Match details3.00 pm, Saturday, 30 July 2011NSW Cup ladder [end of last round] Game day raffle sponsorsHawkins Butchery Browse moment-by-moment game action in Gary Sutherland's match gallery or view game highlights in the Mike Bidboudis or Jason McCauley photo slideshows. Newtown went down 18-16 to the Cronulla Sharks in a closely-fought NSW Cup match at Henson Park last Saturday. The game was a match-up of the second and fourth-placed teams, with only one competition point separating the two. The Sharks are a NSW Cup joint-venture team between the Cronulla-Sutherland and Melbourne Storm clubs and are now well-positioned to finish in the competition's top two. Neither side scored until the 20th minute of the first half, when Jets winger, Byron Ford, proved again he is one of the best at leaping to catch high kicks into the corner. Both teams missed likely scoring chances before the Sharks took a 6-4 lead five minutes before halftime. The Jets had turned possession over at their own end and paid the ultimate price for this error, with the Sharks taking this two-point lead into the halftime break. The match was played with the intensity of a semi-final and any mistakes made were likely to prove costly. The Sharks surrendered valuable territory with a kick out on the full, which ended with the Jets captain, Khalid Deeb, scoring next to the posts, courtesy of smart lead-up work from halfback, Blake Lazarus, and fullback, Mark Kheirallah. The Jets led 10-6 and increased this to 16-6 by way of a clever individual try-scoring effort from Blake Lazarus. With less than fifteen minutes left to play the Jets looked likely to extend their winning run to five games on end. Sharks lift with Jets on verge of victoryThe Sharks lifted their game at this critical stage and the Newtown players didn't quite manage to stay with them. Cronulla took full advantage of an extra set after a near-miss interception attempt by the Jets at their own end of the field, scoring near the posts with help from an erratically bouncing kick. A midfield turnover by the Jets from a short kick that went astray gave Cronulla more valuable possession with five minutes left on the clock. The Sharks ran the ball on the last tackle and scored a converted try, making the final margin 18-16, Cronulla's way. Coach's assessmentNewtown's coach Greg Matterson was very disappointed with the Jets' last quarter, saying that their intensity had fallen away and that the Sharks had the class of players who could take full advantage of any scoring opportunities. There had been some poor decisions made by Jets players and these had let Cronulla back into the game. He also felt that Newtown had missed scoring chances in the first half that could have changed the flow of the match. Player performancesKhalid Deeb gave a fine captain's performance, scoring a try and making a great try-saving tackle late in the match. Ahmad Ellaz and Kurt Kara had worked hard in defence and Tom Symonds was heavily involved with the ball and in tackling. Mark Kheirallah was very impressive at fullback and he returned the ball with speed and confidence. Match summaryNewtown Jets 16 [Byron Ford, Khalid Deeb, Brett Lazarus tries; Blake Lazarus 2 goals] Half-time: Sharks led 6-4. Officials: Referee,: Jon Stone; Touch Judges, Brendan Wood, Richard Daizli. Weather: Fine, mild, sunny. Playing surface: Very good. Next gameThe Newtown Jets travel west next Sunday, 7 August, to play Wentworthville at Ringrose Park, with this match between the NSW Cup's fourth and fifth-placed teams timed to start at 3.00pm.
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Who played?
Interchange
Coach: Greg Matterson |
