Jets snatch victory in the last ninety seconds of the game

Newtown’s previous encounter with the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles at Henson Park was on the 20th April, and had been a gruelling, hard fought match played in steady rain.

Last Sunday’s return engagement with Manly-Warringah’s NSW Cup partnership club at the H E Laybutt Stadium was an equally fiercely-contested confrontation.

Both sides went hard at each other from the kick-off and no quarter was given in the intensity of the physical contest. Blacktown scored in the 18th minute but no further points were added for the remainder of the first half, with the Sea Eagles taking their 4-0 lead into halftime.

Newtown’s defence had remained staunch throughout most of the first half, with the big Blacktown Workers pack trying to seize control of the middle ground. The Jets backs had tested the Sea Eagles defence on both edges on several occasions and had shown a willingness to keep the ball alive.

Five minutes into the second half the Jets were on the attack inside Blacktown’s twenty-metre zone. Newtown halfback Niwhai Puru rolled a well-weighted grubber kick into the Sea Eagles in-goal zone, with the Jets fullback Kade Dykes timing his kick-chase to perfection as he dived to ground the ball just to the right of the northern end goal posts.

Newtown centre and team captain Mawene Hiroti converted the try, and the Jets retained this 6-4 lead until midway through the second half when the Sea Eagles scored a converted try to regain the lead by 10-6.

The last fourteen minutes of this tense game were full of high drama and thrilling phases of play. The defensive performances of both teams had been solid but by the fourth quarter of the game some degree of fatigue inevitably set in.

In the 66th minute, the ball was carried upfield by Kade Dykes, centre Jackson Ferris and the strike-power winger Sam Stonestreet. Dykes dashed in to dummy-half twenty metres out from the Sea Eagles try-line and then made a jinking, swerving run to score in the north-west corner. The ice-cool Mawene Hiroti converted from the sideline for Newtown to lead by 12-10.

Nine minutes from fulltime Blacktown took advantage of some tiring Newtown defence to make a midfield break and score to retake the lead, this time by 16-12 (which with the clock running down looked to be the possible winning lead).

The outcome of the game remained on a knife-edge and an error by the Sea Eagles in the first set of possession from the restart of play gave Newtown the football in a prime attacking position. Jackson Ferris, forever a Jets hero from that gripping finish to the 2019 NRL State Championship Final, displayed impressive poise and aplomb as he left his opposite number floundering as he superbly positioned Sam Stonestreet for the tall winger to race over in the north-west corner. The try wasn’t converted and the teams were locked together at 16-all with four minutes left on the clock.

Two minutes from the siren the Jets obtained possession when the Sea Eagles put a bouncing punt kick across the dead-ball line. The Jets returned the ball at high speed and were clearly manoeuvring to get into field goal territory. With less than ninety seconds to play, Newtown’s wily ball-playing lock forward Blake Hosking dummied and shimmied, and then shot through a rare cap in the Sea Eagles midfield defence to then deftly position the fast-supporting Kade Dykes who scored under the posts. By the time Mawene Hiroti had converted the try the fulltime siren had blared, with Newtown in the lead by 22-16.

This match had been tough and thoroughly absorbing, with the rugged defensive encounter of the first sixty minutes topped off by four tries being scored in the last fourteen minutes, with three of these tries being scored by the fast-finishing Newtown Jets.

Kade Dykes was the three-try hero, but it had been an excellent team effort by the Jets to claim two well-earned competition points. Blake Hosking had been outstanding with his midfield ball distribution and his willingness to repeatedly take on the punishing Sea Eagles defensive line. Both wingers, Tom Rodwell and Sam Stonestreet, were safe under a barrage of Sea Eagles high kicks and they had willingly contributed to assist the workload of the Jets forwards in rucking the ball out from Newtown’s end of the field.

This weekend is the NSW Cup Magic Round promotion being staged at North Sydney Oval on both Saturday and Sunday, with Newtown scheduled to meet the Newcastle Knights on Sunday. This 11th round NSW Cup fixture is at North Sydney Oval on Sunday, 19th May, kicking off at 1.00pm.

Last Sunday’s match details: –
NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup
Round Ten
Sunday, 12th May 2024

H E Laybutt Stadium, Blacktown
Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles v Newtown
Kick-Off: 3.00pm.

