NSW Cup Round 26

By Steve Reeves

This was the last game for the Magpies as they head into the final series. Windsor Wolves finished in 4th spot, one position in front of the Magpies. The result of this game would not alter the competition ladder, but head coach Leo Epifania was keen to record a win and take that momentum into the finals. In a strange twist of fate, the Magpies will be playing the Wolves again next week.

NSW Cup Round 25

By Steve Reeves

The Magpies were looking to regain their form in this match against the Auckland Vulcan’s and with only one game left in the regular season, head coach Leo Epifania emphasised to his players that they had to lift their performance at this important stage of the year. The Vulcan’s were just as keen to take the two points in an attempt to force their way into the top eight. This game had all the ingredients for a tough day at the office for both teams.

NSW Cup Round 24

By Steve Reeves

This match was billed as the game of the round and the performance of both teams in the first half certainly supported this assertion. Unfortunately, the Magpies could not match the intensity of the Bulldogs in the second half and they ran out easy winners 42 points to 12.

Canterbury started proceedings with a very deep kick off but after a couple of strong runs, the Magpies found themselves back over half way. After putting in a good kick, captain and half Nathan Waters led the charge down field. They put in a good defensive set which kept the dogs within their own forty metre line. After a clearing kick of their own, the dogs were soon under pressure when Wests five eight Daniel Fitzhenry made a quick scoot from dummy half. After once again completing a good set, Water put in a fine kick which landed on the dogs try line. When trying to get off their line, a dog’s player dropped the ball. It was quickly picked up by Wests prop Alex Ranieri but they soon lost the advantage when they knocked the ball on whilst attacking the opposition’s try line. A penalty gave the dogs the chance to get out of their own half. After putting in a number of strong runs, one of their players was tackled on the Magpies try line. A quick play the ball followed before a flat pass was thrown to dog’s replacement Nathan Dib who pushed his way over the line. Josh Reynolds took the extras on offer. After only five minutes of play, the Magpies were down 6 – 0.

After the resumption in play, the dogs attacked deep into the Magpies territory before a high kick was put in by their five eight Blake Green. The kick was diffused by Wests fullback Rhys Pritchard who carried the ball back with interest. In the ensuing play, a dog’s player was penalised for a high tackle. After taking the tap, Wests forwards Junior Moors and Duan Poaneki gained good field position, but an error gave the ball back to the dogs. After quick hands, the ball was given to centre Kose Lelei who carried play to within one metre of the Magpies try line. He looked certain to score after a fine 50 metre run, but a diving tackle from centre Nua Akeripa took him into touch. After winning the scrum, the boys moved down field.

In the 12th minute, after receiving a penalty for a strip, the Magpies went on the attack but strong defense from the dogs kept the Magpies from crossing their line. On the 4th tackle, second row forward Josh Davis called for the ball. He spotted an overlap and threw a good cut out pass to winger Gus Aiga who beat the cover defense to score his first try of the afternoon. Lock forward Jamie Sharkie kicked a fine goal from the side line. Wests 6 – Dogs 6.

After scoring the equaliser, the last thing the Magpies needed was a quick response, but that is exactly what the dogs provided. They took play deep into the Magpies territory before Bulldogs perpetual try scorer Trent Cutler raced away to score the first of his three tries of the day. With the easy conversion from Reynolds, the dogs moved out to 12 points to 6 lead.

Play settled with both teams putting in strong runs which were matched by committed defense. In the 30th minute a well timed kick by Wests Nathan Waters caught the dogs off guard. After the ball rolled into the in goal, a dog’s player attempted to shield the ball as it rolled towards the dead ball line, but a flying Gus Aiga, with only inches to spare, dived onto the loose ball for a sensational try. Sharkies conversion put the teams back on even terms. At 12 points all, those at the game would have thought the score line was a good indication of both teams’ efforts, but in the 38th minute, after a Wests player dropped the ball close to his own line, Daniel Harrison, the opposition’s second row forward, collected a try of his own when the defense fell off him as he hit the line. The conversion attempt, from almost in front was waved away. As the players left the field for a well earned break, the Canterbury Bulldogs held a four point advantage, 16 to 12.

The second half saw the dog’s dominate play putting on five unanswered tries. The Magpies showed at various times they were more than capable of getting back into the game, but unforced errors and missed tackles gave the Bulldogs too much ball and with several players with NRL experience, they made the Magpies pay for those lapses in concentration. To their credit, the Magpies held the dogs scoreless for the first twenty minutes or so in the second half, but with a glut of possession it was too much to ask for the Magpies to hold out a well drilled outfit.

Scorers for the Magpies – Two tries to Gus Aiga with Jamie Sharkie kicking two conversions.

Leos best three – Kurt Kara, Josh Davis and Chris Corby.

Players player match ball – Josh Davis.

For the Bulldogs Trent Cutler, Kose Lelei, Brad Morrin and Daniel Harrison had strong games.

The Magpies take on Auckland Vulcan’s in Round 25 Mt Smart Oval, Auckland 1pm Saturday 28 August 2010.

NSW Cup Round 23

By Steve Reeves

The Magpies had their home game switched to Leichhardt Oval, the home of their joint venture partners Balmain Tigers in what was to be the first game of a double header.

NSW Cup Round 22

By Steve Reeves

NSW Cup Round 21

By Steve Reeves

NSW Cup Round 20

By Steve Reeves

MATCH REPORT NSW CUP WEST’S MAGPIES VS NORTH SYDNEY BEARS, ROUND 20, 24 JULY 2010 CAMBELLTOWN SPORTS STADIUM.

Campbelltown put on a beautiful afternoon for this NSW State Cup game involving two foundation clubs, the West’s Magpies and North Sydney Bears. Injuries forced a number of changes to the Magpies line up with Kieran Turner and Daniel Ashin being called into the 17 man squad. Daniel Ashin is a young man with plenty of potential. He is a member of West’s Tigers U/20’s and the Campbelltown Eagles who play in the Bundaberg Cup Competition. For the Bears, the only change was the inclusion of Mitch Stevens for Jamie Simpson who was called into the South Sydney Rabbit’s NRL team.

Even with the loss of key players, head coach Leo Epifania was more than confident his players would put on a good show. He stated they had prepared very well during the lead up to this game, but after a two point loss the previous week, he made sure the players were not overly confident as the Bears always put in a strong performance against the Magpies.

The Bears started the game off with a kick deep into the Magpies territory, but the home team soon carried the ball towards the half way line. On the last tackle, captain and half, Nathan Waters put in a clearing kick which was knocked on by the Bears fullback a few metres from his own try line. This was the perfect start for the Magpies and with the scrum feed on the Bears 10 metre line; they would soon be on the attack. After a settler, a well rehearsed move resulted in the ball coming into the hands of centre Nua Akeripa who hit the pass perfectly before diving over out wide for a fine four pointer. The conversion attempt by Jamie Sharkie was waved away.

Almost immediately from the kick off, the Magpies found themselves in opposition territory. In the 7th minute Waters called for the ball before putting in a kick in behind the defensive line. After re gathering the ball, he advanced play downfield and was unfortunate to have a pass intercepted when it looked like his team would score again. The Bears made the most of this opportunity and after a couple of fine off loads by their big forwards saw them in good field position. When they swung the ball to the blind side, it caught the Magpies defense short on numbers which allowed replacement centre Brock Molan to score a well deserved try. Eddie Paea kicked the conversion from the side line. Bears 6 Magpies 4.

In the 10th minute, the Magpies received a penalty and with good field position, they made an unforced error. With the scrum win, it was only solid defense that prevented the Bears from crossing for another four pointer. On the last tackle, Paea put up a high kick and with players charging down on him, wing three quarter Kieran Turner leapt high taking a magnificent catch. Unfortunately for the Bears, they were penalised for tackling the player mid air.

Both team’s continued attacking at every opportunity with a number of raids bringing the very vocal crowd to their feet, applauding the fine play.

In the 21st minute Magpie prop Michael Stolk made a strong run down the centre of the field and after being held in the tackle, the Bears were penalised for stripping the ball. After finding touch, Waters took control. He directed play left and right before once again sending players up the middle of the ruck. With the defense on the back foot coupled with a smart play the ball, a quick thinking Kurt Kart picked up the ball, feigned to run left before straightening to dive over the line without a Bears player putting a hand on him. Sharkie added the extras. Magpies 10 Bears 6.

The Bears kick off once again landed on the Magpies 10 metre line. Attempting to carry the ball forward, a Magpie player dropped a clean pass. It was picked up by a Bears player who quickly sent it on to Paea. He summed up the situation before spreading the ball across the backline. A Magpie player came off his line to make the tackle, giving the opposition an over lap which was seized upon by Bears centre Brock Molan who crossed for his second try of the day. Paea’s conversion attempt hit the up right and was waved away. Magpies 10 Bears 10.

With the pressure mounting from the Magpies defense, the Bears tried their hand and ran the ball on the last tackle, only to be dragged down by second row forward Josh Davis. During the set, fullback Rhys Pritchard advanced the ball into the Bears 30 metre area. On the last tackle, Waters put in a fine kick into the Bears in goal resulting in a repeat set. With four minutes of the half remaining Magpie prop Duan Poaneki made a clean break. After running some twenty metres he was tackled by the Bears fullback. The ball was then thrown to the ever present Pritchard who darted into the corner for a relieving try. From a wide angle, Sharkie guided the ball over the black dot. Magpies 16 Bears 10.

In the 39th minute the strong Magpie crowd called for another try and the boys did not disappoint them. After several strong charges by the Magpie pack, Waters looked to his wing partner before kicking in behind the Bears back line. It was read perfectly by wing three quarter Gus Aiga who dived on the loose ball to score his first try of the afternoon. Continuing his good kicking form, Sharkie took the two points on offer. At the half time break the score line read Magpies 22 Bears 10.

Mid way through the first half the Magpies lost prop forward Junior Moors through injury, which left head coach Leo Epifania with only three players to call on for the second half.

The feeling in the Magpies shed at half time was reserved to say the least. Epifania told the players that they must remain focused as the Bears were a solid team who could easily turn things around.

The first ten minutes of the second half certainly put the Magpies players and supporters on notice that the Bears were not going away. In the 4th minute, after an unforced error, the Bears put on an attacking raid which ended on the Magpies try line. A clever move by the Bears resulted in their captain and hooker, Matt Hunt scoring alongside the posts. Paea accepted the simple conversion. Magpies 22 Bears 16.

The momentum continued to swing towards the Bears. In the 10th minute the Bears received a penalty for offside play and shortly after this they were in for their second try of the half. A towering kick towards the Magpies corner post was put up by Bears half Jarryd Hogan. Their wing three quarter Curtis Johnston’s attacked the ball, out leaping the Magpies players to score a well structured try. Paea’s kick again hit the posts which left the Magpies in the lead 22 points to 20.

