Bleacherists,
Happy to count myself among the 13K+ punters at Campbelltown, but not happy with the result, Jan.
Undoubtedly the most disappointing loss of the year.
Not because the Tigers didn’t play well, or didn’t put in the required effort for the top level of the game – in fact it was high class football all round -- rather because two of the Gold Coast tries were perhaps the softest tries conceded by any team in the comp this season.
The first Titans try was just appalling defence…set up by the now-nemesis Scotty Prince, Mat Rogers just strolled across the try line as if he was on a leisurely Sunday afternoon walk.
Balmain defence completely missing on the left.
And the other one – well, it can only be described with a shake of the head as “soft”.
No use flogging a dead horse.
Still, not a good look in a hard man’s game.
But, The Tiges did put on some sparkling running rugby league.
The Good Wife remarked that the Lawrence try was “the best thing I’ve seen all year – on or off the field”
Indeed it was.
Farah noticed that there was no-one at full back, as the Gold Coast player had inserted himself into the defensive line, so Farah decides to put in a short chip/lob over the heads of the defenders, who were quick to turn on their heels, then has the courage to re-gather the ball himself, put in a shoulder charge on the one man who got to him, then while overbalancing and throwing himself full length forward, somehow gets a pass away to no one in particular on his left, with both feet off the ground.
The Lawrence toddler swoops onto the backwards bouncing ball and sprints away for the try line!
Thanks for coming!
Champagne football!
First time I’ve had to have a good look at Lawrence, and while he’s bright green with inexperience you can see where SC Sheens is coming from; the kid does have a “massive future” in front of him if he plays his cards right.
Will probably play for Straya in the centres.
Galea had another cracking game for mine, seemed to be everywhere in defence and dummy half work could not be faulted.
Bryce Gibbs plays well every week, but doesn’t often get a mention in dispatches; he had a stand out.
After singing the praises of Collis as a goal kicker, he had an absolute shocker.
Couldn’t kick to save himself from the sideline and two of them didn’t even make the distance to the uprights, let alone the accuracy.
Archer the Bamford made some bizarre rulings, but in the end had the sense to award the penalty count to the home side, but by my reckoning there were two occasions in the first half where he could have easily sin-binned a Gold Coast player for an intentional professional foul, in holding down the player who is attempting to play the ball. But he didn’t have the guts to go beyond blowing up a penalty.
Campbelltown is an ideal, purpose built rugby league ground.
Never mind that you wouldn’t go that far on your holidays, I am on holidays, dammit!
The Eastern Concourse in front of the newish grand stand is deeply raked, making it a fine viewing ground.
Unlike some other grounds, you can see every corner of the playing surface.
To the north of the concourse is a couple of…what can you describe them as? Berms is the best word I can come up with; whopping great heavy duty mesh cages filled with large road metal stacked on top of each other, and tastefully covered in a creeper, appropriately, displaying masses of deep orange flowers.
It’s next to the bar, so the blokes who pay their money and just walk in off the street and stand on top of these things to watch the game are heavy with leather, beard and tattoo.
At the southern end of the ground, four function rooms in the Wests Leagues Club overlook the ground.
Noice in there, I bet.
Fortunately had tickets in row BB, just two down from the back of the concourse so only two steps for a cripple to stumble down and up.
Out back of the stand, no more steps and about 20 yards to the dunny and the bar.
Perfect.
And the bar has the decency and sense to be selling ice cold cans of Carlton Draught, dispensing with this nonsense of pouring them into plastic cups altogether.
Just about the only sport where you can count on the crowd not throwing things onto the ground.
Barhelp just opens the can with a tea spoon, five bucks, and away you go son, thereby there are no queues at the bar, despite the ground being more or less full.
And of course it’s a ground which is rich with displays of old Western Suburbs Magpies jerseys, worn by young and old alike.
The most impressive was the one that had the Mapgies logo surrounded by the sponsors name “Victa” “Mowers”.
Now that’s going back a bit.
SC Sheens has scratched that one in the under the “we’ll learn from our losses” side of the Coach’s Ledger, probably under the sub-heading: “we only had ourselves to blame”
WESTS TIGERS 14. Tries: Whatuira, Lawrence, Tuiaki. Goals: Collis (1).
GOLD COAST TITANS 16. Tries: Rogers (2), Lewis. Goals: Rogers (2).
At Campbelltown Sports Ground.
Crowd: 13,451.
The Swans have had a very quiet week if the best they could do is get the club’s resident token Buddhist, Captain Kirk, to give the Dalai Lama an absolute treat – a signed Swans jersey.
A fabulous addition to his extensive collection of football jumpers from around the world.
Craven.
