beach Sea Eagles 70 – Joondalup Giants 6

South Perth Lions 48 – Kalamunda Bulldogs 6

BYE: Rockingham Sharks

Premier Grade

Fremantle Roosters 64 – Willagee Bears 12

North Beach Sea Eagles 46 – Joondalup Giants 10

South Perth Lions 34 – Kalamunda Bulldogs 14

Rockingham Sharks 70 – South West Warriors 20

Under 18

Joondalup Giants 60 – North Beach Sea Eagles 10

Kalamunda Bulldogs 26 – South Perth Lions 20

Rockingham Sharks 74 – South West Warriors 24

LeagueTag

Fremantle Roosters 24 – Willagee Bears 8

Joondalup Giants 28 – North Beach Sea Eagles 6

South Perth Lions 34 – Kalamunda Bulldogs 20

Rockingham Sharks 42 – South West Warriors 4

By Richard Campbell.