Jets late points surge overpowers the Bears

The Newtown Jets and North Sydney Bears piled on a total of thirteen tries at North Sydney Oval on Sunday, as the Jets overran the Bears in the final twenty minutes to win 40-28.

The Jets regained second place on the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup competition table with this win. The Bears had previously been in second place and are now third after nine competition rounds have been played.

Newtown made a strong start to this game with three tries being scored in the first sixteen minutes to run up a 14-6 lead. Norths hit back and took advantage of some shoddy defence as they moved to a 16-14 lead with ten minutes left in the first half.

The Jets scored a converted try in the 33rd minute to take a 20-16 lead into half-time.

North Sydney had the better of the third quarter of the match and led 28-20 with twenty minutes left to play. Jets halfback Braydon Trindall conjured up a superbly-flighted 40/20 kick that put Newtown in a prime attacking position. Jets winger Jonaiah Lualua scored his second try from a cut-out pass from Trindall to reduce North Sydney’s lead to 28-24. 

The Bears had possession close to Newtown’s try-line in the 68th minute and had a try-scoring chance disallowed that may very well have been a game-changer.

In the next set of possession Jets centre Kayal Iro made a superb break and out-sprinted several Norths pursuers as he raced eighty metres to score. Trindall’s conversion put Newtown ahead 30-28 with ten minutes still to play.

The Jets then laid on two exhilarating tries, one to hooker Jayden Berrell and another to winger Samuel Stonestreet (the tall winger’s third for the afternoon), to extend Newtown’s eventual winning margin out to 40-28.

This match was an entertaining spectacle for the North Sydney Oval crowd and it was a contest where the momentum of the game had swung from one team to another. Newtown’s surge of four tries in the final seventeen minutes earned the Jets two valuable competition points and second place on the NSW Cup premiership table behind Penrith.

Newtown’s best backs were fullback Kade Dykes (who delivered clever passes for the Jets’ first and last tries), centre Kayal Iro and five-eighth Luke Metcalf. Reliable utility back Tyla Tamou defended well in the centres. Kayal Iro most certainly had a productive afternoon – he ran 268 metres on the day, made three line breaks and gave the final pass for three tries, as well as his own virtuoso eighty-metres try-scoring effort.

The best forwards for the Jets were front-rowers Thomas Hazelton and Caleb Uele and back-rowers Liam Harris and Jesse Colquhoun. Hooker Jayden Berrell was a constant threat to the Bears from dummy-half.

Newtown has a bye next weekend (14th/15th May). The Jets return to Henson Park to play Mounties on Saturday, 21st May at 3.00pm.

Newtown 40:
Samuel Stonestreet 3, Jonaiah Lualua 2, Luke Metcalf, Kayal Iro, Jayden Berrell tries;
Braydon Trindall 4 conversions
defeated
North Sydney 28:
Vuate Karawalevu 3, Renouf Antoni, Ben Thomas tries:
Tom Carr 4 conversions.

Half-Time: Newtown led 20-16.

Weather: Sunny, fine, 20 degrees.
Playing surface: Excellent.

The NSWRL NSW Cup ladder after 9 rounds:
https://www.nswrl.com.au/ladder/?competition=113&round=9&season=2022                    

NSWRL NSW Cup Highlights – North Sydney v Newtown, Sunday, 8th May 2022:
https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2022/05/08/nsw-cup-highlights-bears-v-jets-round-nine/

Match statistics compiled by Stuart McCarthy:

Completions:

1st half: Newtown 14/16 (88%) Norths 10/13 (77%)

2nd half: Newtown 13/16 (81%) Norths 12/16 (75%)

Fulltime: Newtown 27/32 (84%) Norths 22/29 (76%)

Possession:

1st half: Newtown 63 tackles (55%) Norths 51 tackles (45%)

2nd half: Newtown 55 tackles (51%) Norths 53 tackles (49%)

Fulltime: Newtown 118 tackles (53%) Norths 104 tackles (47%)

Penalties:

1st half: Newtown 2 Norths 2

2nd half: Newtown 2 Norths 3

Fulltime: Newtown 4 Norths 5.

Newtown’s team was:
Kade Dykes
Jonaiah Lualua, Samuel Stonestreet
Kayal Iro, Tyla Tamou
Luke Metcalf, Braydon Trindall
Liam Harris
Reubenn Rennie, Jesse Colquhoun
Thomas Hazelton, Caleb Uele
Jayden Berrell.

Interchange:
Tyler Slade, Franklin Pele, Vincent Rennie, Dylan O’Connor.

18th man: Mason McCarthy.
Coach: Greg Matterson.

North Sydney:
Josh Bergamin
Vuate Karawalevu, Tom Carr
Kevin Naiqama, Toa Mata’afa
Lachlan Lam, Sandon Smith
Renouf Atoni
Naufahu Whyte, Jordan Leiu
Terrell May, Daniel Suluka-Fifita
Ben Marschke.
Interchange:
Tukupa-Ke Hau Tapuha, Jerry Key, Ben Thomas, Denzal Tonise
18th man: Michael Fenn.
Coach: Jason Taylor.

Match timeline:

2nd minute: Kade Dykes pass for Jonaiah Lualua try. Try not converted. Newtown 4-0.
6th minute: Kayal Iro line-break and pass, Samuel Stonestreet try. Try not converted. Newtown 8-0.
16th minute: Kayal Iro line-break and pass, Luke Metcalf try. Braydon Trindall converted, Newtown led 14-0.
22nd minute: Renouf Atoni try, Tom Carr conversion. Newtown 14-6.
26th minute: Vuate Karawalevu try, Tom Carr conversion. Newtown 14-12.
29th minute: Vuate Karawalevu try. Try not converted. North Sydney 16-14.
33rd minute: Kayal Iro line-break and pass, Samuel Stonestreet try. Braydon Trindall converted. Newtown 20-16.
Half-Time: Newtown led 20-16.
51st minute: Ben Thomas try, Tom Carr conversion. North Sydney 22-20.
59th minute: Vuate Karawalevu try, Tom Carr conversion. North Sydney 28-20.
63rd minute: Long cut-out pass by Braydon Trindall, Jonaiah Lualua try. Try not converted. North Sydney 28-24.
68th minute: Kayal Iro try – he beat three Norths defenders, outpaced three others to score an eighty-metre try. Try converted by Braydon Trindall. Newtown 30-28.
72nd minute: Luke Metcalf makes a break up the left side, kicks ahead and regathers and then sends Jayden Berrell racing in to score. Try converted by Braydon Trindall. Newtown 36-28.
78th minute: A superb back-of-hand flick pass by Kade Dykes sends Samuel Stonestreet in for his third try. Braydon Trindall’s conversion attempt bounces away off the left upright. Newtown 40-28.
Full-Time: Newtown 40 defeated North Sydney 28.