Despite being a man down for the second half, the Newtown Jets posted a strong 24-12 victory over the North Sydney Bears on Sunday in their first clash since last year's NSW Cup grand final.
Fortunes were reversed for the Cronulla Sharks' Jersey Flegg team, however, as they fell 42-18 to the Melbourne Storm in a top-of-the-table match on Saturday.
The Jets – the Cronulla Sharks' feeder club – trailed 12-10 at half-time after centre Chris Vea'ila was sent off for an alleged stomping offence in the 37th minute. It appeared a harsh call given Vea'ila won't face suspension for the incident.
Match: Bears v Jets
Round 16 -
home Team
Bears
8th Position
away Team
Jets
4th Position
Venue: North Sydney Oval, Sydney
But just as it did in the 2024 premiership decider, Newtown's class shone through as they overcame adversity to score three unanswered tries and seal the win.
The Jets fielded a team including Cronulla's Jersey Flegg captain Sam McCulloch, with the middle forward scoring a crucial four-pointer after the break. Sharks players Kristian Dixon and Taj Ford also crossed the line in the second stanza.
With McCulloch and others on NSW Cup duty or injured, the Flegg Sharks were overpowered by the Storm, conceding five tries in the final 20 minutes at Seabrook Reserve in Broadmeadows, Victoria.
Cronulla found themselves behind 14-0 at the break, and while they quickly clawed the score back to 14-12, Melbourne ultimately ran away with the spoils.
Match: Storm v Sharks
Round 16 -
home Team
Storm
2nd Position
away Team
Sharks
3rd Position
Venue: Seabrook Reserve, Broadmeadows
See a full Newtown-North Sydney match report below via the NSWRL.
Hero image courtesy of Mario Facchini (MAF Photography)
Jets bounce back into the winners' circle in Grand Final rematch
Alex Hrissis, NWRL
Newtown Jets defeated North Sydney Bears 24-12 at North Sydney Oval in Round 16 of the Knock On Effect NSW Cup. The win snaps a two game losing streak for Newtown as they look to move into the top four as we approach the business end of the regular season.
Newtown Jets struck first in this Grand Final rematch between the two foundation clubs to take an early lead. Eli Clark found himself with the ball down the left wing and barged through the Bears' defence with some strong carries and crashed over for a try.
Newtown made it double with another try down the left edge when fullback Taj Ford played a tidy cutout ball to Eparama Navale who scored in the corner. Niwhai Puru nailed the conversion from the sideline to give the Jets a 10-0 lead.
North Sydney bounced back midway through the first half as a bit of luck fell their way. Fullback Jake Toby was falling away from the ball as he managed to get the pill onto his boot and it bounced past the try line perfectly for Jesse Marschke to pounce on the ball for a try. Trey Brown converted with ease.
A brief scuffle between the two teams occurred just before halftime with Newtown's Chris Vea'ila sent to the sin bin. North Sydney capitalised on the extra man advantage with two minutes left in the first half when a short ball was played to Coby Thomas and the forward crashed over for a four pointer. Brown converted just wide of the left post to send the Bears into the sheds with a 12-10 lead.
Newtown bounced back in the second half following some repeated pressure on the Bears' ten metre line. A short ball was played to Jets forward Sam McCulloch who crashed underneath the sticks for a try. Puru converted the try to put the away side ahead 12-16.
Jets scored back to back tries to extend their lead over the Bears through a tidy finish from Kristian Dixon. Jets were advancing down that dangerous left edge when Puru put in a tidy grubber for Dixon who dived on the loose ball to claim a try and push the lead out to 20-12.
Newtown put the final nail in the coffin and all but confirmed the victory when fullback Taj Ford zipped past several Bears defenders to score a tidy solo try. The kick was waved away to make the final score 24-12.
Talking Points
- Jesse Marschke had an impressive day out for the Bears, with the halfback's long kicking on full display plus scoring himself a try
- Newtown's left edge was on full display with three out of five tries coming from that side
- The win for Newtown pushes them into the top four as they look to solidify a finals spot
What's Next?
In Round 17 of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup the Newtown Jets will play South Sydney Rabbitohs while the North Sydney Bears will enjoy a week off with the bye.