Magpies take the bite out of the Sharks

Hay Magpies posted two second half whitewashes on Sunday, when they defeated Tullibigeal Lakes United Sharks at Lake Cargelligo on Sunday.

The line-up was again changed to account for injuries and unavailable players, with Kynan Headon and Toby Crighton slotted into the number 6 and 7 jumpers. TLU threatened early, but Hay held the line as Dylan Lund peppered the Sharks with huge line drop out kicks. Winger Sailiasi Madrai scored first, using his speed, and the pressure of the Hay defence caused TLU handling errors in critical moments of the first half. The Sharks lost their hooker to what appeared to be a knee injury and he was attended to by Hay’s trainer. They managed to score an unconverted try and Hay took a narrow 6-4 lead into the break. The second half momentum was all in the Magpies favour; The Hay side tackled well, led by Tom Schiller and benefited by the direction from behind the line by Whitehead.

After enjoying a week off Ben Taylor had an outstanding game and had a hand in several tries on the left side. Jerry Balanawi made his presence felt, and Tim Lomai and Harley Hey kept the game settled with their direction and strength.

Schiller scored for Hay, from a clever dummy half dive and Tom Lee showed his pace, chasing down a long fifth kick, to beat defenders to ground the ball and score an exuberant try. An attack on the head of Balenawi gave Hay the scrum feed and the Magpies worked the ball down for Madrai to cross for his second – Sai has become the Hay go-to when the Magpies are looking for space on the wing. Taylor and Hey combined to break the TLU line, before sending a pass across to Whitehead to score under the posts. The pair combined again soon after, and this time Crighton finished the effort off, muscling across the line. The Magpies did not release any pressure, despite the score widening, but TLU lagged in the face of the Magpies stinging defence and were unable to string together any go forward. Hey again busted the Sharks line, before passing onto Taylor who managed to get the ball across the line with an outstretched hand, to post a well-deserved final try for Hay.

Final score: Hay 36 (Tries Sailasa Madrai 2, Tom Schiller, Tom Lee, Toby Whitehead, Toby Crighton, Ben Taylor, Goal Harley Hey 4).

The league tag game followed a similar pattern. TLU Sharks scored first, posting two tries before Sophie Curtis scored after a Sharks error gave Hay good field position. Lily Huntly was involved all game and had her best match of the season – she pulled off a one-on-one strip that had the crowd cheering. At half-time Hay trailed by four points but whatever coach Luci Lugsdin said during the break made the difference. Yolanda Miller performed well at full-back, settling into the role better in the second half. Ellie Darlow and Lugsdin combined well and threatened the line, but the Sharks defence held until Lugsdin made a break and crossed the line. Darlow’s conversion put Hay two points ahead. Lugsdin repeated the play soon after, breaking the line untouched and weaving around defenders to score.

Cheyenne Hurst also made a busting break, speeding away from the Sharks, but pulled down short of the line. Kassie Downie tagged well, denying TLU any further points in the game. As in the men’s match, the Magpies lifted in the second half as their opponents lagged, and it will be this energy Hay needs to continue, as they face tougher opponents in coming weeks.

Final score: (Tries Luci Lugsdin 2, Sophie Curtis. Goals Ellie Darlow 3).

Hay will travel to Yenda next week to meet the Blueheelers. Hay sits just above Yenda in the league tag ladder, but the BlueSheilas are coming off the back of a massive 32-0 win over DPC, while Yenda first grade is coming off a loss.

Ben Taylor, back and better than ever, after taking a week off, worked well with his team. Image: Krista Schade.