Jets Made to Work Hard for win Against Parramatta

The Newtown Jets won their Round 17 Knock-On Effect NSW Cup encounter against the Parramatta Eels on Saturday at Henson Park by 40-22. The Jets had led 24-6 after 22 minutes, then by 28-16 at halftime. Parramatta was still in the contest when they trailed by 34-22 with just over ten minutes left in the game.

Two of Newtown’s most constructive forwards, lock and captain Billy Magoulias and second-rower Jordin Leiu, were both injured in the first half and the Jets had to get by without their valuable input for the entire second half.

Parramatta fielded a team with several players who have gained NRL experience either with the Eels or other clubs. Parramatta’s position on the NSW Cup competition table needs to be reassessed given that the Eels are the only NSW Cup club still to have two byes.

The Eels opened the scoring on Saturday in the fifth minute of play after their forwards had made headway through some rather indifferent Jets defence.

Newtown responded with a surge of points over the next fifteen minutes. Tries were scored by hooker Jayden Berrell, five-eighth Braydon Trindall (who ran onto a well-placed kick-ahead by winger Sam Stonestreet), lock forward Billy Magoulias (who ran off a superb off-load from Jordin Leiu), and another try resulting from quick hands and a tap-on that put Sam Stonestreet over in the south-west corner. Centre Mawene Hiroti converted all four of these tries, with two of the conversion attempts being from wide out, enabling Newtown to run up an imposing 24-6 lead after just 22 minutes of the first half.

Parramatta fought back into the game thanks to several penalties that saw the Eels advance down to Newtown’s end of the field. Parramatta scored two tries in quick succession, with the referee’s decision to award the second of these tries receiving hoots of derision from the big Henson Park crowd, as well as expressions of doubt from the livestream social media commentary team.

The Jets took advantage of an error at Parramatta’s end and applied some attacking pressure, with the big Newtown second-rower Jesse Colquhoun crashing over to score just prior to halftime.

Newtown had plenty of defensive work to perform early in the second half, and Jets forwards Brad Fearnley, Caleb Uele and Jesse Colquhoun all made good ground up the middle, assisted by international winger Josh Mansour also making some valuable post-contact metres, topped off with the wily Mansour receiving a very useful “six again” decision when he was playing the ball. The impressive young Jets hooker Sam Healey then took advantage of his team’s improved field position to step his way past several Eels defenders to score right next to the northern end goal-posts.

For the record, Sam Healey is the son of the former Cronulla Sharks half-back and five-eighth Mitch Healey, and this was Sam’s first try in NSW Cup rugby league football.

Parramatta stayed in the contest with an unconverted try in the 69th minute, with the livestream commentary team declaring that the Eels were still very much in this game.

The Jets finally sealed the result by way of a thrilling sequence of play involving Braydon Trindall, Niwhai Puru and the giant forward Tuku Hau Tapuha that ended in fullback Connor Tracey stepping his way through to score next to the posts. The talented Tracey nearly claimed his second try right on full-time when he evaded four tacklers only to be held up over the line.

Newtown was best served by Jayden Berrell, Braydon Trindall, Niwhai Puru and Connor Tracey. Newtown’s back three of Tracey, Josh Mansour and Sam Stonestreet were very effective in defusing any danger arising from Parramatta’s end of set high kicks, and the centres Mawene Hiroti and Kayal Iro were solid in both attack and defence.

The Newtown forwards had defended well on their own line in those periods of the game when the Eels were applying considerable attacking pressure. The Jets pack repeatedly made good metres for their team-mates to get at Parramatta’s end of the field.

The Welcome Day promotion was quite clearly a success, with the Sunday Telegraph reporting an attendance in excess of 5,000 people.

During the second half of Saturday’s match, Mayor Darcy Byrne from the Inner West Council made an official announcement that the Newtown RLFC has been granted a lease to use Henson Park as the club’s home ground for the next 21 years.

Newtown’s next game is at Henson Park against St George-Illawarra on Saturday, 1st July, kicking off at 3.00pm.



Match Details from Henson Park, Saturday, 24th June 2023.

Welcome Day at Henson Park: –
NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup – 17th Round
Saturday, 24th June 2023
Henson Park

Newtown v Parramatta

Kick-Off: 3.00pm.

Playing surface: Excellent.

Weather: 19 degrees, sunny.

Referee: Kasey Badger.

