Newtown Jets hang on for narrow win over Knights

The Newtown Jets defied the elements in their narrow 24-22 win against the Central Newcastle Knights, in the VB NSW Cup match played at the Energy Australia Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Jets led 12-10 at halftime despite having run into the teeth of a strong southerly wind. They then failed to take best advantage of the weather conditions in the second half and can count themselves somewhat lucky to have come away with the two competition points.

The Knights fielded a physically-imposing team and gave the Jets plenty of anxious moments, especially in the tense latter stages of the game. Newtown desperately defended their fragile two-point lead for the final ten minutes and will need to improve on this performance to retain the vital fourth position on the competition table.

Newcastle had led 6-0 after nine minutes but Newtown replied through a clever interchange of passes between Sean Rudder and Donny Thompson which ended in the elusive Thompson scoring. The Knights reclaimed the lead on the back of a massive penalty line kick which gained them all of 70 metres. Thompson put Damon Alley-Tovio over in the corner two minutes before halftime, with halfback Ben Green