Jets nail the Canterbury Cup NSW premiership title in extra-time thriller
TheNewtown Jets might have lost two grand finals in extra time back in 2006 and2008, but they won on their third attempt in a game involving extended playingtime at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday. The Jets defeated Wentworthville 20-15after the scores were level at 14-all at full-time.
Thisgrand final (played between the two teams who had finished seventh and eighthin the competition) was the definitive match of attrition. Wenty’s veteransused physicality and brute force to try and counter Newtown’s more potentattacking skills. Newtown went closer to scoring on more occasions thanWentworthville, but the Jets had to defend for their lives in the second half.Newtown wingers Tyrone Phillips and Sione Katoa both went desperately close toscoring but were denied by the video referee.
Wentworthvilleled 14-12 at half-time with both teams scoring two converted tries and the Magpieskicking a penalty goal in the second minute. Centre Ronaldo Mulitalo andsecond-rower Scott Sorensen had scored Newtown’s tries and both were convertedby halfback Braydon Trindall.
Thesecond half was a tough confrontation with neither side conceding a try. Nopoints were scored until the 75th minute, when Braydon Trindalllanded a “clutch” angled penalty goal from 35 metres out, enabling Newtown todraw level. There was some controversy as to the circumstances of this penalty,which was awarded because of a shoulder charge on Jets fullback Will Kennedy.Video replays confirm that the referee made the right call.
Theextra time period, based on two five-minute sessions (followed by golden pointif required), kept the crowd enthralled. Wentworthville snapped a field goal inthe second minute of extra time. Braydon Trindall had missed with two fieldgoal attempts in those final frantic moments before the game’s 80thminute.
Leading15-14 into the second session of extra time, it seemed that Wentworthville weregoing to grind their way to a narrow victory. With less than three minutesremaining, the Jets laid on their most spectacular play of the day. Lockforward Billy Magoulias, who had created a try for Scott Sorensen with adelicately-weighted kick into the in-goal in the first half, put up a pin-pointhigh kick in behind the Wentworthville right side defence. Tyrone Phillipscaught the ball on the run and as the defence closed on him, he sent a perfectpass inside to the fast-supporting Will Kennedy, who sprinted forty metres toscore under the posts and to enter the annals of Newtown Jets history.
BraydonTrindall converted and despite a flurry of punching and a consequent penaltyassociated with the short kick-off deployed by Wenty, time ran down and thegame was over. This match had been a thrilling premiership decider of thehighest order, and Kennedy’s try was the highlight of his all-round superbdisplay in this game.
Newtownwill now meet the Burleigh Bears (the 2019 Queensland State Cup premiers) inthe NRL Intrust Super State Championship grand final , to be played at ANZStadium on Sunday, 6th October at 1.35pm.