Throw Back Thursday – Jets Make The Cut At Kogarah

Each week thanks to Cryo, we bring you a story from our rich history. Today we go back an Elimination Final from another year when we finished the regular season in seventh place.

JETS MAKE THE CUT AT KOGARAH

The 2012 VB NSW Cup top 8 was a bunched affair. Newtown qualified for the finals series in seventh place but were four competition points behind minor-premiers, Canterbury-Bankstown. So close run was the season generally that the Jets only sealed qualification in the second last round following a 25-24 win over the Illawarra Cutters at Henson Park, a result which ultimately came off the back of a long range penalty goal from Jack Littlejohn right on the stroke of full time.

Following a bye in the final premiership round Newtown was drawn to play in an elimination final at Jubilee Oval. Their opposition that afternoon was, for the second straight game, the Illawarra Cutters. Our opponents held a significant advantage with many of their players signed to the St George-Illawarra Dragons, who called Kogarah home.

Newtown started brightly with tries to Daniel Mortimer and Peni Tagive giving them an early 12-0 lead. However, the Cutters fought back to level the scores by half-time. Illawarra then took the lead early in the second stanza shooting out to a 22-12 advantage after 53 minutes.

It was then that the Jets started to take off. Nafe Seluini’s dummy-half try got Newtown back in the game midway through the second half and while the Cutters extended their lead out to a converted try via a penalty goal, man-of-the-match Jack Bosden tied things up once again when he barged over.

Mortimer’s second try allowed to Jets to hit the front once again and when big prop Saulala Houma scored a rampaging try to put the Jets ahead 36-24 with two minutes to play the result of the was beyond doubt. The Cutters managed to score in the final play of the game but by point it was all too late with Newtown advancing to Week 2 of the finals with a 36-30 verdict.

Newtown survived its second straight sudden-death match against the Cutters and to do so away from home made the victory all the more noteworthy.

Newtown Jets 36 (Daniel Mortimer 2, Pene Tagive, Nafe Seluini, Jack Bosden, Saulala Houma tries; Daniel Mortimer 6 goals) defeated Illawarra Cutters 30 (Michael Lett 3, David Gower, Jarrad Hickey tries; Bronx Goodwin 5 goals) at Jubilee Oval, Kogarah.

The referee was Matt Noyen. The touch judges were Nathan Smith and David Ryan. The In-goal Judges were Brendan Lucas and Ryan Jackson. 

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