Photo 1: Jone Tabaiwalu is met by the Woden defence at Walker Park on Saturday. Photo – Kim Gourlay Photography.
Photo 2: Liam Grame hangs on for dear life in this tackle. Photo – Kim Gourlay Photography.
Yass Magpies almost caused the upset of the season in the first round when hosting the Woden Valley Rams in the Canberra Raiders Cup First-Grade competition at Walker Park on Saturday.
The contest had it all, with the Rams ahead 32-6 at half-time, but the Magpies got up off the canvas to score five second-half tries, and the home side had their chances to win the game, but they could not ice the result, with Woden leaving with the two competition points, winning 38-36.
“It was close and a good game,” said Yass coach Adam Kyle.
“We were down 32-12, and it was a terrific fight back in the second half, only for us to fall short.
“At the end of the day, goal kicking let us down a bit, and we got held up over the line twice in the last few minutes, so we had every chance to win the game, and I guess in that sense, we do walk away a bit disappointed,”
The Magpie’s coach said it all came down to a slow start and inferior ball handling in the opening stages.
“I think our completion rate cost us,” Kyle said.
“We made seven errors in the first 20 minutes, and Woden capitalised on six.
“We put ourselves under the pump, and that showed on the scoreboard, and that was all because of errors, and at this level of footy, you can’t do that and compete.
“In the second half, we completed at 90%, and you could see that in the way we played and the fact that we were able to come back and make a game of it.”
Kyle, a respected Canberra coach who spent time with the Raiders and London Broncos in the Super League, made his mark on the Yass line-up in Round One, featuring five new faces in First-Grade.
Shane Bacon made his first-grade debut while making their club debuts were Wise Wesikula, Tremayne Chatfield, Aublix Tawha, and Jahlon Governor.
“We had a couple of guys on debut, and Aublix Tawha was good; he’s an
ex-Canberra Raiders junior from New Zealand, and he was really impressive,” Kyle said.
“Shaun Davis, our captain, scored a hat trick, and he’s just transitioned to prop from the back row, and he did well, and overall, there were a lot of positives.”
Yass will hold their heads up high despite the loss, as the Magpies will undoubtedly improve their performance.
“Woden finished second or third last year, and they had some nice players, and you’d expect that they will be playing finals this year, so for us to put ourselves up against one of the top sides and really compete is a good sign going forward,” Kyle said.
“We talked all preseason about making Walker Park a tough place to come and play, and hopefully, Woden felt that on the weekend.”
Yass will be on the road in Round Two when taking on the Queanbeyan Blues at Seiffert Oval on Saturday, and they can expect a hostile welcome.
“The Blues have been a powerhouse for a long time, and it is my understanding that the Blues and Yass are pretty good rivals, and we are going there to win this week,” Kyle said.
“We want to turn up every game and put our best foot forward, and that all starts again on Saturday.”
In lower grade Round One action, the Yass Magpies Reserve-Grade team blew Woden Valley out of the water to win 26-6 at Walker Park on Saturday.
The League-Tag girls struggled against a red-hot Rams outfit, going down 44-6, and the under-19s fell to Woden 38-nil.