This match was live-streamed by NSWRL TV

Referee: Jake Sutherland

Touch Judges: Mitchell Stone and Ben Teague

Weather: 18 degrees, cloudy, rain was predicted
Playing surface: Excellent


NSW Cup Highlights – BWSE v Newtown:
https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2024/05/12/nswrl-tv-highlights–nsw-cup-sea-eagles-v-jets/ NSW Cup competition table after ten rounds:
https://www.nswrl.com.au/ladder/?competition=113&round=10&season=2024

Newtown’s team was:
Fullback: Kade Dykes
Wingers: Tom Rodwell, Sam Stonestreet
Centres: Mawene Hiroti (Captain), Jackson Ferris
Halves: Khaled Rajab, Niwhai Puru
Lock: Blake Hosking
Second-Rowers: Billy Burns, Kyle Pickering
Front-Rowers: Rhys Dakin, Max Bradbury
Hooker: Sam Healey

Interchange: Jordin Leiu, Josh Cook, Brad Fearnley, Jordan Swann
Reserve: Liam Ison
Coach: George Ndaira
Blue Shirt Trainer: Tom Haberecht
Yellow Shirt Trainer: Fletcher Graham
Orange Shirt Trainer: Chris Moubarak

The Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles (BWSE) team was:
Fullback: Lehi Hopoate
Wingers: Watson Heleta, Eparama Navale
Centres: Clayton Faulalo, Bailey Hodgson
Halves: Brad Abbey, Brandon Wakeham
Lock: Caleb Navale

Second-Rowers: Brad Parker, Ben Condon
Front-Rowers: Aitasi James, Austin Dias
Hooker: Jamie Humphreys

Interchange: James Uesele, Jacob Sykes, Zane Dunford, Kobe Rugless
Reserve: Max Hayley

Coach: Wayne Lambkin
Blue Shirt Trainer: Dane Dorahy

Yellow Shirt Trainer: Mark Alford
Orange Shirt Trainer: Peter Macri

Match Result: –

Newtown 22:

Kade Dykes 3, Sam Stonestreet tries;

Mawene Hiroti 3 conversions
defeated
BWSE 16:
Watson Heleta, Clayton Faulalo, Lehi Hopoate tries;

Brandon Wakeham 2 conversions.

Halftime: BWSE led 4-0.


Match Timeline: –

First Half:
3.00pm kick-off.
Newtown kicked off, running to the southern end of the H E Laybutt Stadium.
11th minute: Aitasi James (BWSE) on report
18th minute: Watson Heleta try

Not converted. BWSE 4-0
Halftime: BWSE led 4-0.
Second Half:
45th minute: Kade Dykes try
Converted by Mawene Hiroti. Newtown 6-4.
52nd minute: Billy Burns (Newtown) on report.
58th minute: Clayton Faulalo try.
Converted by Brandon Wakeham. BSWSE 10-6.
66th minute: Kade Dykes try.
Converted by Mawene Hiroti. Newtown 12-10.
71st minute: Lehi Hopoate try.
Converted by Brandon Wakeham. BWSE 16-12.
75th minute: Sam Stonestreet try.
Not converted. 16-all.
78mins 50 secs: Kade Dykes try.

Converted by Mawene Hiroti. Newtown 22-16.
Fulltime: Newtown 22 defeated BWSE 16.


Match Statistics (provided by Stuart McCarthy and the NSWRL): –
(Abbreviations: Newtown (N), Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles (BWSE):
Possession: N 55%, BWSE 45%
Time in possession: N 29 mins, BWSE 24 mins
Completions: N 80%, BWSE 74%
Runs with the ball: N 192, BWSE 167
Run metres: N 1905, BWSE 1661
Post contact metres: N 521, BWSE 454
Line breaks: N 5, BWSE 3
Tackle breaks: N 37, BWSE 16
Average distance per set: BWSE 47.5, N 45.4
Kick return metres: BWSE 136, N 94
Average play the ball speed: BWSE 3.14, N 3.18
Pass offloads: BWSE 7, N 11
Receipts: BWSE 365, N 428
Total passes: BWSE 197, N 231
Dummy passes: BWSE 17, N 25
Kicks: BWSE 17, N 17
Kick metres: BWSE 556, N 519
Forced drop-outs: BWSE 1, N 0
Kick defusals: BWSE 60%, N 71%
Bombs: BWSE 3, N 3
Grubbers: BWSE 3, N 3
Effective tackles: BWSE 86%, N 92%
Tackles made: BWSE 342, N 331
Missed tackles: BWSE 37, N 16
Ineffective tackles: BWSE 18, N 10
Errors: BWSE 11, N 9
Penalties conceded: BWSE 9, N 4
Ruck infringements: BWSE 2, N 2
Inside the 10 metres: BWSE 1, N 2
On report: BWSE 2, N 1
Interchanges: BWSE 8, N 8.


Newtown’s next game details:
NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup
Round 11
Sunday, 19th May 2024
North Sydney Oval
Newtown v Newcastle Knights
Kick-Off: 1.00pm
This match will be live-streamed on NSWRL TV.