To their credit, the Magpies rallied from the resumption in play. In the 15th minute, and after receiving the ball, a Bears player was hit solidly in a tackle, causing him to loose the ball. An infringement after this resulted in the Magpies receiving a penalty. With their tails in the air, the Magpies made quick ground up the middle of the ruck. Sensing the Bears players were expecting the Magpies to run the ball, Waters put in a trademark kick into the Bears in goal which was swooped on by second row forward Josh Davis. Sharkie added the extras. Magpies 28 Bears 20.

Not satisfied with the score, the Magpies charged at the Bears. A strong run was made by centre Nua Akeripa down the eastern touchline. After being tackled a clearing kick was put in by West’s fullback Rhys Pritchard, but it was knocked on by a Bears player. After winning the scrum, Aiga signaled to Waters. After two more hit ups, Waters answered Aiga’s call. He put in a cross field kick which was taken by Aiga who scored his second try of the afternoon. The conversion attempt was waved away. Magpies 32 Bears 20.

Both teams had opportunities in the remaining stanza, but solid defense put an end to several promising raids. It was not until the 40th minute that the final points were scored. With the hooter in the background, fullback Rhys Pritchard cleanly struck a drop kick which sailed over the cross bar. The final score was West’s Magpies 33 North Sydney Bears 20.

The Bears halves, Paea and Hogan along with their forwards put in fine performances. Epifania was happy with the win, although he advised that he would work on a few things during the week.

Scorers for the Magpies – Two tries to Gus Aiga and one each to Rhys Pritchard, Nu Akeripa, Kurt Kara and Josh Davis. Jamie Sharkie kicked four goals with Rhys Pritchard kicking 1 field goal.

North Sydney Bears – Two tries to Brock Molan and one try each to Matt Hunt and Shaune Corrigan. Eddie Paea kicked two goals.

Leo Epifania’s best three – Nathan Waters, Josh Davis and Andrew Pearn. Player’s player match ball went to Gus Aiga.

Next game – Round 21 West’s Magpies vs. Central Coast 3pm Saturday 31 July 2010 at Morrie Breen Oval.

NSW Cup Round 19

By Steve Reeves

Well here we go again, our third match up against our traditional rivals, Balmain Tigers. A game of great expectations which was to be played at the traditional Tigers home, Leichhardt Oval.

During the week, the Magpie family received the news that one of its favorite son’s, John Skandalis had been called into the West’s Tigers NRL team. John has played 244 games for West’s Magpies and West’s Tigers, and who knows, he may reach the magic milestone of 250 games this year. Utility forward, Junior Moors was a late inclusion in the Magpies line up.

The Magpies trained well during the week and things looked on track as they ran onto the pitch on game day. The first few minutes saw the Magpies defend stoutly as the Tigers moved the ball to the edges of the ruck, but in the 3rd minute of play Balmain received a penalty for an infringement in the play the ball area. I am sure no one in the crowd would have envisaged that from this point on, the Tigers would dominate play for a majority of the first half. Although they played some exciting football, it was the Magpies mistakes that handed the opposition many chances and excellent field position.

After receiving the first penalty of the day, Tigers representative prop forward David Gower hit the ball up at pace before off loading a great ball in heavy traffic to winger Sam Latu who ran unchallenged to the try line. Sean Meaney added the extra points. At 6 points to 0, there was no reason to panic, but a string of penalties against the Magpies coupled with the visitors making simple mistakes handed the Tigers plenty of possession. They made the most of what was on offer and went on attack deep into the Magpies territory and looked certain to score again, however scrambling defence forced the ball loose.

With a the scrum feed, the crowd was looking for the Magpies to advance down field and put pressure on the Tigers, but a dropped ball soon put an end to that. With six tackles up their sleeve, the Tigers pressured the Magpies line, but they held firm. With no where to go, the Tigers put in a grubber kick, but it rolled over the Magpies dead ball line.

From the 20 metre tap, West’s centre Nua Akeripa made a good run down field before linking up with his wing partner Rhys Pritchard. Pritchard advanced the ball towards the Tigers line before attempting to pass it back to Akeripa who was backing up on the inside. The promising raid fell short when the ball was intercepted by the Tigers, and after carrying the ball into the Magpies half, a clearing kick early in the count was caught by West’s five eight Ben Falcone. He darted through a number of attempted tackles before being stripped of the ball. Play was allowed to continue and the Tigers looked to have scored in the corner, but a late call from the touch judge gave the Magpies a penalty kick.

Both teams played steady football, but the Magpies mistake rate was causing concern. In the 19th minute and with ball in hand the Tigers continued to run the ball down the centre of the field. On the last tackle, Tigers half Blake Lazarus kicked the ball hard into the Magpies defensive line. It bounced off the legs of a defender straight into the hands of replacement back Billy Callaway who was left with a simple five metre run to the try line. Meaney claimed the conversion. Tigers 12 Magpies 0.

Once again the Magpies rallied and when given the opportunity made damaging runs into the Tigers territory. Replacement Magpies prop forward Michael Stolk, who had just come onto the field, ran straight through the Tigers line. That run was repeated in the next two sets, before a wide running Junior Moors charged onto the ball, but a miss directed pass found the touch line. After winning the ball from the ensuing scrum, Tigers centre Brett Lane cut through the Magpies before running 70 metres to score under the posts. Meaney converted the try, increasing the Tigers lead to 18 to 0.

From the resumption in play the Magpies pressured the Tigers into making errors of their own, but they could not take advantage of those errors. With the first half winding down, the Magpies looked to steady the ship, but in the 35th minute, Tigers half Blake Lazarus put his foot to the ball. He appeared to knock the ball on, but as play continued, Tigers replacement Al Schirnack picked up a rolling ball before diving under the posts, for what was to be the final converted try of the half. Balmain Tigers 24 West’s Magpies 0. During the half, West’s lost fullback George Kepa with a knee injury, and he was replaced by Troy O’Sullivan.

With a substantial lead, the Magpies nettle was sure to be tested in the second half. A big score line against the boys was a distinct possibility.

During the half time break, head coach Leo Epifania spoke passionately to the West’s Magpies players. Those present knew his inspirational words would turn around the fortunes of his team in the second half.

The Tigers put in a short kick for the start of the second half, but it was well read by the Magpies. In the following set, Troy O’Sullivan scooted from dummy half. He took play 35 metres down field before Magpie Captain and half Nathan Waters put in a fine kick behind the Tigers players. It was gathered in by Kurt Kara who scored the Magpies first try of the day. Gus Aiga’s conversion saw the score board read, Tigers 24 Magpies 6.

After this try, the momentum swung to the Magpies. Nothing too difficult, they just cut out their mistakes. In the 9th minute the Magpies decided to run the ball on the last tackle. This move caught the Tigers by surprise. Big West’s centre Nua Akeripa ran hard at the Tigers before carrying three players over the line with him. The conversion attempt by Aiga went astray, but at 24 to 10, the Magpies were well and truly on the road to turning around the half time deficit.

The Tigers kicked the ball deep into the Magpies half from the re start of play but with the Magpies spirits lifted, they found themselves on the Tigers 40 metre line. Waters put up a high kick on the last tackle which was taken on the run by a Tigers player. The Magpies defense had moved up in numbers and they put in a jolting tackle, forcing the ball loose. With the ball in hand, it was thrown across field to Junior Moors, who despite having plenty to do, brushed aside several defenders to score the Magpies third try of the afternoon. Aiga was on target this time, kicking a fine goal. With just 13 minutes on the clock in the second half, the Magpies found themselves behind by just eight points.

The Magpies continued to attack, and seemed likely to score again, but a soft penalty to Balmain took the wind out of the Magpies sails, but not for long. The Magpies once again completed their sets and got to their kicks, but in an unusual ruling, the Tigers were given a scrum feed when a kick was charged down by one of their players.

This did not dampen the Magpies. They received repeat sets after kicks in goal by Waters were carried dead by the Tigers players. In the 35th minute Magpie forwards Alex Ranieri and Andrew Pearn made damaging runs towards the Tigers 20 metre line. After the ball was played, it went to Rhys Pritchard who skipped around a couple of players before straightening his attack. He found a small gap, which he hit at pace before courageously diving over alongside the posts. Jamie Sharkie added the extras. Tigers 24 Magpies 22.

The final 5 minutes saw the Magpies throw everything at the Tigers, attempting to snatch the win, but the Tigers held firm. With seconds left on the clock, Waters put up a perfectly placed bomb to the right hand corner. Both sets of players jumped for the ball, which fell into the Tigers in goal. The Magpie’s went up as one when Nua Akeripa claimed the try, but the referee had other ideas. He ruled a Magpie knock on. Before play could recommence, the hooter sounded. The score board read 4 tries each, a courageous come back from the Magpies. Well done. It would have been easy to give up at half time, but that’s not the way the Magpies do things. ‘Never say die’ is their catch phrase!

Talk about a game of two halves, no one could have written this script. The first half saw the Magpies loose possession and miss simple tackles. As a result, the Tigers were given plenty of chances, but to be fair, they made the most of their chances. The second half saw the Magpies play the type of football that one and all know they are more than capable of playing. I know they will improve on this performance and we look forward to their next outing. Only seven rounds left, let’s get to the games and support our team as we head to the final series.

Scorers for the Magpies – Tries to Kurt Kara, Nu Akeripa, Junior Moors and Rhys Pritchard with 2 goals to Gus Aiga and 1 goal to Jamie Sharkie.

Leo Epifania’s best three – Junior Moors, Rhys Pritchard and Kurt Kara. Player’s player – Junior Moors.

Next game – Round 20 West’s Magpies vs. North Sydney Bears 3pm Saturday 24 July 2010 Campbelltown Sports Stadium.

NSW Cup Round 18

By Steve Reeves

The Magpies were under a lot of pressure heading into this round, having won only one game from their last five outings. Although the Dragons are sitting towards the bottom of the competition, they have put in good performances in recent weeks. Head coach Leo Epifania was aware that their playing roster was more than capable of causing an upset.

The side was strengthened with the inclusion of West’s Tigers go forward man Junior Moors. Team captain Nathan Waters, who played a leading role in the winning NSW Resident side on Wednesday night, showed plenty of courage backing up for this very important game.

The Magpies chose to receive the ball from the kick off and after several solid runs up the middle of the ruck; the ball was swung wide for a clearing kick, but things quickly came undone. The kick was charged down by Dragons forward Aaron Henry who quickly re gathered the ball before running unopposed to the try line. Scott Jones added the extras taking the score to 6 points to nil after only one minute of play. Not the start West’s fans were looking for.

With a deficit to make up, the team lifted. They advanced deep into the Dragons territory, but a couple of attacking kicks were hit a bit too hard resulting in the ball rolling across the dead ball line.

The play moved from one end of the field to the other; however promising moves broke down when passes were rushed by both teams. In the 22nd minute the Dragons were penalised. From the resulting tap, lock forward Jamie Sharkie ran at the line. He broke through the defense and appeared certain to score, but as he hit the ground, inches short, the ball flew backwards. It was picked up by hooker Kurt Kara who scored adjacent to the posts. Sharkie guided the ball between the sticks, leveling the score.

