Round 8 - First Grade: Yellow Card chaos as Whites edge out Eagles in epic Friday night encounter
by Brodie Campbell
The Queanbeyan Whites showcased their grit and determination, whilst keeping themselves within touching distance of the top of the ladder, knocking off the Gungahlin Eagles in a thrilling 36-31 victory on a cold Friday night in Queanbeyan.
The Whites came into the contest fresh off their first defeat of the season, going down 29-19 against the Canberra Royals in round 7, and were eager to bounce back against an Eagles side desperate to lift themselves off the bottom of the John I Dent Cup ladder. And it was made clear from the outset that the Eagles were there to play, as they broke out to a 12-0 lead after just 15 minutes of game time after an error riddled start by Queanbeyan.
Despite scoring tries through Waisea Tudulu and Blake Miller, the Whites still struggled to keep themselves in the contest throughout the first half, off the back of a strong attacking display by Gungahlin and some controversial refereeing decisions, compounded by Zane Marolt being yellow carded on the stroke of half time. The decision meant that the home side would go into the break down a man, and trailing 14-26 on the scoreboard.
Queanbeyan struck first in the second half with Blake Miller crossing over to secure a double, but the controversial calls kept coming, with Jakob Biet being yellow carded in the 52nd minute for foul play. The card came just moments before Marolt was set to return to the field, meaning that Queanbeyan would be forced to play a man down for another ten minutes of the match, however the playing field would be evened out a little when Eagles player Jack Condon was also given a yellow just a few minutes later.
Both sides took advantage of the card chaos with the lack of a 15th man on the field having its impact on both sides. Gungahlin crossed over in the 50th minute whilst Zane Marolt was off the field to extend their lead to 31-21, whilst the Whites managed to cut the lead back down to five after Isaiah Kolopeaua powered through in the 63rd minute, before outside back Koko Salim snatched an intercept and sprinted 30 metres to give the home side a 33-31 lead.
The final ten minutes became a true arm wrestle between the two sides as both looked for their opportunity to ice the game. The Whites got their chance in the final minute of the game when kicker Cullin Cooper-Jones iced a penalty goal to secure the victory for Queanbeyan.
The victory brings Queanbeyan within five points of the top of the ladder, and after enjoying their bye this weekend, will get the chance to dethrone the current ladder leaders the Canberra Royals in a blockbuster round 10 showdown at Phillip Oval.
The win also capped off the perfect week for the Queanbeyan community (and a grim one for the Gungahlin fans), as all other grades that played that weekend also walked away with victories. The women’s Premier 15s side walked away with a gutsy 22-19 victory on Thursday, snatching victory from the Eagles talons with just under three minutes remaining.
In the men’s competitions, the Whites Colts team produced an outstanding 38 unanswered points in the first half to take a commanding lead at halftime, before holding off a late second half comeback from the Eagles to win 38-26 on Friday. Meanwhile, the 2nd grade side also walked away with a come from behind victory on Friday, withstanding an early 10-0 deficit to claw their back to a 24-22 win off the back of an outstanding defensive display in the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Tries: Blake Miller (2), Waisea Tudulu (1), Isiah Kolopeaua (1), Koko Salim (1), Conv: Cullin Cooper-Jones (4) Penalties: Cullin Cooper-Jones (1).