9 August 2008
Perth-Bayswater are into the finals after they played with passion and precision to upset season bolters Wanneroo 29-12 with a big second half built on dominant forwards and exciting back play. At Lark Hill, Nedlands did Perth a big favour by defeating Rockingham 37-12, allowing Perth to leapfrog them into fourth place and a place in the minor semi-final next week, which will be a rematch of today's game against Wanneroo.
Wanneroo opened the high paced game on fire and pinned the home side in their 22 with repeated forward charges. But 11 minutes in the premiers broke wide, wing Gareth Cossey racing down the sideline and passing back in with the line wide open but the ball was knocked on. Wanneroo piled the pressure back on but again Perth broke wide, left wing Nathan Hunt taking a quick pass from flyhalf Sam Moon just over half way and sprinting wide before grubber kicking, regathering and dotting down for a spectacular try. The sideline conversion missed but Perth went ahead 5-0 after 16 minutes. Play fluctuated between the 22s, Perth turning down a kickable penalty for a lineout but wasted the opportunity and Wanneroo missing a long range penalty minutes later. But on the half hour Wanneroo played second phase ball to scythe through the defence on the diagonal and score in the corner. The conversion missed and it was all square at 5-5. However, the premiers forced play upfield, their scrum demolishing Wanneroo's big pack and when Cossey forced a kick out close to the line, Perth won the lineout, mauled up to the line and shot a quick ball out to Moon for try beside the posts. Lock Jock Stanley converted and Perth went ahead 12-5 minutes before the break. Perth shot back into action and came within centimetres of scoring when half back Curtis McLean broke through the centres but was dragged down just short, and Perth took the 12-5 lead into the break.
Perth-Bayswater started to dominate territory early in the second spell and mixed up heavy forward play with quick, wide ball and Hunt again came close to scoring five minutes in. Ten minutes later Cossey came close on the other wing as Perth kept the pressure on. Twenty minutes in Wanneroo lost hooker Rory Slabbert to the sin bin for foul play defending repeated pick and drives, and from the penalty the black forwards drove over, hooker Adam Morris claiming the try close to the corner. The sideline conversion missed but at 17-5 the premiers looked well in control. The Perth-Bayswater backs were a revelation in this game, Moon running attacking raids with pinpoint precision and inside centre Nathan McCort a superb support with hands and boot. After 28 minutes another Perth-Bayswater raid sent centre Danny Lee slicing through midfield, and he handed on to full back Fabian Broughton who passed back in to McCort for a try under the bar. Stanley converted the sitter and the premiers shot ahead 24-5. Wanneroo had a brief five minute resurgence but nothing came of it, instead Perth snaffled loose ball and spun it wide for a sizzling run down the touch line by Hunt for a 60 metre try out wide with eight minutes to play. Tempers frayed in the closing stages and Perth-Bayswater lost reserve Callum Hearn to the sin bin for a head butt, while Wanneroo found new energy and worked back for a wide attack of their own, scoring a consolation try in the corner and converting to close the gap to 29-12 with minutes to play. The premiers closed out the dying minutes and celebrated their elevation into the finals, with the news from Lark Hill that Nedlands had done their 2007 grand final opponents a huge favour by disposing of Rockingham.
Prop and captain Ash Murphy brushes up his winger skills with another run out wide.
Perth-Bayswater coach John ‘JT’ Taylor described the match as rewarding after a gruelling season.
“That’s what all the pain, and all the training and all the heartache through the season is for,” he said.
Taylor paid tribute to his team who were enormously motivated for this crunch game.
“I’m just pleased for them” Taylor said.
“We’ve been playing well for the last three weeks, and we’ve been training well, that’s the key.
“We had no choice today, it was our last chance. We had to come back, and score a bonus point to make sure".
Taylor didn’t think that Wanneroo lacked motivation with their place in the finals already assured, although the loss deprived them of a place in the major semi-final.
“I don’t think motivation was a big problem for them, I just think we outplayed them today,” Taylor said.
“Now that chance is gone for them, they don’t have a back door. It’s sudden death next week.”
Taylor was impressed with his new-look back line in a game that featured uncharacteristic back line enterprise.
“We’re known as a forward team but we threw the ball around a bit today,” Taylor said.
“We’ve been building up to it gradually over a period of a month, the training’s been going well, the lights are on and the elevator’s all the way up.
“There’s a big carrot in front of them, we’re the defending premiers, we wanted to be in the semi’s again.”
But Taylor was in doubt about the key to his team’s do-or-die win.
“Physicality. Our tackling was excellent today,” Taylor said.
The two teams will meet in next week’s minor semi-final, and Taylor expects another big effort from his team and an increased challenge from Wanneroo.
“That’s what you play rugby for, isn’t it?” Taylor said.
“If they can’t motivate themselves for next week, there’s something wrong.
“We’ll have all guns firing, we can’t wait. We’ve shown everyone now that we have two games, so that might be a bit of a worry for some people.”
In other games, second grade lost to Wanneroo 17-15, third grade lost to Joondalup 54-0, Under 20s lost to Joondalup 20-12, Under 18s defeated Wanneroo 70-0 and fifth grade had a bye.
Besides the big win, the day was important for Perth-Bayswater for other reasons. A carnival aatmosphere prevailed as the club welcomed and thanked sponsors and legendary club figures of the past, with a marquee set up on on the touch line for the occasion. Not to be outdone, some of the club's newer members came to the party with a mobile grandstand at the top end of the ground. It was an outstanding occasion and a tribute to President Jack Seymour and his committee.
