SPORT
Page 24 27 April 2022
COAST COMMUNITY CHRONICLE - WWW.COASTCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU Photo: Mariners FC
Mariners prevail in derby classic Garang Kuol celebrates the winning goal.
FOOTBALL A 4-2 win against the Newcastle Jets at McDonald Stadium in a classic and very physical M1 Derby showdown has returned the Central Coast Mariners into finals standings with three games left to play. A three-goal lead at half time, thanks to an opener from Matheus Moresche and two for Jason Cummings, was put to the test by an early second half Jets score and an own goal blunder by Jacob Farrell. The Mariners then had to rely
RUGBY UNION After the first two rounds being postponed due to soggy ground conditions, Round Three of the Central Coast Rugby Union Competition took place on Saturday, April 23, with wins to Avoca, Warnervale and Hornsby and a draw between the Ourimbah Razorbacks and The Lakes. The Match of the Day at Woongarrah Oval 2 saw the Razorbacks and The Lakes fight out a 33-all draw after an exciting game of rugby. The Lakes went to the halftime break leading by 2614, but the Razorbacks fought back and by midway through the second half the scores were locked at 26 all.
on a VAR over-rule after the Jets netted an equaliser, before finally securing a fourth, injury time goal by Garang Kuol. The Mariners defence came close to buckling early in the game against strong forward momentum from the Jets, leading to a dominance in possession and requiring two fingertip saves by goalkeeper, Mark Birighitti. Holding tight and trusting once more in their incisive forward balls from the defensive third, the Mariners then undermined their hosts’ control on the game with a 19th minute goal for Moresche.
A through ball was delivered by Dan Hall, calling on Moresche to outmanoeuvre Taylor Regan and first-touch chip the ball from outside the penalty area over Jack Duncan’s head as he advanced from goal. The goal brought extra physicality from the Jets earning their first of four yellow cards in the 22nd minute. But the Mariners extended their lead in the 30th minute with a goal from Jason Cummings, his sixth goal in seven games, scored off Ben N’Kololo’s free-kick entry from the corner. First taking a deflection off
Jordan Elsey, the ball dropped in front of Cummings’ head with an open net beckoning. Only four minutes later, the Mariners added to their lead after a foul by Matthew Jurman against N’Kololo in the box saw Cummings line up and slot the penalty into the top of the net. Cummings now sits in equal place on the A-League goal count with nine goals in just 17 games. The Jets responded aggressively after the break however and quickly netted their first goal by Lucas Mauragis in the 46th minute.
Only four minutes later, the mounting Jets pressure reopened the contest when a faulty clearance by Farrell inadvertently slipped the ball into the corner of his own net. On the back foot yet holding a one-goal lead, the Mariners soaked up fierce one-on-one contests for over 30 minutes. In the 82nd minute however, the defence parted enough for the Jets’ Savvas Siatravanis to head in an equaliser, only for the VAR to rule that Kye Rowles had been illegally pushed in the back and out of the contest. In the end, it took the late energy of Kuol, fresh off the
bench, to put the game safely to bed with a goal in the 91st minute. For the Mariners, the win momentarily boosted them into fifth position. The contest for the top six is still very much alive with Adelaide, Wellington, Macarthur and Sydney FC all in close contention for the bottom three finals positions. The Mariners will return on Saturday, April 30 to play Western United at Central Coast Stadium. Haakon Barry
Rugby comp finally kicks off Both teams were to score a further converted try to make the final score 33 all. Best players for The Lakes were hooker Ben Kaifa and centres Daniele Cakuseru and Ashton Hutchinson-Walters. Best performers for the Razorbacks were halfback Jarrod Grange, winger Charles Bose, and five-eight Sam Kearney. Kariong travelled to Heazlett Park to meet Avoca Beach in what proved an interesting match, the first to be played under lights at the ground. There was nothing in the first half between the two teams with Kariong leading 7-5 at the half time break. Avoca Beach went on to win the match, mainly due to the great goal kicking of Sam
Evans who converted four penalty goals in the second half to secure the 17-12 victory. Best players for Avoca Beach were lock Jake McPhie, halfback Mitch MaGrath and tryscorer and fullback Jono Hirst, while for Kariong the best efforts were put in by lock Nic Outram, No.8 Logan Campbell and centre Josh McGlynn. Woongarrah Oval 1 saw a one-sided battle in which
Warnervale recorded a 53-0 victory over Woy Woy. Warnervale took control early in the match and never looked back, giving Woy Woy little scope to get back into the game. Warnervale went to the halftime break leading 22-0, continuing in the same vein in the second half to post a further 31 points. Best players for Warnervale
were flanker Kye Haslam, centre Sevanaia Nabetelevu and prop Nick Martschenko. Hornsby proved too strong for Gosford at Ettalong Oval and ran out winners by 38-13. The match was moved from Gosford Showground due to wet ground conditions and it was great to see Gosford back in Premier 1 after being unable to enter a team last year. They opened up the scoring and led by 6-0 before Hornsby crossed for their first try and then continued to take control of the match. Hornsby had jumped to a 24-6 lead at half time and dominated in the second half. Best for Hornsby were prop Aisea Tukipili, lock Wes Faupola and flanker Ivanho Satuala. Gosford were best served by
five-eight Ben Shelley, who scored all 13 points, centre Tevita Vaenuku and lock Mitch Cornwell. Round Four on April 30 will see more exciting clashes. The Match of the Day will be the clash at Ourimbah Rugby Park when the Razorbacks will host Avoca Beach. The home ground advantage to the Razorbacks may be the only difference, in what will be a closely fought struggle. In other games Kariong will meet Hornsby at Kariong Oval, Terrigal will commence their season in a match against Gosford at The Haven Oval and Woy Woy will host The Lakes at Woy Woy. Source: Media release, Apr 24 Central Coast Rugby Union
