Six straight: second half surge powers Albion Park to victory over Gerringong in top of the table clash

The Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles are the only remaining unbeaten side in Group 7 after a dominant second half secured the side a 22-14 win over the Gerringong Lions at Michael Cronin Oval on Saturday.

The Eagles overturned a narrow halftime deficit with three tries in 18 minutes to take control of the game and hand the Lions their first loss of the season six rounds in.

After a tough opening, it was James Kunkler who broke the deadlock after 15 minutes, with the back rower racing away off a short ball from Jarrod Tiyce and beating opposition fullback Jack Talbott to open the scoring for Gerringong.

That 6-0 lead lasted 13 minutes, until Billy Hayburn tracked down a Leroy Murray grubber to hit back for Albion Park, with the Eagles centre ruled to have applied downward pressure to the ball despite the protests of Lions players and supporters.

They were to be the only four-pointers of a physical first half, with the Lions taking an 8-6 advantage to the sheds thanks to a penalty goal just before half time.

However, the match turned significantly following half time, with Albion Park enjoying the better of field position and capitalising on it in the 50th minute through a rampaging run from Vaenuku Vatuvei, who broke a tackle and surged again to score under the posts.

Jye Ellis followed up that effort five minutes later, finishing a right side shift off a scrum to score out wide, before the Eagles added a third second half try in the 68th minute when Mitchell Potts brought down a Brodie Breakspear kick with a leaping effort to extend the margin to 22-8.

Gerringong’s never say die attitude was on show again soon after, with the Lions responding through Jake Taylor, who added a quick conversion to keep their hopes of a comeback alive.

In the end though, the experience of halfback Drew Hutchison saw the Eagles manage the remaining minutes of the game to emerge with an 8-point victory, their fifth away win in six weeks.

With his side currently sitting on top of the table, Albion Park-Oak Flats coach Josh White said he was pleased with the effort his side put in to achieve the result, especially given the tough nature of the first half.

“We put a lot of effort into that game and we got the result we needed,” he said.

“I just said to them at half time, we don’t have to change anything, we’re in the game, it’s 8-6, it’s not like it’s blown out anywhere.

“We [were] energy sapping our defence by dropping the ball, so I said to them we need to control the ball, and we need to kick to the left hand side where Hutcho was going.”

One of the game changers for the Eagles was interchange forward Vatuvei, who made a huge impact through the middle and scored the crucial go-ahead try that started Albion Park’s second half surge.

White said that he was impressed with Vatuvei’s performance, with the enforcer quickly gaining a following amongst the club’s supporters.

“Big Nuku Vatuvei off the bench, he was outstanding, dented them real good,” he said.

“He’s a powerful human, I’ve coached the kid since he was under 12, so I’ve known him for a long time, and when I brought him to Albion Park everyone didn’t really know who he [was], but I’m sure they know who he is now.”

Another key to the club’s winning run has been the form of Hutchison, with the local junior showcasing the class that saw him spend a decade in the NRL to help the Eagles over the line.

White said that the former Dragon, Rooster and Bulldog is doing exactly what he was signed to do, in leading the club’s already strong team around the field.

“That’s what he’s here for, to guide us around the park, and he’s been doing it week in, week out,” White said.

“I can’t fault him one bit, he’s bought into the club, he’s a junior here, [and] he loves the club, so we’ll just keep building with him.”

One of the more interesting parts of the afternoon was the vibe in the Eagles’ dressing rooms after the game, with music blaring and a party-like atmosphere evident to those standing around the Michael Cronin Oval clubrooms.

With the side sitting pretty at 6-0, there is plenty of hype surrounding Albion Park’s start to the year as the club chases a drought-breaking premiership, and the coach is happy to let the team celebrate its victories.

“It’s mayhem inside the dressing room,” he laughed.

“We turned it into a nightclub at the end, that is how clubs are built, on culture like that, so I don’t put a limit on the boys for that.”

However, White said when training and game time rolls around, the focus is squarely on football and ensuring the side continues to improve over the course of the season.

“They know when the week comes, that’s when we’ve got to switch on,” he said.

“That’s the thing I just said to them straight after the game, you don’t win comps in May, so it is about building.”

On the other side of the ledger, Gerringong co-coach Daniel Brown was proud of his side’s effort, but said there were a few crucial opportunities that the side failed to take advantage of in the match.

“I think it was a tough game of footy, everyone saw that, but we had plenty of chances that we probably could have capitalised on and just didn’t take today,” he said.

“We had a few injuries and things like that we had to adjust [to] on the run, but that is just footy.

“Credit to Albion Park, their defence was rock solid, they were hitting well all game.”

As for the rest of the season, Brown said that with a focus on their strengths, he expects the Lions to be much improved by the time they face the Eagles again.

“I think our goal is always to improve, and I think everyone else is going to get better as the year goes on, we know that,” he said.

“I think for us we will just keep working on the things that have been working well for us at the moment, get a few troops back, and I’m sure at the end of the season we’ll be seeing those guys again some time.”

Knights and Sharks split the points in grand final rematch

Meanwhile in Sunday action, things finished all square in the grand final rematch between the Kiama Knights and Shellharbour Sharks, with the sides playing out a 12-all draw at Kiama Showground.

The Knights opened the scoring in the third minute through winger Cameron Cornell, only for the Sharks to hit back through rising star Jaxon Ballinger, who took an intercept and raced 100 metres to level the game at 6-all.

That scoreline would remain until the 60th minute, when Wayde Aitken contested and caught a last tackle kick, before linking with Wil Patison, who scored under the posts for Shellharbour.

However, the Knights hit back when Matt Nicholson crashed over from short range soon after, ensuring the game would finish in a deadlock and the sides would split the points.

The match also featured a rare occurrence, with brothers Baxter (Shellharbour) and Jack McDonald (Kiama) lining up for opposite sides in the clash.

Around the group, other round six games saw Stingrays of Shellharbour bounce back from their last start loss to Gerringong with a 52-16 win over Jamberoo, Milton-Ulladulla narrowly get past Warilla 24-20, and Berry-Shoalhaven Heads pick up its fourth victory 12-10 over the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets in a local derby at Berry Showground.

Editor’s Note: You can find more sports coverage by Tallon Smith on battlersforbushfooty.com