The Newtown
Jets used up yet another "get out of jail
card" when they defeated the competitioncellar-dwellersShellharbour Dragons22-19 in the NSW
Cup match played at the Ron Costello Oval on Sunday afternoon. Jets
winger Troy Savage, who ironically had played with the Dragons in 2009, dashed
90 metres to score the match-winning try in the final minute of
play.
The Jets
looked to be on course for a runaway victory when they bolted to a 14-0 lead midway through the first
half, on the back of tries to centre Tu'u Maori, fullback Luke Towers and their
makeshift halfback Johnathon Ford, who was deputising for the injured Liam
Foran. Newtown then proceeded to go into hibernation and allowed the Dragons to
score three converted tries and take an 18-14 lead, but the Jets rallied to draw level at 18-all through a try
to winger Richard Kambo right on halftime.
The second
half was certainly a willing affair but one with very few points on offer. The
Jets were denied a try when they were held up over the line, and an upset result
looked to be on the cards when Shellharbour
centre Bronx Goodwin kicked a field
goal to give the Dragons a 19-18 lead with four minutes left to play. The
Jets reached into their
well-thumbed desperation playbook and created room for Troy Savage, who
used all of his considerable strength and determination to score a remarkable
match-saving try.
Newtown's coach Greg Matterson pointed to the Jets' run
of penalties, their dropped ball and poor execution that invited the Dragons
back into the game after his team had made such a strong start. Once the Dragons
were back in the contest and with the raucous support of their home crowd, they
made the second half a real battle.
Centre
Tu'u Maori was judged as Newtown's man of the match, and he has surely caught
the attention of Papua-New Guinea selectors as they prepare to name their squad
for the 2010 Four Nations tournament. There were plenty of hard workers in the
Jets pack, including front-rowers Lopini Paea and Martin Kennedy. Standing at a
lofty 195 cm, Newtown's stop-gap halfback Johnathon Ford may well have set a
record as being the tallest-ever number seven in the entire history of the Rugby
League game!
This Jets-Dragons match
will be shown on Fox Sports 2 on Wednesday afternoon (28th July) at 5.00pm.
Newtown's next NSW Cup match is against the North Sydney Bears at North Sydney
Oval on Friday, 30th July, with this 21st round NSW Cup match timed to start at
7.00pm.
Newtown Jets 22:
Tu'u Maori, Luke
Towers, Johnathon Ford, Richard Kambo, Troy Savage tries;