The Monaro men’s rugby team were within seconds of breaking a long-term hoodoo against Southern Inland when they lost by 23-22 in overtime at Wagga Wagga on Saturday.
Two minutes into extra time, Southern Inlands took a shot at goal … their fifth attempt of the match… to wrest the result away from Monaro after a hard-fought and evenly matched contest.
In fact, one of the previous penalty goal attempts was the source of much confusion for those watching via live streaming. The online score showed Monaro ahead by 22-17 as Southern Inlands took their final penalty goal attempt. When Southern Inlands players started celebrating it still appeared they were two points behind, but for Monaro fans cheering what they thought was a win online, the cheers were in vain.
Despite the final result, Monaro generally had the better of the match, reflected in their three-tries-to-two haul.
In fact, so much regard for Monaro’s defence did the Riverina-based side have that they took five penalty goal attempts, most despite being in strong try-scoring position.
Monaro was first on the board, and quickly, when Goulburn scrum-half Jackson Reardon intercepted out wide. Reardon ran 20 metres before setting up Cooma’s excitement machine and crowd favourite, Vilitati Seru who, without his usual trademark stutter-step, sprinted 50 metres for the try.
Play resumed midfield before ten minutes later, from within their own quarter, the Southern Inland #14 took a long run up the right-hand flank and seemed destined to score. While he didn’t, Southern Inlands crossed several plays later and the conversion put them ahead 7-5.
That lead was short-lived when just two minutes later, from a deep kick, Monaro was able to regather for Bungendore hooker Jake Parker to grab the five-pointer, ADFA’s Fraser Baird kicked the conversion and Monaro took the 12-7 lead.
Again, the contest settled mostly midfield with Monaro having a slight territorial advantage.
Struggling to crack the Monaro line, Southern Inlands focused on a penalty-goal centred strategy to bring themselves back into the game, taking three penalty goal attempts in a matter of 11 minutes.
At the 29th minute, and in a good scoring position, Southern Inlands took their first shot, a successful penalty goal that reduced the gap to 12-10.
Five minutes later, and again in good position again, Southern Inlands opted for another penalty goal attempt, this time unsuccessfully.
And then again, five minutes after that, Southern Inlands took the kicking option, this time successfully, and with that went to the break with a 13-12 lead.
Southern Inlands lifted their defence in the second half and where Monaro had been able to break their line twice in the first half, the second half proved a tougher proposition.
Goulburn players performed strongly in the second half.
Three minutes into the second half a Ben Todkill kick return took play to within 30 metres of the Southern Inlands line but no points were to follow.
Ten minutes in, and Goulburn fullback Adam Lachlan was unlucky to be pulled up short of the Southern Inlands line.
Eventually Monaro was able to crack the line when in the 53rd minute the ball was put through the hands for a try to Jindabyne hooker Azzam Hudson.
Back in front by 19-13, Monaro defended that lead dourly, frustrating Southern Inlands attempts to break through until 17 minutes from fulltime, from a lineout 5 metres from the Monaro line, Southern Inlands constructed a driving maul that grinded its way across for the try.
The arm wrestle continued.
Now trailing 20-19, Monaro forced a Southern Inlands error and with twelve minutes remaining regained the lead 22-20 from a Fraser Baird penalty goal.
Monaro maintained the pressure for much of the remainder of the match.
Goulburn’s Will Mooney put in a solid break up the centre but Southern Inlands defence held firm. Southern Inlands found it hard to get out of their own half but when they did, with two minutes remaining they took another penalty goal attempt.
That attempt failed, and as full-time approached in this tit-for-tat contest, Monaro looked like the win was in the bag. But the score would change one last time when Southern Inlands, two minutes into extra time, took their fifth penalty goal attempt of the day.
This one succeeded, and after fighting gamely and leading for a good portion of the match, Monaro lost by a slender point, 23-22 to Southern Inlands.
While wins against Southern Inland remain elusive for Monaro the performance was one of the best ever put in by a Monaro side and as close as you could go without actually winning.
Goulburn captain and Monaro scum-half Jackson Reardon described the match as a high-quality game with the score going back and forth for 80 minutes.
“Once we got our set-piece sorted in the second half we felt really confident we’d come home strong and get the win, but a few calls didn’t go our way at the end and SIRU were good enough to finish strong and come away with the win,” he said.
Despite the loss, so close was the match that a bunch of Monaro players were picked in the Brumbies Country team to take on Brumbies City North and Brumbies City South at Rugby Park, Goulburn on 17 September on the strength of their performances. Goulburn players chosen include Will Mooney, Jordan Wilcox, Adam Lachlan, Jackson Reardon and Alec Palmer.
Brumbies Provincial Men’s Championship
Southern Inlands 23 (M Gay, P Lemmich tries, L Day 2 conversions. L Day 3 penalty goals) bt. Monaro 22 (Vilitati Seru, Jake Parker, Azzam Hudson tries. Fraser Baird 2 conversions, Fraser Baird 1 penalty goal).
- Match video
- Photo Gallery: PETE OLIVER