After receiving the ball from the re start, prop forward Duan Poaneki made a strong burst through the Dragons defensive line. He tried to play the ball quickly, but was held down. The referee responded, penalising the Dragons defender. Nathan Waters then found good metres with the penalty kick which was followed up by quick runs from dummy half. In the 26th minute, Waters called for the ball before running across field to pick up a charging Josh Davis who brushed aside three defenders on his way over the line. Sharkie’s conversion took the score to 12 – 6.

The remainder of the half was a frustrating affair with both teams making errors after trying to force passes in traffic or making simple mistakes in the play the ball area. The score line remained unchanged for the remainder of the first half.

During the break, head coach Leo Epifania addressed on the positive aspects of the half. He told the players that patience was the key to winning the game.

The second half saw a more focused Magpies outfit. In the 7th minute Waters received the ball, he feigned to kick on the last tackle, before swinging the ball wide to a hard running Andrew Everingham. He bumped his way through a couple of attempted tackles before throwing an underarm pass to replacement hooker Troy O’Sullivan who outpaced the cover defence to score alongside the posts. Sharkie continued his fine kicking display by guiding the ball over the black dot. At 18 – 6, it appeared the Magpies were in control of the game.

In the 11th minute, Duan Poaneki, continuing his good form, charged onto a pass. He ran straight through the centre of the Dragons defensive line and with only the fullback to beat, and with five eight Ben Falcone in support, it appeared certain that the Magpies would score. That was until exciting Dragons fullback Michael Lett took control of the situation. He placed himself in the perfect position, intercepting the ball before advancing down field into Magpie territory. In the following passage of play, the Magpies were penalised. In the 16th minute and with momentum on their side, Lett called for an inside pass. Receiving the ball at pace he ran some forty metres to the line to score a fine individual try. Jones conversion reduced the Magpies lead to six points.

The ball was kicked out on the full from the recommencement of play, which gave the Dragons unexpected field position. In the 26th minute they attacked the Magpies line and on the last tackle, the ball was kicked into the markers who were perched on their own try line. The ball ricocheted back into the arms of the ever present Lett who crossed under the posts for his second try of the afternoon. Jones easy conversion attempt locked the scores at 18 points all.

The Magpies camp remained positive as they knew if they got to their kicks and remained patient, they were more than capable of putting on more points. The reply from the Magpies came in the 29th minute. On the heels of a barnstorming run by young prop forward Michael Stolk; his front row partner Alex Ranieri carried the ball to the Dragons line. He appeared to be held up, but he used his strength to wrestle his way to the ground for an inspirational four pointer. With Sharkie off the field, wing three quarter Gus Aiga took over the kicking duties. His first attempt hit the uprights and bounced back into the field of play. The Magpies held a slight advantage, 22 points to 18.

In the 31st minute, Everingham was in the thick of things again. After running through a gap, he off loaded to Falcone who was knocked into touch, inches from the try line.

From the ensuing scrum, the Dragons looked menacing and when Lett once again received a great inside pass, he looked to be away but a great cover tackle by prop forward Junior Moors put an end to a potential try scoring run.

In the 34th minute the Magpies were in good field position deep in the Dragons half. Waters, after calling for the ball, dummied to pass one way, before changing the point of attack. Quick hands followed across the back line to Everingham who weaved his way through the cover defense to score a great try. Aiga made no mistake this time, putting the ball straight between the posts. At 28 points to 18, the game was safely in the Magpies hands.

The Magpies were not finished yet. In the dying minutes of the game, they received a penalty. The forwards pushed downfield before the halves called for the ball. As in the previous try, quick hands caused the Dragons players plenty of headaches. West’s fullback, George Kepa ran at speed to the defensive line, before throwing a sensational ‘no look’ pass to Everingham who in turn threw the ball onto Aiga. With plenty to do, he ran down the side line, outpacing the Dragons cover to score the final try of the day. He converted his own try as the hooter rang. The score line of 34 – 18 was a great result and confidence booster for West’s, but the game was in the balance until the final ten minutes of the game.

Michael Lett, Mataika Vatuvei, Scott Jones and Jack Bosden had strong games for the Shellharbour Dragons.

Earlier in the day the Junior Magpies U/13, U/14 and U/15 played against representative teams from Group 6. All teams put on a fine display of rugby league in front of a good crowd.

Scorers for the Magpies – Tries to Kurt Kara, Josh Davis, Troy O’Sullivan, Alex Ranieri, Andrew Everingham and Gus Aiga. Jamie Sharkie 3 goals and Gus Aiga 2 goals.

Leo Epifania’s best three – Andrew Pearn, Andrew Everingham and John Skandalis. Player’s player match ball went to Andrew Everingham.

Next game – Round 19 West’s Magpies vs. Balmain Tigers 3pm Saturday 17 July 2010 at Leichhardt Oval.

NSW Cup Round 16

It is difficult to be too critical following the Magpies defeat at the hands of Cronulla Sharks. Although the history books will read one win from the Magpies last five encounters, it should be noted that they have fallen just a few points short in each of those losses. On this occasion they went down 14 points to 4, two tries to one. The faithful know that this is not a time to turn your back on the Magpies, there are plenty of rounds left in the competition and as head coach Leo Epifania stated, ‘we will turn things around.’

Although a reasonably small crowd had gathered at Henson Park to watch the Magpies take on the Sharks in the first game of a double header, those present will long remember the outstanding defensive efforts of both teams. It was a heavy track which suited the forwards. The only change to the Magpie line up was the inclusion of Kieran Turner who took the place of Geoff Daniela who was called into the West’s Tigers NRL team. Turner was making his debut in the black and white after a fine performance the previous week with the Campbelltown Eagles who compete in the Bundaberg Cup Competition.

The Sharks fielded a strong team which contained two former Magpies, hooker and play maker Stuart Flanagan and wing three quarter Luke Covell who was taking part in his second game after a serious knee injury. Luke has a wealth of NRL experience and is a former captain of the Cronulla Sharks. Both men would stamp their presence on the outcome of this game.

Not long after the kick off the Magpies found themselves defending on the own try line. They seemed to have their line covered, but Flanagan, after picking up the ball from dummy half found a way through the defense, scoring a try alongside the posts. The try was converted by Scott Porter which gave the Sharks the lead after just three minutes of play.

From this point on the Magpies threw everything at the Sharks. Plenty of ground was made up the middle of the pitch and when the opportunity presented itself, captain and half Nathan Waters perfectly placed the ball in the oppositions in goal. The Sharks were equally determined, not wanting to give an inch whilst attacking at every opportunity. Covell showed his prowess in the air by taking a number of high balls in pressure situations. They scrambled in defense, and despite the Magpies probing left and right, they were pulled down short on each occasion. Unfortunately, in the 15th minute Magpies lock, Jamie Sharkie, after an accidental head clash left the field and took no further part in the game. His ability to make ground on the edges of the ruck would be missed. He was replaced by the versatile Kurt Kara, who had won the players player game ball the previous week.

In the 24th minute, the ball was kicked high into the Sharks in goal. Rhys Pritchard leapt high, knocking the ball into the hands of Troy O’Sullivan who claimed the try. The celebrations were short lived; the referee ruled a knock on.

The status quo remained for the rest of the first half but in the 39th minute, following a penalty, Porter guided the ball over the black dot increasing the Sharks lead to 8 points.

The second half continued with bone jarring defense from both teams and it was the Sharks who would break first. In the 15th minute, the ball was swung quickly from dummy half, across the backline to centre three quarter Nu Akeripa. He drew a couple of players to him before off loading to winger Troy O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan had plenty of do, but his strong finish got him over the try line. The conversion attempt from Chris Corby was struck cleanly, but it hit the uprights. At 8 points to 4, the result was still in the balance.

The Magpies found themselves perched in the Sharks half for most of the remainder of the game. Quality kicks from half Nathan Waters gave the Magpies repeat sets, but once again the Sharks were up to the challenge. In the dying minutes a lost ball in attack put paid to the Magpies chances of a come from behind win. The ball was carried forward by the Sharks and after receiving a penalty they went on attack deep in Magpie territory. After some constructive play it appeared that the Sharks had scored a try alongside the posts, but a last ditched effort by five eight George Kepa kept the much bigger Sharks prop forward from grounding the ball.

From the resulting play, the ball was thrown wide to Sharks wing three quarter Matt Parata who scored a fine try in the corner. Porter’s conversion guaranteed the Sharks would go home with the points. Sharks 14 Magpies 4.

It was announced after the game that Magpies Captain and half Nathan Waters was selected to play in the NSW Residents team before State of Origin 3 in two weeks time. Magpie centre Geoff Daniela was also selected. Both men have played outstanding football for the Magpies and their selection is a just reward for their performances. We congratulate both men of their selection. A number of other Magpie players also came to the notice of selectors.

Scorers for the Magpies: Troy O’Sullivan one try.

Best for the Magpies: Andrew Pearn, Kurt Kara and John Skandalis.

Next match: Round 17 Magpies have a bye. Round 18 vs. Shellharbour Dragons 3pm Saturday 10 July 2010 Campbelltown Sports Stadium.

by Steve Reeves

NSW Cup Round 15

The Western Suburbs Magpies suffered a 18-16 defeat at the hands of the Newtown Jets in Round 15 of the NSW Cup on a windy Saturday afternoon at Campbelltown Stadium.

The 3rd placed Jets were coming off a massive win the week before against the North Sydney Bears whilst the Magpies were also coming off a victory and were sitting equal with Newtown on 19 competition points.

The Magpies fielded a strong line up with John Skandalis and NRL regular Andrew Fifita starting in the Front Row for the Black and Whites, Captain Nathan Waters returning from his ankle injury and Geoff Daniela lining up after a few weeks in the Wests Tigers NRL side.

Wests started off the match in good form looking to attack the Newtown line in the first few minutes pushing for repeat sets and wanting to really pile on the pressure early. 10 minutes into the match the Jets had their first chance to post points when Fullback Ben Jones scooped up a loose ball racing 60 metres only to be chased down by Rhys Pritchard metres from the line, Newtown then spread the ball out wide to winger Chris Tuatara-Morrison where the home side looked short only to be pushed into touch from some great cover defence from the Magpies.

In the 23rd minute the Jets had put a grubber kick in goal looking for a repeat set when Centre Andrew Everingham picked up the ball and found a hole in the Jets defence running 70 metres down field to put the Magpies in good position to hit the lead, the next play Rhys Pritchard had a clear hole to the line when he dived over. The photograph evidence would later show a try had been scored, but the referee ruled held up and Wests would be turned away without a score.

Almost immediately the Jets hit back when Sonny Tuigamala found a gap in the centre of the park on the 4th tackle. He was cut down just short and the 5th tackle kick went too deep spoiling a good chance for the Bluebags to score.

