Newtown Rugby League Football Club - Established 1908
Rd 11 - Jets blown away by Bears first half onslaught [6-46]
Game 1 - Tom Raudonikis Cup
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Match details
3.00 pm, Saturday, 6 June
Henson Park
Meet the players
Photographic highlights
The Rugby League fortunes of the Newtown Jets nosedived further on Saturday when they were thrashed 46-6 by North Sydney at Henson Park.
The Bears had around seventy per cent of possession in the first half and led 30-0 at the break. The Newtown players compounded their own problems in the first forty minutes through a lack of commitment in defence and by conceding a 5-2 penalty tally to Norths.
More commitment by Jets in second half
The Jets made a better contest of the game in the second half but there was no hope of overhauling the Bears massive lead.
Norths are now supremely well positioned to win the Frank Hyde Shield for 2009, a trophy which is contested between the two clubs over two home and away matches on a total points for and against basis.
The outcome of this match would have been a bitter disappointment for the big Henson Park crowd, whose expectations had been raised by Newtown's shock 32-14 win over the competition leaders Western Suburbs two weeks ago.
Player performances
Newtown's best were forwards Ray Moujalli, Anthony Cherrington and Nick Kouparitsas while Chris Tuatara and Smith Samau were the best in the backline.
John Raper Tribute Day
In addition to being the first leg of the 2009 Frank Hyde Shield series, last Saturday also served as an opportunity for the Newtown club to officially recognise and honour the man deemed to be Newtown's greatest junior product of the past 101 years of Rugby League in Australia.
John Raper [pictured on left at his Tribute Day] played his junior football with St Joseph's CBC, Newtown and with the famous Camperdown Dragons JRLFC. He played two years of first grade football with Newtown in 1957 and 1958 and won selection in a NSW Colts XIII in 1958 before transferring to the St George club and what unfolded as a stellar career in club and representative football.
The late Frank Hyde regarded John Raper and the mercurial English scrumhalf Alex Murphy as the two greatest Rugby League footballers he had seen in his lifetime.
Match summary
Newtown 6 [Smith Samau try; Chris Tuatara 1 goal]
North Sydney 46 [8 tries; 7 goals]
Half-time: Bears led 30-0.
Next game
The Newtown Jets play away next Saturday, 13 June, against the Terry Lamb-coached Bankstown City Bulls at The Crest Stadium, Bass Hill, with this match timed to start at 3.00pm.
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