Game Summary
Newtown Jets have survived an epic Minor Semi-final against foundation rivals the North Sydney Bears, with young fullback Taj Ford landing a pair of late field goals claim a 26-25 win and send the Jets through the Preliminary Final.
Newtown started the contest with intent pushing into attacking territory on the opening set and forcing a dropout after a fortunate bounce on last tackle. But North Sydney survived the early raid, then turned defence into points only minutes later when a shift to the left found Tui Katoa to score.
In the 12th minute the Bears improved the lead through Harradyn Wilson as the five-eighth spun his way over the line, with Kieran Hayman converting his second for a 12-0 lead.
The Jets shifted momentum for the remainder of the half starting with Kristian Dixon’s converted try in the 17th minute, soon followed by prop Braden Uele powering onto a flat ball from Jayden Berrell. Dixon added a penalty goal to draw level in the ensuing minutes.
As the Jets began to find their rhythm with less than 10 minutes until the break, Newtown went through the hands from 40 metres out and put Sam Stonestreet into space on the left edge finding back-rower Harrison Hassett in support to score. Then the Jets took a two-try buffer into half-time when a last-tackle kick ended in the hands Felix Faatili to touch down under the posts. Dixon converted to lead 22-12.
Early in the second half the Bears returned serve with a scrum play from close range and Jake Toby floating a pass for Matt Stimson to cross in his 100th appearance for North Sydney. Hayman successfully converted the try, before Dixon added another Jets penalty goal nine minutes later to bring the margin back to six at 24-18.
The Bears were back on level terms shortly after when Tom Steadman opted to run on last giving the ball to Matt Stimson, who threw a stray offload for Ammaron Gudgeon. The centre passed to winger Abiarthur Toi Tuilaepa to cut back inside and score. With Hayman’s conversion scores were tied at 24-all.
As time ticked down into the last 10 minutes, the chaotic final moments of the contest were headlined by great ball-striking beginning with Steadman’s drop goal from a standing start to lead 25-24. The Jets then stormed upfield for Taj Ford to add a point of his own from the 20-metre line to even the scores once again.
But the Jets weren’t done there with Ford putting the final touch on a thrilling sudden-death contest in the 80th minute, nailing a 30-metre field goal - his second in a matter of minutes - to end the Bears’ season and send the Jets through to next week’s Preliminary Final.
Talking Points
The performance of the Jets’ forward pack went a long way to winning the contest, with likes of Tuku Hau Tapuha, Braden Uele and Felix Faatili making damaging runs from the outset and constantly putting Newtown in good field position. Uele, Faatili and back-rower Harrison Hassett were also rewarded with tries during their first-half fightback.
Taj Ford stepped up when it mattered for the Jets as he has done on numerous occasions this year. Although Newtown had lost momentum in the second half and found themselves behind 25-24 with less than five minutes remaining, the 21-year-old held his nerve to land consecutive field goals - the second on the last play of the game - to help his side to victory over their foundation rivals.
Key Moment
The final moment of the game was ultimately the decisive play. With scores locked at 25-all both sides looked set for extra time, but the Jets had one last set and free shot at taking the match-winning lead. They did just that when Jayden Berrell flung the ball back to Taj Ford at the 30-metre line, who struck perfectly with his boot to nail the one-point drop goal. As the Jets celebrated and Bears player went onto their haunches, the referee sounded the final whistle.
What’s Next?
The Jets will survive another week of sudden-death football as they head to Preliminary Final. But for the Bears, their season comes to a premature end after a strong home-and-away campaign saw them finish in second spot on the competition ladder.
