Nelson Bay Rugby Union Club traveled to Newcastle's No.2 sportsground to play Wanderers on Saturday.
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The ground was wet but in good condition when third grade kicked off but a massive downpour later in the day caused the cancellation of the first grade fixture.
The third grade game was a real arm wrestle with the Two Blues winning a tight contest 12-7. The halftime score remained the same until the final whistle.
Half back Mitch Evans was a constant threat throughout Saturday's game, probing for openings and giving good service to his backline. In a hard working forward pack No. 8 Joel O'Loughlin and lock Ben Grover were strong performers. Riley Byfield crashed over for a try and Kailen Williams added the extras.
The second grade was a game of two halves. With a strong breeze at their back and a glut of possession, Wanderers held a handy 26-0 lead at half time. This blew out to 36-0 before the Gropers showed plenty of character to storm back late in the half with 19 unanswered points to win the second half 19-10.
Tough prop Nathan McLeay was a standout in the forwards against a much bigger forward pack. Hard running centre Jake Redman continued his recent great form to pick up three club points. Nathan collected two points and full back Ben Lotaaw picked up one point on his return from injury with a strong effort at the back.
The club playing group always rally to the cause with Sam Rocher, Nathan Olivier, Qwayde Cole and Kailen Williams backing up for the seconds.
The Gropers host Hamilton on Saturday and will play for the Rip Wright Cup - a long standing tradition between the two clubs.
The Nelson Bay club will also celebrate and launch their Indigenous jersey along with a welcome to country and smoking ceremony. Special guest will be former player and leading medical specialist Dr Kelvin Kong.
Third grade kicks off the day at 12.30pm.
FINGAL Bay ladies league tag team continued on their winning way with an emphatic 52-6 victory over swansea on the weekend.
The win has seen the Bomboras move into third place on the table. That continues their recent good form after defeating Shortland Devils last weekend 32-0.
Coach Blaine O'Flaherty was very pleased with the team's near perfect completion rate. Working the middle and edges, they dominated the Swans. The elusive running of Nicole Bennet saw her score three tries. Rachael Pool was the players' player while Jessica Johnston had a great game.
The team are away on Sunday to East Maitland.
Club trainer Neil Parfitt's recent return to the running ranks proved successful when he contested the Newcastle 10 kilometre road championships. Held at Lake Macquarie he contested and won the 60-64 age division and finished strongly to place 11th overall.
FINGAL Bay Rugby League Club hosted Raymond Terrace on Saturday with the Magpies adapting to the terrible conditions to run out 32-6 victors.
The Bomboras struggled to contain the Terrace as they went into the game with a limited bench with just 15 players available. The Magpies' slick backline revelled in the conditions with captain and half back Luke Handsaker and classy fullback Tom Reynolds creating plenty of attacking raids. The front row combinations of Stephen Soper and Blake Chaffey provide the forward for the Magpies.
Fingal trainer Gary Briggs was kept busy strapping up injured players and sending them back out again. The Bomboras' hard working hooker Liam Dooley picked up the players' player award. Bo Earl and Alex Sharpe were tireless workers in a beaten side.
The Bomboras play West Wallsend at home on Saturday. The Magpies are away to the Morisset Bulls.
RAYMOND Terrace's D-grade rugby league team were out gunned by Gloucester 52-12 on Saturday.
Best for the Terrace were Jesse Murphy, players' player Nick Jenkinson and Andrew O'Toole .
D-grade play Dungog this weekend.
Meanwhile, in other club games, the Magpies ladies tag team had a narrow 12-0 loss to Dudley. The Ravens ladies league tag team lost to Kotara.
THE Northern Hawks Rugby League Club will host South Newcastle Lions this Sunday at Tomaree Sportsground.
The Hawks have produced strong performances in recent weeks and had a strong 52-10 win over Lakes United on Sunday at Cahill Oval in Belmont.
The hard pre-season work is now paying dividends for the Hawks with their fitness levels still on a high.
Flying winger David Green was impressive on Sunday as he ran in three tries while the hard working forward pack lead by Jessie O'Conner, Darcie Baldwin and Aden Jenkins were dominant in the middle.
The under-19s ran into a slick Lakes unit and were beaten 52-0 in the early game.
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