The Magpies worked their way back up field and scored the first try for the afternoon when Geoff Daniela found a gap down the right side beating 2 defenders to give the crowd something to cheer about. With the conversion missed from the sideline Wests where leading 4-0.

In the 37th minute Newtown looked likely towould level the scores up when Johnathon Ford gave Ray Moujalli a short ball putting him into a gaping hole. All he needed was a support player, but a misjudged pass to the trailing Wests defender nullified another great opportunity.

On the stroke of halftime Wests Halfback Nathan Waters gave Kurt Kara a great short ball putting him away to post the Magpies 2nd try. The conversion was successful from Jamie Sharkie and Wests went into the half time break leading 10-0.

The second 40 minutes is a half Wests would like to forget however with missed opportunities and not wrapping up the ball carrier allowing Newtown to really put the Magpies under the pump. In the 50th minute the fightback began when Newtown scored a brilliant try. Winger Chris Tuatara-Morrison put a short chip and chase down the right side and regaining to hand it off to Tinirau Arona to run 30 metres to make the scores 10-6. 60 minutes into the match Newtown received a penalty in Wests half giving them a perfect opportunity to level the scores, they made no mistake when the Wests defence hung off of Johnathon Ford allowing him to simply reach out and touch down. Tuatara-Morrison's conversion levelled the scores 10-10.

5 minutes later Jets fullback Ben Jones picked up a loose ball from a missed pass to run 90 metres and score in the corner. There was some conjecture about a Newtown knock on in the lead up, but the referee pointed to the spot and Newtown had hit the lead 14-10 with 15 to play and Wests needed to lift.

In the 75th minute of the game Newtown clinched the 2 competition points when Second Rower Aidan Guerra burst through some tired defence to score his side’s final try taking the score out to 18-10 with just minutes remaining.

The Magpies never say die attitude kicked in giving their fans a last play try on the hooter when Centre Nu Akeripa ran 60 metres down the sideline scoring under the posts taking the final score to 18-16.

The Newtown Jets showed they are real competition contenders after this win putting them on 21 points just behind Leaders Balmain and Canterbury. Wests play Cronulla in Round 16 at Henson Park.

Best for the Magpies were replacement hooker Kurt Kara who had his best game for the club, and outside men Andrew Everingham and Nu Akeripa who created danger for the Jets defence every time the ball went wide.

NEWTOWN 18 ( Ben Jones, Johnathon Ford, Aidan Guerra, Tinirau Arona tries: Chris Tuatara-Morrison 1 goal )d

WESTERN SUBURBS 16 ( Geoff Daniela, Kurt Kara, Nu Akeripa tries: Jamie Sharkie 2 goals )

Match report by Michael White

NSW Cup Round 14

The Western Suburbs Magpies, coming off consecutive losses in their last two outings, were up against the in form Auckland Vulcans on a fine sunny afternoon at Campbelltown. The Magpies would have to snap the Vulcans four game winning streak to take the points and be especially wary of Auckland's elusive halfback Pita Godinet. With Wests Tigers having the bye this weekend, forwards Junior Moors and Andrew Fifita returned to help bolster the Magpies side. Even with these inclusions the Magpies coaching staff knew that the Vulcans would be hard to roll.

The team disruptions of recent times continued and the reshuffle to fit Moors and Fifita extended to moving George Kepa from fullback to five eight with Nua Akerpia, who was returning from injury, taking up a position in the centres whilst the versatile Rhys Pritchard moved to fullback. John Skandalis and Michael Stolk made way for the First Grade Front Rowers and Jamie Sharkie returned to the starting side after missing last week's match with concussion.

Before heading onto the pitch coach Leo Epifania addressed the players and emphasised the need to provide a strong defensive effort if they wanted to get away with the two competition points against a dangerous opposition.

In the early stages of the match the Vulcans showed their hand by running their big forwards at the Magpies. Although held in tackles, the big Kiwis were regularly able to off load the ball to support players earning them good field position. Chris Corby looked to have opened the scoring on Wests first visit to the Vulcans end but he was ruled to be held up. When the Magpies turned over possession soon after the Vulcans hard running and offloads took them quickly down to the other end where Niuvoa Taka scored a fine try in the corner. The conversion was unsuccessful and at the 10 minute mark the Magpies found themselves down 4 points to nil.

Wests would respond quickly and with the Magpies perched deep in the visitors half, it seemed they would score on a number of occasions, but loose passes went to ground. Finally, in the 16th minute, centre Andrew Everingham hit the ball at pace. With the defense back peddling from the quick play the ball, second row forward Josh Davis crashed through a number of tackles and over the line. Chris Corby added the extra two points putting the Magpies ahead 6 to 4.

The next twenty minutes or so saw both teams fail to maintain possession, with both teams' making errors just when they looked like they were about to create some danger for the opposition. It would take a dash of individual brilliance from Godinet to break the shackles. The Vulcans No. 7 collected one of the all to regular offloads from one of his forwards 40m out and in the blink of an eye he had streaked away to score under the posts. The easy conversion put Auckland back into the lead 10 to 6.

The Magpies knew they had to be the next to score and with only a couple of minutes left on the clock in the first half, they put up a high kick from the restart. The move caught the Vulcans by surprise and Wests regathered the ball. With the defense in disarray, twinkle toes Rhys Pritchard weaved his way through several players to score beside the posts. Sharkie guided the ball over the black dot and as the half time hooter sounded, the Magpies led 12 to 10.

During the half time break, Epifania spoke about Wests lapses in defense and their last tackle options. He knew the points were there for the taking, but was also realistic that the Vulcans were more than capable of ruining the Magpies day.

The second half got under way and Wests looked to have scored early when winger Gus Aiga latched onto a Jaimie Sharkie grubber, but the referee ruled he had grounded it dead. Wests continued to look the most likely for the first 10 minutes of the half, but promising moves came to nothing and the Magpies could not turn field possession into points. Against the run in play and on the back of a Godinet 40/20 the Vulcans struck back to once again take the lead 14 -12. Godinet attracted the defence to send Ralph Ah-Van to the line where the Magpies defenders attempted to roll him onto his back but only succeeding into rolling him into the in-goal. The Vulcans would once again show their generosity by allowing the kick off to go dead. The ensuing dropout was taken by five eight George Kepa who attacked down the right side of the field before throwing a great pass to centre Nu Akerpia. The big Magpies centre drew the defenders to himself before flicking a fine underarm ball to a flying Troy O’Sullivan who dived over in the corner. Jamie Sharkie did not let the boys down, guiding the ball between the uprights from the sideline. At 18 – 14, the Magpies had a bit of breathing space.

The Vulcans weren't done with yet though and the you score - we score pattern of the game continued when Auckland hit back ten minutes later with another six pointer. Mike Afioga scored a strong individual try to carry several Wests defenders over the line. Howie Matthews conversion gave the visitors the lead yet again at 20-18 with just 12 minutes left to play.

At this point the Wests coaching staff made what was to be a match winning change. The Magpies re-introduced Junior Moors back into the game, with almost immediate result. After forcing another line drop out, the Magpies lifted, making valuable ground up the middle of the ruck. When the ball was passed into the hands of Moors, the crowd sensed that a try was on the cards. At the end of a barnstorming run, Moors found himself over the try line with three players clinging onto him. It was a display of pure determination and the big man was not going to be denied. Corby added the extras. The Magpies had retaken the lead 24 to 20.

In the tense dying minutes of the game everyone at the ground was wondering if Auckland would respond as they had to every other Wests try on the day. Thankfully for the home fans the Magpies would snap the pattern of the day and be the first side to score consecutive tries in the game. Junior Moors was to be in the thick of things again. Following good lead up work by his team mates, Moors jumped into dummy half 5 out from the line and directly under the posts. Using brute strength, he pushed through the heart of the Vulcans defence before putting the ball to the turf for the match winner. Not long after the conversion by Corby, the full time hooter rang out around the stadium.

Whilst the Magpies continued to miss the direction usually provided by the injured Nathan Waters and were concerned by some of the defensive lapses during the game all were delighted to get the two points against a quality opponent. Stand in Captain and fullback Rhys Pritchard made several damaging runs, making great metres whilst the team's workhorses Jamie Sharkie and David Harris made a mountain of tackles and plenty of strong runs.

The Magpies are at home once again next Saturday as they take on fellow foundation club Newtown Jets from 3pm. With both sides sitting equal 3rd on the NSW Cup ladder this will be the match of the round Get down to Campbelltown Stadium early to catch the stars of the future with four Group 6 JRL games kicking off from 10:20am.

Western Suburbs 30 (Moors 2, Davis, Pritchard, O'Sullivan tries; Corby 3, Sharkie 2 goals) defeated

Auckland 20 (Taka, Godinet, Ah-Van, Afioga tries; Matthews 2 goals)

by Steve Reeves

WESTS MAGPIES VS. CANTERBURY BULLDOGS, TERRY LAMB RESERVE, SATURDAY 5 JUNE 2010.

by Steve Reeves

The Magpies went into their Round 13 NSW Cup clash with the Bulldogs with an unsettled starting line up for the second week in a row. George Kepa returned from injury to take up his position at fullback pushing Rhys Pritchard back to the wing, Liam Ayoub come into the starting line up as half, Troy O’Sullivan moved to centre in place of an injured Nu Akeripa and Kurt Kara moved to lock in place of Jamie Sharkie who pulled out after being heavily concussed in the previous round. With their Captain and Half Nathan Waters still out with a calf injury the Magpies were down on key personnel against a Bulldogs side brimming with NRL experience, but still fancying their chances.

From the kick off, Wests showed positive signs through committed defense and strong attacking runs from the forwards to give their backs room to move. After receiving the ball from a line drop out, the ball was carried towards the Bulldogs try line. On the last tackle, the Magpies feigned to kick before spreading the ball wide to a hard running Andrew Everingham who broke through two attempted tackles to score in the corner. The conversion attempt shaved the posts, but the four pointer was on the score board.

With an ounce of luck, West’s could have been in again, this time on the opposite side of the field; however the ball went to ground with the try line in sight. The Magpies were their own worst enemies in the ensuing fifteen minutes of play when they made a number of unforced errors, giving the Bulldogs good field position and it was not long before they crossed for a four pointer of their own. With two minutes left on the clock in the first half, Liam Ayoub put in a grubber kick which rebounded off a Bulldogs player into the arms of centre three quarter Troy O’Sullivan who sprinted 30 metres to the line. The shot at goal by Chris Corby hit the upright and was waved away. As both teams left the field, the Magpies held a tight 8 to 4 lead.

The start of the second half saw the Bulldogs take full advantage of a couple of Magpie mistakes around the ruck area resulting in them scoring a six pointer. From the recommencement of play it seemed that the Bulldogs had ownership of the ball as they received a number of penalties giving them fresh sets of six to throw at the Magpies. To their credit, the Magpies tackled themselves to a standstill. They repelled raid after raid on their try line, but in the 24th minute, their defense was cracked and the Bulldogs increased their lead to 14 to 8.

