Georgie's Match Report - Rnd 6

 
Yet another Saturday where it would have been understandable to stay at home on the lounge and watch the footy on Stan with a drappie or two of Grants instead of braving Chatswood Oval for Gordon to take on the reigning premiers, Randwick.

With all the rain moving 3rd and 4th grade to Latham Park our top two teams were home to defend our turf.

Notwithstanding the challenging conditions, there was a very healthy turn up of patrons, who have started to sense a undeniable sense of momentum for the men in tartan, after a couple of very narrow losses to commence the season.

The first half saw the teams slug it out on a soft and muddy track, where staunch defence was the order of the day, as the attacks probed away for any chinks in the armour. It was the visitors who arguably had the better of the play in the first quarter of the game. In a massive show of respect for Gordon’s defence, Randwick opted
for the sticks when they received a penalty 25 metres out in front after 20 minutes.

Following a net gain from the ensuing restart, Gordon turned the tide and camped deep in their opponent’s half for the remainder of the opening stanza. Halfback, Joe Snow expertly directed his troops around the park, almost as if he had grown up in similar conditions. Hard carries from all of the pack continued to sap the energy and bend back the Mrytle Green defensive line. Milan Basson was held up over the line as he dived close to the posts.

Randwick escaped on a few brief occasions; but the men in tartan turned those incursions around on every occasion. With three minutes to go before the bell, Gordon received an overdue scrum penalty 10 metres their own side of halfway. At the proceeding line out, the visitors were penalised again for tackling the jumper in the air. The Highlanders secured the lineout, six metres out and started a march to the line. Randwick must surely have tested the referee’s patience, as two or three yellow-card offences were committed. Ultimately Prez Tafuga crashed over ten metres to the right of the posts. With very few minutes left in the half the teams went to the break with Gordon up 7 – 3.

It was more of the same in the opening ten minutes of the second half, with the Highlanders continually in attack and Randwick doing all they could to hold on. Another team may not have kept their full compliment of players with the same number of obvious infringements in the shadow of their own posts. After twelve minutes, the pressure and weight of possession told as skipper, Basson plunged over under the posts for his fifth try of the season and the score was 14 – 3. But, the Stags would not pull further away as Randwick scored minutes later after the restart and with a quarter of the game remaining, it was all to play for with four points in it.

Coach Fehily added some fresh big bodies in John Akauola, Sosaia Moala, Cam Lewis and the welcome first game of the season for prop Tristan Fuli. Randwick’s scrum was immediately under pressure, and they were crucially penalised on their own feed nearing the 70-minute mark after the referee could no longer ignore the
dominance. From this period of play, the Highlanders were denied tries after taking the ball over the try line. It was definitely a great defensive effort by the visitors, even if the home team’s ball boy didn’t agree with the baffling decision to deny Basson his double.

Yet more waves of tartan attack followed, before, under penalty advantage, Ben Pollack found Brandon Quinn with a pinpoint kick from 50 metres away, for the winger to score in the grandstand corner in front of the home fans. But, with a tough conversion missed and time still on the clock, the score was 19-10 and those home
fans would endure a nervous wait.

 

With less than 5 minutes remaining, the home team were caught offside in the centre of the quarter line. Randwick opted for the three points to reduce the margin to less than a converted try. From the kick off, Gordon pinned their opponents in their 22, before what was meant as a relieving kick found Quinn near halfway. His charge over multiple defenders, before ultimately being desperately bundled in to touch a metre from the line in front of the Trumper Stand saw Randwick needing to travel 95 metres with very little time on the clock. They got as far as ten metres out before turning over possession. The Highlanders were inches from a fourth try from the
ensuing scrum before the referee blew up the game with a 19 – 13 victory for the good guys.

The victory was more decisive than the scoreboard showed. Time and again, the visitors were kept in the game with the tenacity of their flyhalf, who played a great hand in the difficult conditions and what was often the better of the 50/50 calls. In any event, it was an extremely pleasing result for Basson and his team who recorded
a fourth consecutive victory. They belted out the team song in the sanctuary of the Trumper Stand dressing room, the acoustics of which are second to none.

 

This weekend sees the Highlanders away to Eastwood for what feels like the fourth consecutive season of their “final season at TG Milner”. The Woods find themselves in the unfamiliar position of being near the bottom of the table with only a couple of wins. And yet those victories have come at the expense of competition highfliers
Warringah and Easts.

 

Gordon’s next home game sees them welcome Southern Districts for the postponed Ladies Day (Stags in Santorini) on 25 May.

Get down to the ground to support your team. It is not too late to get a membership and join the Clan in 2024.

Until the next time we meet, make mine a Grants. Up Gordon!

 

Georgie McHugh