Round 11 Firsts – Déjà vu for Whites as mid-season slump continues
By Brodie Campbell
The Queanbeyan Whites have unfortunately slid down to 3rd on the BentSpoke John I Dent Cup ladder after they suffered their first back-to-back losses of the season on Saturday at Jamison Oval, going down to the Western District Lions 48-42 in a nail-biting encounter.
After a near perfect start to the season, the Whites were dealt a harsh reality check in their previous match, with an away trip to Phillip Oval producing a disappointing 35-24 loss despite a late comeback in the second half. The loss was only the Whites second for the season, but they were hanging on to 2nd spot on the ladder by a mere thread, so as they went into their away clash against the bottom ranked Wests side, there was an urgency to perform to keep their season on track.
However, as the game kicked off, it was clear that some demons from the Royals clash remained as the Lions quickly kicked off the scoring in the opening six minutes, when Ioelu Pisu barged over to score. Despite the early hit, the Whites would respond just eight minutes when Nathan Carroll crossed over in the 14th minute to lock the scores back up at 7-all. The story of the first half for Queanbeyan could only be described as “one step forward and two steps back”, as with every try the Whites scored, Wests would hit just continue to hit back. After Carroll went over to score, The Lions immediately hit back, with Dylan Bretton scoring two tries in the 22nd and 30th minute to extend Wests lead to 24-7. After they snagged another try with two to go in the half, Blake Miller managed to scrape one more try in for the Whites to give them a 29-14 deficit at the break.
Desperate to keep themselves in the contest in the second half, Queanbeyan did not do themselves any favours as Wests were first to score again in the 44th minute to bring their lead back to 20 points. Despite the odds being stacked against them, the Whites would emulate their efforts in the Royals loss as they mounted a comeback over the next twenty minutes of the game, battling their way back into the contest, and eventually give themselves the lead. Tuaina Taii Tualima crossed over to score in the 49th minute before Koko Salim raced through two minutes later to cut the deficit down to six.
Kye Darmody was the one who would give the Whites the lead in the 58th minute, as his try and the conversion by Cullin Cooper-Jones gave Queanbeyan a one-point lead. Momentum seemed to be in the Whites favour, but as the Wests mounted immense pressure with great field position, it seemed like only a matter of time before they would take the lead back. The Whites would finally crack in the 70th minute as Tavita Pouesi went in to get the lead back for the Lions before Ioelu Pisu went in to score his second for the game to bring Wests lead back to 13. Koko Salim scored his second try in the 76th minute (his 9th try for the season) to give the Whites a glimmer of hope, but the Lions would stay on top, as the full-time score saw them take a 48-42 victory.
The loss saw the Whites slide down to 3rd spot with their third loss of the season, being overtaken by the Vikings. Despite the resilient effort, frustrations were laid bare for Queanbeyan as injuries have begun to take their toll on the side. After so many weeks of a near full strength side, the Whites have been provided with could be their biggest test of the season.
Despite the injuries there were still some bright spots for their younger players, with Taii Tualima and Nate Hepi making their run on first grade debuts for the club, whilst Mitchell Bell made his first appearance in first grade coming off the bench. The Whites next matchup will see them have the chance to retake 2nd spot in front of their home crowd at Campese Field, taking on the Uni-North Owls at 3:05pm on Saturday.
Tries: Koko Salim (2), Nathan Carroll (1), Blake Miller (1), Tuaina Taii Tualima (1), Kye Darmody (1). Conv: Cullin Cooper-Jones (6).