Those at the ground could sense that the Magpies still had more in them. After a strong twenty five metre run up the middle of the field by second row forward David Harris, the Bulldogs were penalised for trying to slow play down. In the ensuing passage of play, big prop forward Alex Ranieri ran hard at the defense, carrying two Bulldogs players over the line with him. Liam Ayoub, who took over the kicking duties after Chris Corby left the field, steered the conversion over the black dot. The boys were back and at 14 points all, it was still anybody’s game.

The Magpies defense was called on once again in the closing stages of the game and once again they repelled everything thrown at them. When given the ball, they quickly took play downfield. The message went out for a field goal attempt. With the ruck now near the goal posts young half Liam Ayoub lined up the shot, but it drifted wide. From the resulting 20 metre tap, the Bulldogs made a run at the Magpies line. A strange ruling was given after the ball was kicked into the back of one of West’s players, giving the Bulldogs another set of six. West’s held on once again, but when the Bulldogs five eight Ben Barba decided to run the ball on the fifth tackle, West’s were caught short. The play seemed to be halted on our try line, but somehow Trent Cutler got a ball away to the ever present Barba who crossed near the posts untouched. With the successful conversion, the Bulldogs hit the lead again, 20 – 14.

The Magpies barely had enough time to kick off before the full time hooter rang out. It was a disappointing end to the day with one and all thinking this was one that got away. The coaching staff and players are totally committed to ensuring a win in their next hit out.

Next Game – Round 14 Wests Magpies vs. Auckland Vulcans, Campbelltown Sports Stadium, 3pm Saturday 12 June 2010.

Scorers for the Magpies – 1 try each to Andrew Everingham, Troy O’Sullivan and Alex Ranieri with Liam Ayoub kicking 1 conversion.

Best for the Magpies – Troy O’Sullivan, Andrew Peard and Alex Ranieri.

MATCH REPORT ROUND 12 NSW CUP, WEST’S MAGPIES VS. MELBOURNE STORM, OLYMPIC PARK, MELBOURNE SATURDAY 29 MAY 2010.

The Magpies were looking to carry their recent good form into this match against the Storm who was sitting in seventh place on what is a congested competition ladder. Unfortunately, captain and playmaker Nathan Waters was unavailable for the second week due to a nagging injury an in form fullback George Kepa was also ruled out during the week with a leg strain. This caused several positional changes resulting in Liam Ayoub and Lance Siatago being called into the team. On a positive note, the Club announced that during the week hard running prop forward John Skandalis re-signed with the Magpies before declaring himself available for this game. Head coach Leo Epifania welcomed John back to the Magpie nest, advising that his experience would be of great benefit to his team.

The team gathered in the early hours of Saturday morning at the Sydney Domestic Terminal for their first interstate flight to Melbourne. Although inclement weather was on the cards, Olympic Park provided a good playing surface.

Play started with Melbourne Storm electing to kick off. The ball carried deep into the Magpies in goal area, resulting in a player carrying the ball over the dead ball line. From the resulting line drop out, the Magpie defense was caught out and the Storm crossed alongside the posts for a six pointer. A few minutes later, they were in again. With the successful conversion the Storm held a 12 point lead after about the same minutes of play.

The Magpies recovered and for the next twenty odd minutes they put on several promising raids deep into Storm territory, however they failed to come up with the points. It was not until the 30th minute that the ball swung wide into the hands of fullback Rhys Pritchard who was perched midway between the Storms 20 and 30 metre line. In a trademark run, he stepped in and out of a number of defenders before putting the ball down near the posts. Once hooker Chris Corby added the extras, the lead was reduced to just six points. In the final minutes of the half, the Magpies went close to scoring, but kept coming up short. With a six point deficit carried into the sheds the coaching staff was confident that they could still get up. The team had better field position for a majority of the first half, but their play broke down at critical moments.

The team took to the field for the second half, but once again it was the Storm who showed more energy. They ran in four unanswered tries which increased their lead to 32 points to 6. With pride on the line and with still ten minutes remaining, it would have been easy for the black and white to forget about this game and start thinking about next week. But those who know the Magpie spirit knew that this would never happen. Displaying the quality football which got them to one point from the competition lead, they added two converted tries. The team was on a roll, but time and the point’s difference were against them. The final score read Storm 36 West’s Magpies 18.

It was clear that the team did not handle the trip and short turn around as well as hoped. The disruption to normal game day preparations proved to be a challenge. Whilst this was not offered as an excuse by the coaching staff, it was acknowledged that they did not perform at their best.

As we have an away game next week, it is hoped that the Magpie fans come out in numbers to cheer their team onwards and upwards.

Scorers for the Magpies: Rhys Pritchard 2 tries and Josh Davis 1 try. Chris Corby 3 goals.

Best for the Magpies: Andrew Pearn, Troy O’Sullivan and John Skandalis.

Next match: Round 13 West’s Magpies vs. Canterbury Bulldogs, Crest Stadium, 3pm Saturday 4 June 2010.

by Steve Reeves

Campbelltown Stadium was the venue for the NSW Cup Round 11 clash between the Western Suburbs Magpies and Wentworthville in front of a healthy crowd on a wonderful sunny afternoon for Rugby League.

Both sides had lost key players for the match with Wests losing Captain and Halfback Nathan Waters due to injury and Geoff Daniela and Simon Dwyer both moving up a grade playing for the Wests Tigers in the NRL, For the Wentworthville side Five Eighth Tom Humble would be missed as he had been promoted to the Parramatta Eels NRL side. The last time these two clubs met was in Round 4 at Ringrose Park where the Western Suburbs side snatched a 30-18 come from behind victory.

It was a very physical game from the opening kick off as both teams defended very well. Not too many chances where created in the first 10 minutes until Wentworthville fullback Domenic Nasso found a hole in the Wests defence. He drew the fullback to offload to Astro Waetford, but the Winger had mistimed his run and dropped the ball metres out from the line.

Moments later the Wests side were given a chance when Wentworthville dropped the ball 20 metres out. Centre Andrew Everingham was given a ball from the scrum base to score the Magpies first try for the afternoon. With the try converted by hooker Chris Corby Wests led 6-0 15 minutes into the game. The Wentworthville side had a chance to level the scores in the 22nd minute when a cross field kick was put up for winger Mark Hendy, however he dropped the ball over the line mid flight and Wenty missed another chance to score. 5 minutes later the Wenty side dropped the ball in their own half, and on the 3rd tackle of Wests set Winger Gus Aiga scored out wide to give the home side a 10-0 lead.

Wests would take that 10-0 lead to the Halftime break. The first half had provided a fast paced game without too many chances created. Both sides defended well and completion rates were satisfactory. It was anyone’s game.

Just 4 minutes into the second half Wests received a penalty in front of the Wentworthville posts and straight away the ball was shifted wide where Wenty were caught short and centre Rhys Pritchard dived over to give Wests a 16-0 lead. Minutes later the Magpies received another penalty in the same spot to give them a shot to extend their lead. When Five Eighth Ben Falcone ran onto a short ball to score next to the posts and Corby added the extras the Black and Whites led the visitors 22-0 after 52 minutes. Falcone was in the thick of it again when he made a 30 metre solo run to weave his way through 3 defenders and score his second try in as many minutes as Wests extended their lead to 28-0.

At that stage of the game Wentworthville had nothing to lose and started to throw the ball around trying to make a dent in the Wests defence. The passes started sticking and the pressure started to build rewarding Wenty with their first try in the 64th minute to Hooker Anthony Mitchell. Mark Hendy’s kick attempt was wide but the visitors had lifted. With Wentworthville gaining the all important momentum in the later stages of the game Wests started to drop off important tackles and give the opposition more chances to post points and reduce the deficit.

Prop Pele Peletelese put his hand up for Wentworthville in the 72nd minute using brute strength to power his way over the line under the posts. A set later Wenty were on the attack again as they went the full length of the field to give Peletelese his second try in 2 minutes. The stunning comeback may have given Wests fans a few heart flutters, but it was to prove too little too late for the visitors to derail the home side’s celebrations. Wests half Liam Ayoub sealed the deal for Wests as he scored next to the post giving the Magpies an impressive 34-16 lead. In the shadows of the siren Ayoub made another dash for the tryline but was taken in a high tackle right in front of the sticks. Corby slotted the simple penalty to give Wests a 36-16 victory.

The victory leaves Western Suburbs in 2nd place behind Balmain on the NSW Cup table. This Saturday Wests travel to Melbourne to take on the Storm at Olympic Park

by Michael White

Magpies Refuse to Let Losing Become a Habit

After having allowed Balmain to slip the noose and squandered the chance to go top of the NSW Cup ladder last week at home Western Suburbs were keen to get back that winning feeling against Shellharbour today at Ron Costello Oval. With memories of last year's drubbing at the same venue and the knowledge that consecutive losses could drop them down the ladder quickly Wests had come to the Illawarra determined to take the two points.

The Magpies started with far more intensity than they had last week, and both sides set about working their way into the game. Wests opened the scoring when centre Andrew Everingham intercepted a loose pass on the 50 before linking up with NSW Cup débutante Troy O'Sullivan who raced away to score. Dragons speedster Michael Lett hit back on the 20 minute mark with a try of his own. Wests would take the initiative by forcing a turnover on the first hit up from the kick off and make the Dragons pay dearly with tries to back rowers Nu Akeripa and Josh Davis in quick succession to get out to a 16-4 lead.

Just when it looked like the Magpies were going to cut open the Shellharbour defence a magnificent 40/20 kick put the Dragons on the attack and once again Lett left Black and White defenders clutching at air as he raced in to score. Shellharbour should have scored at the end of the following set when they split the Wests defence and had a no one but Fullback George Kepa to beat. With 2 players in support the pass was thrown too early and the Magpies custodian pulled off a fabulous try saving tackle to save the day. The miss would cost the home side dearly as Wests skipper Nathan Waters would score under the posts from the next set after a clever Davis chip and regather.

The Magpies were pleased to take a 22-10 lead into the sheds after having a few close calls. The coach demanded more commitment from their goal line defence in the second half and to not allow errors to creep into their game as they had last week. The side responded with a solid opening to the half and were rewarded 6 minutes in when centre Geoff Daniela made a bust and put his winger Rhys Pritchard over in the corner. Chris Corby's excellent sideline conversion had the visitors well placed to run away with the game at 28-10. Shellharbour were having none of that though and would dominate the next 25 minutes of the game. The Dragons threw caution to the wind and attacked at every opportunity. Wests were forced to dig deep in defence and turn back a passage of four consecutive sets as the Dragons short kicking game forced three straight drop outs. The Black and Whites weren't going to yield however and they held firm right up until the 70th minute when the Dragons desperate passing finally found a chink in Wests armour for Joe Vickery to score and convert.

