Georgie McHugh's Match Report - Round 7
The first real taste of winter with an icy southerly blowing welcomed the hard core grass-root rugby fans come out. Perhaps it was the weather and not the home team’s place on the ladder as the reason for the smallest crowd that this correspondent (armed with a hip flask of Grants) has ever seen at TG Millner, with Tartan equal in prominence or greater than that of blue and white.
Injury and squad management saw a new-look starting line take the park, with Ben Kafer and Henry Basten making their starting debuts at inside centre and loose head respectively and Cam Wood back in the second row. Prez Tufuga led the side as Milan Basson as the skipper started on the bench. Harry Emery started with 9 on his back.
The home team had the better of the first ten minutes, as the Highlanders were forced to resolutely defend their line. In a mark of respect for that defence, Eastwood opted for the sticks in the thirteenth minute to take the lead 3 – 0. With the strong wind, handling issues and a penalty count that was lopsided, it was tough for Gordon to get out of their own half. The pressure eventually told in the 21st minute as the Woods scored in the north-western corner. The long last pass was caught conservatively 4 metres in front of where it was thrown; but, the wind could have blown it that far forward, such was its strength, and the score was 8 – 0.
The Highlanders started to enjoy a little more possession and field possession and on the half hour mark were rewarded after a lineout inside their attacking quarter, saw the ball advanced from bullocking charges from number 8, Sosaia Moala and then Tafuga, which each could have seen penalties for high shots, before Tom Horan picked up a loose ball ten metres out and fought his way to plunge over next to the posts. Despite the home team’s dominance, the sides were suddenly within a point of each another.
Using the wind to perfection, soon after Eastwood were able to drive the ball to within ten metres of Gordon’s line. Not able to win their own line out, the Highlanders immediately put themselves under intense pressure and they were not able to stop the home team from scoring. But, with less than five minutes Gordon had several opportunities to put more points on the board, including from a penalty after fantastic counter rucking ten meters out. From the quick tap taken by Tafuga, none of the Eastwood defenders had retired their required distance but play was allowed to continue before Horan was held up over the line to be denied a double and the score at the break was 15 – 7.
Notwithstanding the fantastic opportunity to bring the margin to one point, the score at half time was far closer than many expected, given the weight of possession enjoyed by the home team and the strength of the wind. However, as is so often the case, when one team is smashed by a strong wind in the first half, the gale disappeared in the second. It was the home team to score first in the second half with a penalty goal five minutes in.
Basson and Tristan Fuli came on for the Highlanders at this stage. When the Eastwood scrum was dominant in the first half, they were able to take advantage. Frustratingly, when that script was flipped in the second half with Fuli’s introduction, which should have been to the Highlanders advantage, the sides were not allowed to scrummage as the referee continued to fill his bingo card with technical calls before the ball was fed.
Gordon had their first chance in attack twelve minutes into the half, with a penalty kick to within five minutes of the line. From the lineout, the tartan maul was unstoppable and Horan had the double he was denied before the half time bell. Pollack pulled his conversion attempt and with 25 minutes remaining, the score was 18 – 16.
The final quarter of the game predominantly saw the Highlanders throw wave after wave at a desperate Eastwood, who were certainly up for the challenge and looking for their third high-profile scalp of the season. With barely more than ten minutes remaining, Ben Pollack was yellow carded for what was deemed a deliberate knock down in the act of making a tackle. Time was running out for the men in tartan with their play maker in the bin.
Gordon cleared the imminent threat from the ensuing penalty after an Eastwood knock on and on the first occasion that the scrums were permitted to fight it out, the blue and white pack was obliterated. With five minutes remaining the home side, doing everything they could to repel the Highlanders, gave away a number of penalties. Basson was held up over the line as the clock hurried to the 80-minute mark, Gordon then turned the ball over and a fantastic clearing kick saw Gordon needing to travel 60 metres on their line out, as Pollack re-entered the game.
With the ball changing possession on several occasion in the final two minutes of the game with the Highlanders losing control and then successfully counter rucking against an exhausted opponent. Gordon eventually won a penalty from a counter ruck in the middle of the halfway line as the bell rang. Alex Humfrey secured Cam Lewis’s throw 15 metres out and Eastwood must surely have been lucky not to concede a yellow card and even a penalty try as they dragged down a maul charging towards the line. From the penalty, a line out five metres out saw the dose repeated with the assistance of four of the backs, before Lewis dived over 15 metres in from the side line.
Three minutes after full time, Pollack had the opportunity for redemption as he lined up his conversion attempt on the quarter line, right in front of the most vocal section of the Eastwood faithful, reserves and coaching staff. He gathered himself, assuredly moved in and slotted the conversion before saluting his “fan club” with the scoreboard showing 19 – 18 in favour of the Highlanders for a famous win in what might be Gordon’s final trip to the grand old ground.
After registering their fifth consecutive win, Gordon move to outright second on the ladder, three points behind Warringah. It was a great day for the Senior Club, as all grades had wins. A couple of upsets in the Colts denied a clean sweep.
This weekend sees the Highlanders welcome Southern Districts for the postponed Ladies Day (Stags in Santorini) on 25 May. Southern have had a tough couple of seasons. However, notably they beat Gordon in round 1 last season and recorded a victory of Sydney Uni in the most recent round.
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