Round two of the GPS competition delivered three tightly contested clashes, with St Joseph’s, Newington and Kings all securing important victories in difficult conditions for free flowing footy.

Wet weather and heavy grounds forced teams to rely on discipline, set-piece execution and defensive resilience, while several standout individual performances proved decisive in key moments.

St Joseph’s 24 – 22 Riverview

Riverview started brilliantly away from home, regaining the opening kick-off before marching deep into Joey’s territory. After being held up once, the visitors struck through winger Ned Atrill, who finished a sharp short-side scrum play in the corner.

The premiers doubled their advantage soon after following a major Joeys backfield error. A bouncing ball inside the home side’s 22 ricocheted into the in-goal area, where fullback Jack Plamondon calmly grounded it for the easiest of tries and a 12-0 lead.

Riverview’s set-piece was excellent throughout the opening half, while Joeys continually struggled at lineout time in the wet conditions, costing the hosts valuable territory.

Despite that, Joeys eventually found life through the brilliance of fullback Julian Minto and flyhalf Finn Hannon, who controlled the game whenever they got their hands on the ball. Minto sliced through the line on kick return before linking with Hannon, whose offload sent centre Henry Gardiner over for Joeys’ first try.

Isaac Perkins was enormous for Riverview, carrying relentlessly through the middle and constantly getting his side over the advantage line, while Plamondon added a penalty goal to give the visitors a 15-5 lead at the break.

Riverview extended that margin early in the second half when second rower Tomma Tancred barged over from close range after sustained pressure near the line.

Joeys desperately needed momentum and again it came through Hannon’s creativity. The flyhalf produced a perfectly weighted cross-field kick for winger Riley Bourne, who crossed untouched in the corner.

Bourne then stayed hot with an outstanding solo effort down the left edge, toeing the ball ahead before regathering to score and reduce the margin to just five points with seven minutes remaining.

The comeback was completed through another clever attacking kick. Hannon chipped into space, Minto competed in the air and the loose ball eventually fell to Henry Troy, who dived over for the match-winning try.

Riverview had one final opportunity deep in Joeys territory after the full-time siren, but Joeys’ defence held firm to force the knock-on and seal a thrilling 24-22 victory.

Shore 29 – 35 Newington

Newington overcame a spirited Shore side in a high-quality contest played on a muddy surface.

The opening exchanges were dominated by defence and handling errors, although Newington’s scrum immediately caused problems and helped earn an early penalty goal.

After Shore levelled through a penalty of their own, Newington finally converted field position into points when winger Ofa Latu stormed down the sideline. Shore believed he had stepped into touch after a desperate tackle from Joel Hamilford, but the referee saw it differently and awarded a remarkable try.

Newington centre Jaryd King was outstanding in the opening half, controlling territory with his kicking game and slotting difficult penalty goals in the wet.

A yellow card to Newington lock Alexander Matheson allowed Shore back into the match before halftime, with second rower Harvey Joyce crashing over to cut the deficit to 11-8 at the break.

The visitors again struck first after halftime through flanker Riley Buda, who shrugged off multiple defenders to finish a tough individual try.

Shore responded instantly with one of the tries of the round. A kick return featuring several offloads and quick hands ended beneath the posts to reduce the margin to a single point.

Momentum then swung heavily towards the home side when second rower Liam Sidwell produced a stunning long-range effort, sprinting clear before beating the fullback and diving over to hand Shore a 22-16 lead.

Newington refused to panic and regained control through back to back tries, first through the forward pack and then No.8 Deon Haynes exploded onto the ball and powered over under the posts to restore a six-point advantage.

The visitors sealed the result through brutal close-range carries near the line before Shore crossed late to narrow the final margin in a 35-29 Newington victory.

Scots 10 – 30 Kings

Kings produced a clinical wet-weather performance to overpower Scots and remain unbeaten after two rounds.

The visitors stunned Scots early, scoring from rolling mauls inside both the opening minute and seventh minute as the home side struggled to match Kings’ physicality.

Scots managed to hold up another maul soon after and finally began building some momentum, but their plan to spread the ball wide in slippery conditions continually played into the hands of Kings’ aggressive defence.

Centres Talen Risati and Nick Platis were colossal defensively for Kings, leading a line that repeatedly forced handling errors and shut down Scots’ attack.

Kings added another try before halftime after Risati burst through the line and linked with hooker Oli Smith, who finished in the corner for a 15-point lead at the break.

Any hopes of a Scots comeback disappeared early in the second half as Kings’ dominant forward pack continued winning the gain line. Captain Nick Platis capped off an outstanding individual performance by crashing over in the corner to extend the lead further.

Scots eventually hit back through winger Ben Wright, as Scots capitalised on a quick turnover ball and got their winger into enough space to sprint 40 metres down the touchline.

That try sparked tempers between both sides, with players from each team rushing into a heated scuffle as the physicality of the contest intensified.

Kings responded the best possible way, returning to their rolling maul dominance. The drive rumbled deep into Scots territory before No.8 Christopher Suaalii finished from close range.

Scots added a late consolation try, but a penalty goal from Kings closed out an impressive 30-10 victory built on defence, set-piece control and forward power.