With only a 12 point lead and 10 to go a second missed opportunity in two weeks wasn't out of the question, but the Magpies defence again forced an error from the kick off. When Shellharbour was penalised shortly after Corby calmly slotted the 2 points and the game was Wests for the keeping at 30-16. The Magpies would finish the game in fine style when Ben Falcone chipped for Davis to collect in the final minute of the game. Davis offloaded back to the Wests No.6 who then got a fine pass away for Everingham to score in the corner. Western Suburbs were forced to work hard for the win but had the game in control throughout most of the match. With other results favouring them the win has lifted the Magpies back up to 2nd place on the NSW Cup ladder and they return to Campbelltown Stadium this Saturday to take on Wentworthville with another chance to take the lead in the competition.

Best for the Magpies were skipper Nathan Waters, workaholic Front Rower Andrew Pearn, and elusive 5/8 Ben Falcone.

Western Suburbs 34 (O'Sullivan, Akeripa, Davis, Waters, Pritchard, Everingham; Corby 5 goals) defeated Shellharbour 16 (Lett 2, VIckery; Vickery 2 goals)

Tigers Trash the Homecoming

Western Suburbs were desperate to put on a good show for the fans in their return to Campbelltown Stadium for 2010. Despite spending the first 8 rounds of the NSW Cup on the road the Magpies were making a huge impression on the competition and sat just 1 point out of 1st place. The chance to snatch top spot from the league leading Tigers whilst extracting revenge on the only side to lower their colours this year had the Magpies primed for a big performance. In the end though the pressure to put on a show may have contributed to an error-ridden performance where Wests squandered a winning position to allow Balmain to escape with a come from behind victory.

From the kick off the vistors looked the far more likely side and the game was only 2 minutes old when Balmain centre Mitch Brown broke through a one on one tackle and sprinted away 60m to score. The Tigers went further ahead minutes later through an inexplicable Magpies error. Blake Lazarus' grubber into the ingoal was cleaned up by Wests custodian Gearge Kepa, but as he ran the ball back into the field of play the No.1 was shepherded towards the sideline. Kepa threw a deperate ball back inside that landed straight into the arms of Tigers centre Gavin Cowan who simply had to bend down to score. Sean Meaney showed what he thought of the Magpie fans heckling to drill two magnificent sideline conversions and Wests were looking down the barrel of a hiding at 12-0 down within the first 10 minutes of the game.

It took until the 20th minute for Wests to finally put some pressure on the Balmain defence and big Front Rower Andrew Fifita made the breakthough with a trademark powerhouse run to score. With Corby adding the extras Wests were back in the game at 12-6. The injection of interchange forwards Andrew Pearn and Duan Poaneki seemed to inspire a much more disciplined and cohesive performance from the Magpies. Wests would score 3 more unanswered converted tries with Jamie Sharkie scoring before the break, followed by tries to Falcone and Daniella early in the second half from kicks giving the home side a 24-12 lead and all of the momentum in the game.

That momentum swung dramatically when Wests were awarded a penalty right in front of the posts 10 minutes into the half. Despite having first choice kicker Corby on the sidelines the Magpies elected to take the shot for goal. Stand in kicker Jamie Sharkie had already piloted two good conversions through the posts, but he shanked the kick badly and the Tigers could feel they had dodged a bullet. With the hard working Pearn going off for a spell not long after the game opened up for the Tigers as they started to take advantage of Wests' errors. It was to be the Magpies destroyers from the Round 2 game, Balmain halves Arana Taumata and Blake Lazarus, that would once again land the knock out blows. In the 20th minute Fifita rushed out of the line to put a hit on Taumata, but the Tigers 5/8 is simply too fleet of foot for that to work and he sprinted through the gap created to score. Just a couple of minutes later the Magpies made exactly the same mistake when Everingham raced up to shut down Taumata, but he managed to roll a clever grubber into the ingoal for his Captain Lee Bennett to ground the ball. Meaney's conversion attempt hit the uprights and Wests were barely hanging on at 24-22.

Both sides spent the last quarter hour of the game trying to lose it with silly options and errors. Lazarus, who had been having a quiet game up until then, took on the line and reached out to score with just 4 minutes remaining. Meaney's missed conversion made things interesting but the Tigers were back in front 26-22. The Magpies weren't able to mount any last minute attacks and Balmain earned a late penalty which allowed to Meaney cleverly wind down the clock before calmly slotting the goal for a 28-24 victory.

Despite the close score and the come from behind victory it was a scrappy game from both sides and not of the standard of recent clashes between the Joint Venture partners. In the end Wests errors invited the Tigers into attacking position one too many times and to their credit the competition leaders found a way to win. Best for the Magpies were interchange forward Andrew Pearn who lifted the side whenever he was on, lock Jamie Sharkie and winger Rhys Pritchard. The Magpies will be looking to strike back hard when they take on Shellharbour next Sunday from 3pm at Ron Costello Oval Shellharbour.

We thank our match day sponsor: Magpie Moments.

Balmain 28 (Brown, Cowan, Taumata, Bennett, Lazarus; Meaney 4 goals) defeated Western Suburbs (Fifita, Sharkie, Falcone, Daniella; Corby 2, Sharkie 2 goals)

Match day photos from the Macarthur Chronicle

So, so close....

From the start of the season the Western Suburbs had stamped themselves as the team to beat in the 2010 NSWRL SG Ball competition. With a 26-12 lead and only 15 minutes remaining in Saturday's Semi Final at St Marys it looked a certainty that the Magpies would get the chance to repeat the feats of the club's 2002 SG Ball Premiers and take on Parramatta in the Grand Final. Wests opponents the Roosters were not going to play to the script however and in an inspired comeback broke Black and White hearts to steal a 27-26 victory.

The Roosters got off to a great start in the game and took an early 12-2 lead after 15 minutes before Wests forward power took control and the Magpies scored four unanswered tries to all but book a Grand Final berth. The turning point of the match came when Magpies winger James Tedesco looked certain to score in the corner. The Roosters fullback pulled off a desperate cover tackle to deny what would certainly have been the match winner.

The close call seemed to deflate the Magpies and the Tricolours, led by their halves Miller and Blair, lifted to storm home with a miraculous victory. Western Suburbs did not deserve to lose in such a fashion but no one could take anything away from the Roosters side. Despite the disappointment of such a loss the Magpies side must be applauded for an outstanding season where they represented their club and themselves with distinction.

Roosters 27 (Wells 2, Blair, Rokolati, Brent; Miller 3 goals, field goal) d Magpies 26 (Inosesio 2, Joseph, Atuau; Brasington 5 goals)

Magic's Spirit Guides the Magpies to Victory

The big question on everybody's lips heading into Saturday's Round 8 NSW Cup match against the Sharks was would the Western Suburbs Magpies be able win without their inspirational skipper Nathan Waters? With the Club Captain finally earning a well deserved call up to First Grade Leo Epifania had to call on Wests Tigers NYC half Liam Ayoub to steer the Magpies around the park. How the Black and Whites adjusted to having a debutante playmaker would go a long way to determining the final outcome of the match.

The Sharks had no such concerns, going into the game with a side boasting Scott Porter and Josh Lewis in the halves, former Magpie junior Stuart Flanagan at dummy half and Adam Cuthbertson in the engine room the team from the Shire had a wealth of NRL experience on call. When the Magpies conceded a penalty from the kick off and Cronulla was celebrating a soft try to Mat Munro only a few tackles later it seemed Western Suburbs' 4 game winning streak was in grave danger of coming to an end.

Cronulla were unable to take advantage of their flying start and the Magpies stand in skipper Rhys Pritchard took charge in the 8th min to even up the scores. The Magpies Winger slotted into first receiver on the 5th and put in a well weighted cross field kick for a leaping Andrew Everingham to outjump his opposite number and score. Geoff Daniella put the Magpies in front in the 23rd minute when he got outside his man and reached out to plant the ball next to the corner post. Chris Corby nailed a beautiful sideline conversion and Wests were starting to dominate.

The Sharks were starting to feel the frustration of a mounting error count and found themselves conceding penalties as they tried to slow the Magpies play the ball. The referee's patience ran out 5 minutes from the end of thee half and Cronulla found themselves down to 12 men. The Magpies weren't going to let the opportunity pass and when 5/8 Ben Falcone layed on a try for 2nd Rower Josh Davis in the final minute of the half Western Suburbs were very pleased to take a 16-6 lead to the break.

A Josh Lewis chip and chase led to the first points of the Second Half when his regather stretched the Magpies defence and earned a Mark Lennon try in the corner, but Wests shifted up a gear to put on the next three tries to put the game beyond the Sharks just when they looked like they might make a game of it. A dropped ball on the 50 was picked up by Nu Akeripa and he was untroubled as he raced away to score under the posts. Just minutes later Ayoub tested a tiring Cuthbertson close to the line and the nippy half left the big man grasping at air as he skipped away to score. When Ayoub dropped a bomb right over Lennon's head for Pritchard to bring down for the four pointer the Magpies were home at 32-10 with just 15 minutes to play.

With nothing to lose the Sharks began to throw the ball around and it paid dividends with a couple of quick tries to Jamen McLeod and Flanagan to make it interesting at 32-22 with 5 to go. Wests ensured there was to be no miracle escape when Everingham bagged his double on the end of a sharp backline play to put the result beyond doubt.

Whilst the game didn't reach any great heights with both sides guilty of far too many errors, the Magpies were delighted to have ground out another win whilst missing important members of their Front Row rotation and without their half and skipper. Best for Wests were non-stop Lock Jamie Sharkey, powerhouse 2nd Rower Josh Davis, and Liam Ayoub who had a fine debut filling in for Waters.

Their 5th win on the trot lifted the Magpies to 2nd on the NSW Cup ladder. Next week Wests finally put their nomadic existence in 2010 behind them when they return to the newly renovated Campbelltown Stadium to take on Joint Venture partners Balmain in the next instalment of the fiercest rivalry in the NSW Cup. With Balmain just a single point ahead in 1st place on the table this promises to be one of the matches of the season.

Western Suburbs 36 (Everingham 2, Daniella, Davis, Akeripa, Ayoub, Pritchard; Corby 2, Sharkey 2 goals) d Cronulla 22 (Munro, Lennon, McLeod, Flanagan: Lewis 3 goals)

Magpie Intensity Sends the Bears into Hibernation

Western Suburbs had escaped with a one point win over North Sydney in their Round 1 clash, and with a narrow 12-10 lead at half time it looked like another close encounter was on the cards in Saturday’s NSW Cup Round 7 rematch. With winger Gus Aiga already sidelined, when young Magpie James Leuluai was stretchered off just two minutes into the second half Leo Epifania’s side was down to two fit interchanges and under the pump. At half time the coach had asked his players to deliver on a promise to raise their intensity and his charges delivered with a six tries to nil second half rout to lift the Magpies to 3rd on the table.