Touch Judges: Liam Nicholls, Martin Jones.

Newtown 40:
Jayden Berrell, Braydon Trindall, Billy Magoulias, Samuel Stonestreet, Jesse Colquhoun, Samuel Healey, Connor Tracey tries;

Mawene Hiroti 6 conversions

defeated
Parramatta 22:
Jack Murchie, Lorenzo Mulitalo, Matt Doorey, Zac Cini tries;

Jordan Rankin 2, Jack Murchie conversions.

Half-Time: Newtown led 28-16.

NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Highlights || Newtown Jets v Parramatta Eels:
https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2023/06/25/nsw-cup-highlights–jets-v-eels—round-17/

Newtown RLFC Twitter interview with Sam Healey:
https://twitter.com/newtownrlfc/status/1673226800544231424

NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Competition Table After 17 Rounds:
https://www.nswrl.com.au/ladder/?competition=113&round=17&season=2023

Newtown’s team was: –
Fullback: Connor Tracey
Wingers: Josh Mansour, Samuel Stonestreet
Centres: Mawene Hiroti, Kayal Iro
Halves: Braydon Trindall, Niwhai Puru
Lock: Billy Magoulias (Captain)
Second Rowers: Jordin Leiu, Jesse Colquhoun

Front Rowers: Kurt Dillon, Tuku Hau Tapuha

Hooker: Jayden Berrell.
Interchange:
Kyle Pickering, Caleb Uele, Samuel Healey, Brad Fearnley.

18th Man: Trentham Petersen.

Coach: George Ndaira.

The Parramatta team was:
Fullback: Arthur Miller-Stephen

Wingers: Isaac Lumelume, Haze Dunster
Centres: Zac Cini, Lorenzo Mulitalo
Halves: Dan Keir, Jordan Rankin (Captain)

Lock: Luca Moretti

Second Rowers: Jack Murchie, Matt Doorey

Front Rowers: Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa, Ky Rodwell
Hooker: Meni Luke.

Interchange: Toni Mataele, Jirah Momoiisea, Nicholas Lenaz, Niko Apeli

18th Man: Robbie Graham
Coach: Nathan Cayless.

Match Timeline:
First Half:
Parramatta kicked off, with Newtown running to the Sydenham Road (southern) end of Henson Park.
5th minute: Jack Murchie try.
6th minute: Jack Murchie conversion.

Parramatta 6-0.

7m45sec: Jayden Berrell try.

9th minute: Mawene Hiroti conversion.

6-all.

11th minute: Braydon Trindall try.
12th minute: Mawene Hiroti conversion.

Newtown 12-6.

15th minute: Billy Magoulias try.

16th minute: Mawene Hiroti conversion.

Newtown 18-6.

20th minute: Samuel Stonestreet try.

22nd minute: Mawene Hiroti conversion.

Newtown 24-6.

28th minute: Lorenzo Mulitalo try.
Not converted. Newtown 24-10.

32nd minute: Matt Doorey try.

33rd minute: Jordan Rankin conversion.
Newtown 24-16.

39th minute: Jesse Colquhoun try.

Not converted. Newtown 28-16.

Half-Time: Newtown led 28-16.
Second Half:
57th minute: Samuel Healey try.

58th minute: Mawene Hiroti conversion.

Newtown 34-16.

69th minute: Zac Cini try.
70th minute: Jordan Rankin conversion.

Newtown 34-22.

74th minute: Connor Tracey try.
76th minute: Mawene Hiroti conversion.
Newtown 40-22.

Full-Time: Newtown 40 defeated Parramatta 22.

During the second half of Saturday’s match, Mayor Darcy Byrne from the Inner West Council made an official announcement that the Newtown RLFC has been granted a lease to use Henson Park as the club’s home ground for the next 21 years.

In the Mojo Homes Illawarra Competition round of matches played on Saturday, 24th June, Newtown’s partnership club De La Salle defeated Dapto 38-20 in the match played at Captain Cook Oval, Woolooware.

De La Salle players today who have played with Newtown included:
Jensen Taumoepeau, Thomas Rodwell, Eli Levido, Tyla Tamou, Rhys Dakin, Kai Parker, Jackson Stewart, Isaac Longmuir and Wes Lolo.

Newtown’s next match details are:
NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup – 18th Round

Saturday, 1st July 2023
Henson Park
Newtown v St George-Illawarra
Kick-Off: 3.00pm.