Georgie McHugh's Match Report - Round 10
Your correspondent took the opportunity to travel to Europe over the last couple of weeks. Whilst tempted to visit Santorini in the Spring, it seemed like doubling up after being at Chatswood Oval a few weeks earlier. Apparently Gordon played a top of the table clash away at Warringah during my sojourn in the kind of rain that had Moses concerned that he should really have started building his ark a bit earlier. In any event, it seems that the Highlanders fell short in a game where the luck ran with the home team for large parts of the contest. One thing that should be noted for the game was the 1st Grade debut for the Club for Gordon Junior and former Australian
7’s player, James Armstrong, who has been ripping it up at outside centre in Reserve Grade.
After a game off to mark the King’s Birthday Weekend in what was without doubt the best weather experienced so far this season, the rain returned for Gordon to host West Harbour. Whilst the Pirates have not had a good season in terms of results, they have been competitive in most of their games and the home team would need
to be careful if they were to get back in the winner’s circle.
Jay Fonokalfi was back from Waratahs duty at hooker. Harry Emery and Ben Kafer made up the halves and Ben Pollack was in the custodian’s jersey, playing his 50th game of 1st Grade for the Club.
Only four minutes into the game, Gordon lost hard-running Number 8, Sosaia Moala and the dynamic Barrie Karea to leg injuries in the same movement. They were more than ably replaced by Tom Horan and Will Kaye respectively. In the tricky conditions, the Highlanders were unable to capitalise on a number of promising raids. It wasn’t until the tenth minute that Tristan Fuli capitalised on a number of hard carries as the big man from Poneke in New Zealand crashed over next to the posts for this third try of the season.
The home team weren’t able to secure the ensuing restart as has so often been the case in this incredibly wet season, which soon after resulted in Wests registering a penalty goal. Then from the kick off, the Pirates’ tight head made a fantastic charge up the eastern touchline ten metres into Gordon’s half, where an infringement saw the visitors kick another penalty and in the blink of an eye and somewhat against the run of play the score was 7 – 6 after 15 minutes.
No more points for another 15 minutes, at which time a Highlander was isolated near the halfway, leading to let another long-range penalty. The Visitors’ lead was short lived as Gordon secured the ball shortly after kick off and after another patient building up of six phases, that probed east and west, Fuli was again the man to
plunge over on almost the same spot he scored his first try to see the Highlanders regain the lead at 14 – 9.
The home team added two tries in the dying minutes of the first half. First, Fonokalafi scored from a rolling maul off the back of a penalty lineout. Then with the last play of the first 40 minutes, the Highlanders secured a lineout at half way before the backline swept into action, as the ball found its way to Will Kaye on the half way
line, who ran to 30 metres from the line before Oli Arcus tip toed down the western sideline, who in turn found Kaye backing up to outpace the defence to the corner for one of the tries of the season. Gordon went to the break seemingly in a very strong position, four tries to nil and 24 – 9 to the good.
For a team who has not had the best of it this season, and facing a dominant tartan scrum, it would have been very easy for them to fold. To their great credit, they slugged it out in the face of significant Gordon possession and were rewarded as they were surprisingly the first to score in the second stanza on the twenty-seven
minute mark with their first try of the afternoon. But, they almost immediately handed the momentum back as Gordon grabbed the kick off and marched the ball to where it was for the majority of the half in the Wests quarter. With about ten minutes remaining, Kafer popped a short ball to Arcus five metres out, who scored in the
north-eastern corner to once again restore a “comfortable” lead at 29 – 16.
The Visitors made it a tense few minutes, after they scored another converted try and then had an attacking line out 30 metres out from Gordon’s line on the bell. However, the Highlanders held on for an important 29 – 23 victory. It is fair to say that in the less than ideal conditions, Gordon always had the measure of West Harbour with five tries to two and were only behind in the game for a handful of minutes. But, the visitors must be commended for sticking to their task all game and finishing within six points. In truth, it was Wests’ fly half’s fabulous boot from the kicking tee that kept them in it.
With the bonus-point victory and some favourable results, the Highlanders move to third place on the ladder, a single point behind second-placed Easts. Third place is coincidentally where 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 1st Colts and 3rd Colts also find themselves as the competitions pass the halfway point. With 4th Grade and 2nd Colts not too far off the pace, Gordon sit in second place on the Club Championship ladder.
Gordon take on traditional rivals Norths this weekend at newly renamed North Sydney Oval. The last time I referred to this ground, I think that Google Maps must have labelled it incorrectly. Norths started the season in red-hot form to lead the competition, before suffering a tough month of results, which saw them slide back to
mid table. However, as with most local derbies, it rarely matters where the rivals are on the table, and it is likely to be another hard-fought encounter. I can’t believe I am saying this, lest I jinx it, but the Bureau of Meteorology suggests that Saturday is a very good chance of being dry!
It would be great to see as many Gordon fans as possible at the game to outnumber the home supporters. Otherwise, plan to get down to Chatswood the following weekend to support your team as the men in tartan host Manly, who will be looking to square the ledger after the Highlanders’ convincing win in round 5. It is not too
late to get a home ground pass to join the Clan in 2024.
Until the next time we meet, make mine a Grants. Up Gordon!
Georgie McHugh