Wests started the game in perfect fashion capitalising on an early penalty to score before the Bears had spent any time in possession. Magpies skipper Nathan Waters producing one of his trademark inside balls to a flying George Kepa for the try. Chris Corby slotted the extras and the Black and Whites were away. Strong defence from Wests kept the Bears under control and they were able to capitalise in the 15th minute when back rower Simon Dwyer charged through a hole in the defence created by an offside Norths player being called out of the play. Dwyer perfectly drew the Norths Fullback and sent Aiga in close to the posts. Corby’s conversion had the Magpies out to 12-0 and the Bears were staring down the barrel.

Scrappy play from the Magpies allowed the home side back into the contest and Norths responded with two tries of their own in the 21st and 29th minutes to make the game interesting. The Watersiders should have gone to the break with a lead when great vision from 5/8 Eddie Paea to grubber and regather on the 5th had Wests defence beaten in the dying seconds of the half. Norths simply had to score, but luckily for Wests Paea’s pass was called forward and a potentially game breaking try was denied.

With the injury woes and handling errors stifling their attack it took Wests 10 minutes of the second half to finally click into gear. The last half hour of the game however was all about the Magpies with the captain leading the way. Waters put on a masterclass to put the Bears to sleep. The rout started with the Wests No. 7 putting in a pin point accurate cross field kick on the 4th tackle to lay on a try for winger Jarek Goebel. Front Rower Andrew Pearn was in to score not long after and when Waters’ smart grubber for Dwyer had Wests up by 28-10 in the 61st minute the game was as good as over. A man down due to Greg Nichols sin binning there would be no way back for the Bears today when Waters’ inside ball to Falcone stretched the lead to 24 with 15 to play.

To their credit the Bears kept trying, but nothing was going right for them and when Joe William’s clearing kick ricocheted off a Magpie defender into the arms of David Harris the fans were treated to one of the slowest 50 metre sprints in league history. Despite the lack of blinding pace the interchange forward was still able to hold off the cover defence and slam the ball down for the try that he deservedly celebrated in style. His interchange partner Nu Akerpia provided a fitting final act to the game with a powerful 90 metre run to score in the dying seconds.

It had been a stirring effort from the Magpies to storm home in such a powerful fashion after seeing one of their own taken from the ground in an ambulance. Best for Wests were captain Waters who continues to shine each week, Front Rower Andrew Pearn and Lock Jamie Sharkie. The club was also pleased to hear that scans had cleared Leuluai of any serious injury although he will be out of action for a while.

Western Suburbs 44 (Kepa, Aiga, Goebel, Pearn, Dwyer, Falcone, Harris, Akeripa; Corby 4, Sharkie 2 goals)

defeated

North Sydney 10 (Johnston, Apps; Paea 1 goal)

The Western Suburbs Magpies demonstrated they have the steel in their defence to contain the best attacks in the NSW Cup after hanging on for a hard fought 14-8 victory over the Wolves on Saturday night.

The game started under perfect conditions for football at Windsor with a fine cool autumn night, but as a heavy dew settled over the ground in the second 40 the ball became as hard to hang on to as a cake of soap. The home side struggled to complete their sets in the last half hour of the game, but Wests were even less security conscious and spent most of the second half grimly defending their line. In the end however the character of the Wests side shone through as they repelled the potent Windsor attack and protected the lead they’d built up in the drier conditions.

The Black and Whites went into the game desperately short in the Front Row with Alex Ranieri, Michael Stolk, and Jason Cayless unavailable due to injury. Against the huge Wolves pack rangy back rower Gareth Moreton found himself drafted into the interchange prop role and Wests Tigers NYC player Isaac Liu got a call up to debut in the open age competition. Wests Tigers back rower Simon Dwyer also kitted up to make his return from a long injury layoff. But it would be up to the Magpies starting pack of Duan Poaneki, Chris Corby, Andrew Hearn, Jamie Sharkie, Josh Davis, and Nu Akeripa to absorb the early blows, and they did so magnificently.

Both sides took it to each other in the opening exchanges with defence dominating the game until back to back penalties in the 20th minute cost the Magpies. The infringements took Windsor 100m up field and ended with Maurice Blair finishing off a sweeping backline movement to score in the corner. Wests got back into the arm wrestle with the home side and the match returned to its familiar set for set pattern. It took great vision from Rhys Pritchard to turn defence into attack in the 29th minute and get Wests on the scoreboard. The Magpies winger scooped up a Windsor dropped ball and quickly spun a pass wide to skipper Nathan Waters who found centre Andrew Everingham in support. The Wests speedster raced away to score and level the scores at 4 all.

Wests confidently worked their way back into the attacking zone from the kick off and a little Waters Magic again had the Magpies in to score. The halfback took on the Wolves line on the 5th and put a short chip over the defence into the in goal where his halves partner Ben Falcone beat the skipper to the touch down. Corby’s conversion gave the visitors a 10-6 advantage that they would take to the break.

Wests started the second stanza smartly with probing dummy half runs and simple hit ups to march up field. In the 4th minute Waters again challenged the defence and turned the ball inside to racing Magpies No.1 George Kepa who was able to reach out and ground the ball after being brought down just short of the line. At 14-4 Wests would have been looking to go on with the win, but a dropped ball early in the tackle count after the kick off set the pattern for the Black and Whites for the rest of the game and they were rarely able to get out of their own 50 from that point on.

Windsor put themselves into position to stage a comeback when Masada Iosefa scooted out of dummy half to run 40m and score in the 12th minute, but from then on handling errors and the Magpies desperation turned back numerous Windsor raids and secured the 2 competition points.

Best for the Magpies on a night where points were at a premium were Wests tight three Jamie Sharkey, Duan Poaneki and Andrew Pearn who all played big minutes and got through a mountain of work.

Western Suburbs 14 (Everingham, Falcone, Kepa; Corby 1 goal) defeated Windsor 8 (Blair, Iosefa)

The Magpies fight off the Centurions

It was another scorching hot day at Leichhardt Oval with most fans preferring to watch the NSW Cup Round 5 double header in the shade of the main grandstand. The Western Suburbs Magpies were full of confidence after beating the highly fancied Wentworthville Magpies on Easter Sunday. The Central Coast Centurions travelled down the F3 with their pride dented after being beaten so comprehensively the week before by the Cronulla Sharks.

It was drummed into the players the danger a game like this poses. Thankfully, the boys took the warning seriously as it only took 10 minutes before Wests fullback George Keppa linked up with a flying Gus Aiga to score the game’s first four pointer. Chris Corby converted the kick from the sideline to start the day off in fine fashion.

The first half was dominated by Central Coast’s handling errors, which constantly kept them under pressure from the swift Magpie offence. The Cental Coast could only hold on for so long and in the 27th minute George Keppa set up Ben Falcone under the posts and the Magpies extended their lead to 12 – 0.

The Central Coast rallied with an unbelievable kick return that saw Kevin Naiqama run 60metres untouched to score under the black dot. George Ndaira converted and it's back to 12-6. The Magpies however quickly bounced back just a few minutes out from half time when Gus Aiga went in for his double. Corby again converted and the boys in black and white entered the sheds leading 18 - 6 .

Wests’ domination continued after the break with Rhys Pritchard scoring the next four pointer. Corby was unable to add the extras. Wests continued to throw everything at their opponents but it would be the Centurions who scored the next two tries reducing Wests lead to just 4 points. The trainer delivered more than just water to the players, and the rev up worked as the Maggies hit back extending their lead thanks to a Josh Davis try that was converted by Corby. Wests 28, Cental Coast 18.

But the Centurions weren’t finished yet. Simon Williams scored a try in the corner and thankfully for Wests the conversion hit the posts and bounced out leaving us with a six point ball game and a nail biting ending. Chris Corby stepped up, no longer just content with grabbing the two pointers the Magpies No.9 hit the line hard from a dummy half scoot, barging over to give us the final score of 32 – 22. His conversion was unsuccessful but the Magpie supporter’s celebrations were jubilant.

In the second game of the double header the Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers were lucky to beat the Melbourne Storm 12 points to 10.

Western Suburbs 32 (Tries: G Aiga 2, R Pritchard, C Corby, J Davis, B Falcone Conversions: C Corby 4) defeated Central Coast 22 (Tries: K Naiqama, J Fawcett, S Williams, J Edwards Conversions: G Ndaira 3)

In the second game of the double header the Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers were lucky to beat the Melbourne Storm 12 points to 10.

Magpies Reduce the Errors to Grab the Points

A four try blitz to start the second half gave the Western Suburbs Magpies a commanding victory against Wentworthville in Sunday’s NSW Cup clash at Ringrose Park.

After trailing 12-6 at the break Wests started the second 40 perfectly finding the dead ball line with the kick off to put them straight on the attack. The Magpies soon had the scores locked up when a quality ball from skipper Nathan Waters sent fullback George Keppa on an angled run to the line. Waters was again causing havoc for the home side in the following set when he burst through the Wentworthville mid-field before putting second rower Josh Davis away for a try. Wenty found themselves unable to work their way out of their own half and were lucky to hold out numerous attacking raids. They finally cracked when a sharp Keppa cut out ball put Rhys Pritchard over in the corner. The Black and Whites ended their point scoring spree when hooker Chris Corby supported a 40m Ben Falcone break. Corby added the extras with his 5th straight conversion and Wests had the game as good as won at 30-12.

Wentworthville gambled on a short kick off and caught Wests off guard. For the next 10 minutes of the match the home side did not allow Wests a single possession. Wests scrambled manfully in defence as Wentworthville threw caution to the wind trying to spark a comeback. Despite the domination of possession and field position late in the game the Magpies only yielded a single try and held on for a very satisfying 30-18 victory.

The win was built on an excellent display of controlled rugby league in the first half. Wentworthville kicked off the match with a strong wind at their backs. They were soon taking advantage of the good field position with a try under the sticks in the 3rd minute. A second try followed after 28 minutes, but despite the advantage of field position provided by the breeze Wenty couldn’t get away from the determined Magpies outfit. Wests hit back with a try before half time to Keppa to reduce the deficit to only 6. The Magpies completed 18 of their 19 sets in the first half and this exceptional ball control minimised the chances for their opponents to capitalise on the conditions and set up Wests for their second half attack.

Best for Wests were George Keppa with a five star fullback performance, Nathan Waters with a dominant halfback display, and busy hooker Chris Corby. Wests Tigers Kiwi international Jason Cayless was a notable inclusion for the Magpies and got a great chance to build his match fitness with a full 80 minute effort.

Western Suburbs 30 (Keppa (2), Davis, Pritchard, Corby; Corby 5 goals) defeated Wentworthville 18 (Lasalo, Wright, Howard; Humble 3 goals)

Magpies Have to Settle for a Point

Despite scoring four tries to three the Western Suburbs Magpies had to settle for a draw against the Jets in their NSW Cup Round 3 clash at Henson Park today. In the end the Black and Whites were relieved to hold on for the 18 all scoreline after the Magpies were forced to come back from 18-12 down with a late try to Junior Moors with only 3 minutes to play. Gareth Moreton landed the visitor’s first conversion of the afternoon to level the scores and give Wests a shot at a miracle escape. The Jets turned the tables and gave themselves last say in the match by finding touch with the kick off but Jets half Liam Foran’s last minute field goal attempt missed to the left of the posts. After the match Wests coach Leo Epifania was happy to get the club’s first competition point off the Bluebags in 5 years and felt the result was probably fair in a game where both sides squandered opportunities to win.

