by Paul Cook –

Having started the season on fire with five wins from five, the Galloping Greens title charge had stuttered in recent weeks with three losses, so a win against Souths was paramount in terms of reasserting their credentials and taking points of one of their main rivals in the process. For the Rebels, this was another chance to knock-off a side sitting in that congested top eight on the ladder, having previously failed against Sydney Uni, Eastwood and Eastern Suburbs. With only seven rounds of the regular season remaining to cement a finals spot, neither side wanted another tick in the loss column.

Clearly fired up for the occasion, Souths choked the Wicks’ space and time from the off, taking the game to their hosts and forcing a couple of early penalties. The first was skewed into the in-goal by Dewet Roos as the scrumhalf tried to chew off as many metres as possible for the lineout but skipper Duncan Chubb opted for points at the second time of asking and Rohan Saifoloi obliged.

The Wicks hit back immediately. Pressure from Ned Hanigan off the restart earned an attacking lineout, and after some patient phase play from the ensuing throw, it was Hanigan who stormed onto a pop pass from flyhalf Andrew Deegan to put predatory flanker Nick Kellaway over for his sixth try of the season.

Deegan’s conversion made it 7-3 but a late hit from Will Munro allowed Saifoloi to get the visitors back within a point a couple of minutes later, and earned a furrowed brow or two from his coach in the process no doubt. But neither side could wrest momentum their way for long enough over the next quarter to open up a gap on the scoreboard.

Randwick’s ill discipline wasn’t helping, six penalties in the opening half hour hardly conducive to setting a platform of possession, while the levels of brutality at the breakdown – some closer to the realms of legality than others – brought a stern ‘Clean up your acts’ warning to both captains from referee Andrew Lees.

A storming run from Kuki Ma’afu on 32 minutes looked set to end with the Galloping Greens’ second of the afternoon. But having glided through the line and then run straight over one defender, the centre’s progress was halted on the chalk by a trio of Rebel jerseys, Roos in particular putting his body on the line to ensure Ma’afu was held up.

But the Wicks maintained the pressure, and when Souths were pinged for not rolling away, Deegan had one of his simplest kicks of the year from in front to extend his sides lead.

That looked like being enough to send the hosts to the sheds with their noses in front but as they went in search of more reward just over halfway, they played with fire once too often and got their fingers burnt.

One loose carry from Andrew Tuala almost cost them possession when Roos and Angus Ryan combined to spoil the pickup from his support. And when Chris Taripo was then smashed by Jake Douglas and the ball spilt for Roos to put Chubb away, the prop belied his jersey number to step Adam Freier, and show the softest of hands to put Sean Doyle away for the corner.

Saifoloi’s conversion from out wide struck an upright but the inside centre got a gift of redemption a mere 90 seconds later, the Wicks pinged for not releasing and having worked their way into a lead, two minutes of poor footy left them contemplating a four-point deficit at the break instead.

The visitors suffered a setback a few minutes after the restart when Chubb departed with a stinger down his left arm, and it may or may not have been mere coincidence that the Rebels subsequently conceded a penalty from the first scrum without their influential tighthead. Either way, Deegan made no mistake with his penalty.

But the home side were their own worst enemies again, pulled up for not releasing from Souths’ next attack and Saifoloi immediately cancelled out Deegan’s previous addition with another 3pts of his own.

The breakdown continued to be a battle royale but as the game wore on, the combative efforts of Doyle, Douglas, Angus Ryan and Alex Perez started to gain the upper hand for the men from the Shire, and it was another indiscretion from Randwick that gave Saifoloi another sighter of the uprights for his fifth successful penalty to make it 20-13.

The average age of this generally youthful Wicks side actually went up when veteran Freier departed after another impressive shift, thanks to the imminent arrivals of two more Coogee Oval stalwarts in Messrs Stephen Hoiles and Patrick Phibbs.

With the game in danger of slipping away, Hoiles played his part in earning a much-needed penalty from a rolling maul just before the hour. But when Deegan sliced his kick to touch the wrong side of the corner post, you could sense the belief in the home crowd was starting to waver.

Mistakes continued to hamper Randwick’s attempts to claw back the deficit, a couple of dropped balls in midfield and an overthrow at the lineout cruelling good attacking opportunities. But with time beginning to work against them, they struck back to level the scoreboard and ensure a rip-roaring finale.

Renowned for their attacking elan, it was one for the purists that did the trick. The forwards rumbled ahead off a lineout before pick and drives became the order of the day, and with the hardworking Rebels finally succumbing to the onslaught, tighthead Tristan Goodbody powered over with a little help from his friends to give Deegan a straightforward conversion and leave a 20-all stalemate on the scoreboard.

Presumably tearing his hair out at this point, Wicks head coach Shannon Fraser was forced to watch his side fail to capitalise on their points once again when another breakdown penalty after the restart gave Saifoloi a chance to renew his side’s advantage, only for the tyranny of distance to leave them unpunished. But seemingly intent on throwing the game away, replacement Tevita Vaea duly attempted to decapitate Sean Doyle at the next ruck, and Saifoloi didn’t need a second invitation to put his team up by three.

With less than two minutes to play, the Wicks got their chance at redemption when another infringement from stand-in skipper Doyle earned him an early rest in the bin – he had been warned – and left them with a pivotal option. Kick for the posts and a likely draw, or to touch for possible glory?

They boldly opted for the latter, and when they worked their way towards the posts and Kuki Ma’afu went over off the last play, it appeared to have paid off handsomely. But referee Lees was in perfect position to see the ball spill forward as Ma’afu grounded – thanks mainly to the sterling efforts of Souths duo Liam Dwyer and Kieran Black – and his final whistle elicited stunned looks on the faces of those in myrtle green, and a Rebel yell of victory from the visitors.

Southern Districts 23 (Sean Doyle try; Rohan Saifoloi 6 pens) defeated Randwick 20 (Nick Kellaway, Tristan Goodbody tries; Andrew Deegan 2 cons, 2 pens) HT 14-10