A MASSIVE crowd paid their respects at the John "Jack" Edmunds tribute day at Strong Oval on Saturday with a minute silence honouring the past life member and stalwart who gave wonderful service to the Nelson Bay Rugby Club over many years.
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In the first game of the season, wet conditions made the rugby a dour contest. However, the Gropers almost sprung an upset in the final 10 minutes only to see a late try disallowed. The Wanderers closed out the match with two late penalties to seal the win, 24-13. The Wanderers held a slender 5-3 lead at half time as the hard working Bay forward pack mixed it with the Wanderers' eight in a tight contest. Try scoring tough prop Cameron Rowse was the players' player. Fellow bookend Adam Rayner also had a fine game. Centre Michael Hotene was a constant threat in the backs.
The seconds were defeated 22-0 with lock Blake Fuller picking up the players' player award. Clever full back Jack Arthur - on the comeback trail after a major knee injury - was impressive and looked sharp. The Medowie Marauders proved very competitive, losing a close game 16-12 and once again will be a force in the third grade competition.
RAYMOND Terrace Rugby League Club posted their first win of the season on the weekend - a 32-18 victory over Tea Gardens. The Terrace always looked in control and had built a match-winning 18-6 lead at half time. The young forward pack worked hard in the middle with busy back rower Cooper Pitt and front rower Liam Power both having strong games. The pivot pairing of half Luke Handsaker and Will Turpin sparked the attacking raids. The powerful running of second rower Kurt Langdon netted him two tries and man of the match award.
NORTHERN Hawks Rugby League Club faced Macquarie Scorpions at Toronto on Saturday to mixed success. Reserve grade remain undefeated with a 20-16 win. Under-19s were down on troops but in the contest, going down 18-10 - their first loss of the season. The Hawks' reserve grade dominated the first half and had a comfortable 20-0. The Scorpions had a real sting in their tail with their slick backline running three tries in the second half. The Hawks hung tough late in the game to get the competition points. Captain-coach Brad Tighe and classy five eight Liam Walsh both had strong games. Under-19s struggled in the greasy conditions and gifted Macquarie plenty of ball. They trailed 10-0 at half time. The Hawks rallied after the break with tries to Isaac Chapman and five eight Cosmo O'Donohue after some good lead up work by Jake Wozniak. Open grade were down on man power but were in the contest at half time but the weight of numbers saw South pile on the points to run out 32-12 victors. The Hawks are away to Cessnock on Saturday.