For the third straight week the Magpies got off to a great start scoring the first two tries of the match, only to let their opponents back into the game. Fullback George Keppa raced onto skipper Nathan Water’s well weighted grubber in the 6th minute and had enough time to wander around in the in goal before grounding the ball for the four pointer. With Moreton starting from the bench Keppa was drafted in to take over the goal kicking duties but was unable to land any of his three attempts for the day.

Wests defence in the early stages held the Jets at bay. Attempting to find a way around the Magpies wall Newtown put in a hopeful short chip out wide. Speedy winger Rhys Pritchard gathered in the ball and tip-toed along the sideline to skirt around the Newtown defence for a 60m run. Pritchard found Geoff Daniella looming on his inside and put him away for an 8-0 scoreline.

The injection of big Newtown interchange forward Ryan Verlinden changed the complexion of the game. The former Bears and Sharks big man has caused plenty of problems for the Magpies in the past and he set about doing it again for his new club with some charging runs through the heart of the Wests line. The pressure was starting to tell on Wests as their structure fell away in the last ten minutes of the half. A mighty effort repelling three sets on their line seemed to have sapped the Magpies and the Jets were soon taking advantage when Wests failed to ‘shut the gate’ in defence allowing Newtown centre Kane Linnett a clear run to the line in the 33rd minute. Newtown’s kicker Chris Tuatara-Morrison brought his kicking boots landing the first of his three conversions for the day. 4 minutes later Tuatara-Morrison grabbed his own 4 pointer when a tired Wests failed to clean up a kick and allowed Newtown to regather just metres from the line.

Having yet again failed to make the most of a fine start Wests found themselves down 12-8 at the break. Epifania told the players not to worry about the score and to just get their completions back on track to deny Newtown any more ball than necessary. The message seemed to have worked when Moors levelled the scores just two minutes into the half with a strong run, but Verlinden and Charlie Leaeno for the Jets kept the Magpies defence backpedalling. In the 66th minute Linnett scored an identical try to his first half effort to put the Jets in the box seat for the win before the Black and White’s late game escape.

Henson Park has been kinder to Western Suburbs in 2010 than it has for many a year, but it is turning up some strange coincidences. With both games of the Round 1 double header being decided by a single point, the Jets home ground once again proved a hard place to separate teams when Cronulla and Windsor drew 22 all in the opening match of today’s double header.

Best for the Magpies were hooker Chris Corby, 5/8 Ben Falcone and winger Rhys Pritchard.

Wests 18 (Moors 2, Daniella, Keppa; Moreton 1 goal)

drew with

Newtown (Linnett 2, Tuatara-Morrison; Tuatara-Morrison 3 goals)

Magpies Better Everywhere Except the Scoreboard

Three pieces of individual magic from Balmain halves pairing Blake Lazarus and Arana Taumata proved the difference at the end of a willing NSW Cup encounter at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday.

These clashes between joint venture partners Wests and Balmain have developed a reputation for a bit of extra feeling and this encounter on a baking Leichhardt Oval pitch was to live up to it. Balmain’s Shirnack brothers in particular sailed dangerously close to the wind at times as the temperature on the field was raised beyond what the glorious March sunshine had already provided. The Magpies took everything that was dished out and returned it with interest with some bruising tackling, but three lapses in concentration were all the Tigers classy 6 and 7 required to steal the points.

Taumata’s 20th minute try came from nothing, but once the fleet footed 5/8 had slipped out of a simple one on one tackle 30 metres out it was shut the gate as he raced away to score. It had been all the Black and Whites up until that point with Magpies skipper Nathan Waters directing his troops to perfection. “Magic” laid on Wests first try with a clever grubber finding a charging Josh Davis who scored untouched. Waters then scored himself. With a great piece of vision he rushed from the open to the blind side to create the extra man from a play the ball right on the Tigers goal line. The Balmain defence failed to react and the Magpies half took the pass from the dummy half Corby to plant the ball without a hand being laid on him. With a 10-0 lead and Tigers Prop Al Shirnack in the bin for an off the ball infringement it was looking good for the Magpies. A dropped ball on the second tackle after the restart however gave Balmain the ball and field position for Taumata to capitalise.

Wests regrouped and settled back into their sets before a 30th minute cross field kick from Waters found a leaping Rhys Pritchard on the fifth. With the Tigers stretched Pritchard offloaded to Gareth Moreton who drew the defence and sent winger Gus Aiga over in the corner. Moreton was unable to overcome the best ‘lolly legs’ call in the NSW Cup but at 14-6 Wests had a bit of breathing space and the momentum.

The elder Shirnack returned to the field and was instantly in trouble with the officials, but Wests again turned the ball over from the penalty to allow Lazarus the chance to stamp his quality on the game. A dangerous ball runner like the Balmain Half cannot be allowed room, but that was exactly the mistake the visitors made. It was an invitation to create havoc the young number 7 took with glee, breaking out of a tackle and sprinting away to plant it under the sticks. Meaney’s simple conversion had the Tigers right in the game at 14-12. Wests were soon back on the attack from a Balmain dropped ball, but couldn’t convert and were disappointed to only take a two point lead into the break after dominating most aspects of the first half.

The second half was a story of missed opportunity for both sides. One numerous occasions a poor last pass or a desperate defender was all that prevented a four pointer at both ends of the field. Balmain almost took the lead 4 minutes in, but Lazarus’ pass was called back, whilst a beautifully directed Water’s kick at the end of the following set bounced back off of the goal post pads and into the path of a charging George Keppa. Unfortunately the Magpies Fullback couldn’t control the ball and a golden opportunity was lost. The pendulum swung both ways for the first fifteen minutes of the half until that man Lazarus again stepped up to confound Wests.

An off side penalty 30m out from the Wests line was always going to be a challenge for the Magpies defence to hold out the repeat set of 6, except Lazarus was in no mood to find out how that would play out. He raced to the mark, took the quick tap and was scoring in the corner before the Magpies had set their line. It was a crucial lapse from Wests and one that was to prove the difference between the teams in the end. Wests would spend the next 20 minutes of the game doing everything but scoring the try that would get them back in front. The Magpies weren’t having too much difficulty getting into attacking positions, aided by some ill disciplined play by the home side, but just couldn’t turn good position into points.

Eventually the Tigers would prove to again be the ones to find a way of getting across the stripe when Mitch Brown broke through a tackle and sent his skipper Lee Bennett over beside the corner post. At 20 – 14 and with barely seconds on the clock Wests put up a hopeful bomb that was allowed to bounce by the Tigers with Aiga hot in pursuit. The awkward bounce gave the crowd a last moment of suspense until Meaney successfully, if unconvincingly punched the ball over the sideline to confirm the result.

After the hooter Wests were hurting over the loss in a game where they made the running for most of the 80 minutes, but couldn’t seal the deal. However, they could take consolation in a gritty performance after having to reshuffle the line up before the game when Andrew Fifita and Geoff Daniella were called up by Tim Sheen’s First Grade side. Congratulations must go also to Wests Tigers NYC player Sean Spence who stepped up to fill a hole for coach Leo Epifania and had a solid debut at NSW Cup level when he replaced the injured Josh Davis after 30mins.

Best for the Magpies were captain Nathan Waters who had a hand in everything good Wests did, Second Rower Dean Rysko with his customary huge workload in attack and defence, and Hooker Chris Corby who was smart around the rucks in attack and kept things tight up the middle in defence.

Next Saturday the Magpies return to Henson Park to do battle with the Newtown Jets from 3pm.

Western Suburbs 14 (Davis, Waters, Aiga; Moreton 1 goal) lost to Balmain 20 (Lazarus 2, Taumata, Bennett; Meaney 2 goals)

4th Minute TRY to Western Suburbs back-rower Josh Davis. Conversion successful by Garteth Morton. Western Suburbs take an early lead after some sustained pressure and lead the North Sydney Bears 6-0.

6th Minute Norths back-rower David Tyrell is looking dangerous out wide for the Bears as Wests get a penalty for an infringement in the ruck.

15th Minute TRY to Western Suburbs prop Andrew Fafita. Fafita bumps of some would be tacklers and barges over from 5 metres out. Conversion successful by Gareth Morton. Western Suburbs 12 lead North Sydney 0.

19th Minute TRY A brilliant 80 metre Western Suburbs try! Rhys Pritchard scoots down the sideline for 40 metres and then off loads to Geoff Daniela who turns it inside for Ben Falcone. A brilliant team try. Conversion successful and the Maggies have jumped out of the box and lead 18 points to nil.

30th Minute The Bears have found their feet now and are peppering the Wests line with repeated sets of six.....TRY to Norths half-back Jarryd Hogan. Conversion by Eddie Paea is successful. Wests 18 lead Norths 6.

38th Minute TRY to North Sydney winger Mark Talanoa after a neat kick from Jarryd Hogan. Conversion unsuccessful by Eddie Paea. Western Suburbs 18 lead North Sydney 10

HALF TIME WESTERN SUBURBS 18 LEAD NORTH SYDNEY 10

42nd Minute: underway here again and both teams will be desperate to score first as it will go a long way to winning this one

47th Minute: neither side seems to be switched on after the break which is a shame for the Bears who definitely had all the momentum heading into the break

55th Minute: TRY finally some action here in the second with Eddie Paea doing it all himself from around 40m out. Conversion successful and we have a ball game again. Wests 18 lead Norths 16

58th Minute: TRY and all of a sudden it's all North Sydney here at Henson Park. On the back of a penalty, the Bears had great field position and Jamie Simpson barged his way over from beside the posts. Conversion successful and the Bears are in front 22-18

68th Minute: Norths are defending for grim life now that they have reached the front. Sustained pressure from the Maggies but can't find a try at the moment

71st Minute: TRY It has been building for a while and finally a sweeping backline move was finished off by the flying Rhys Pritchard in the corner. Conversion unsuccessful and we are all tied up at 22 a piece

74th Minute: FIELD GOAL Nathan Waters cooly slots a one pointer to put the Maggies back in front. Can they hold on? Wests 23 Norths 22

76th Minute: TRY The Magpies score again, this time the other winger Andrew Everingham goes over and Morton converts from the sideline. Surely Wests are home now, they lead by 7 with 3 minutes to go

79th Minute: TRY A consolation try to Norths Zeb Tawha and it was converted by Eddie Paea, but unfortunately not enough time for a restart and the Western Suburbs Magpies open up their account in the NSW Cup for 2010 as they sneak home 29-28