Manly’s triumphant Sevens squad celebrate their Lake MacQuarie success
Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

by Paul Cook –

The Manly Marlins Sevens squad have continued their recent success in the shorter form of the game with a further triumph at the Lake MacQuarie Sevens last Saturday.

Having lifted the Crescent Heads title for the third year in a row the previous weekend, confidence was high amongst the Marlins as they headed North for a competition that included peninsular rivals Warringah Rats, invitational sides from Fiji, New Zealand and Canberra as well as a host of local hopefuls.

Manly captain & Sevens coach Marshall Milroy receives the trophy – Photo: karenwatsonphotography.com.au

Averaging a try a minute through the pool stages, a rampant Marlins brushed aside Rouse Hill Renegades, Nabua (Fiji) and Nelson Bay without conceding a five pointer at the other end. They maintained the rage through the Quarter-Final and Semi-Final matches, despatching BullaWagz (NZ) and OzBoks (Canberra) with ease to set up a Grand Final decider against arch rivals Warringah.

Having defeated the Rats in a fiery semi-final clash at Crescent Heads which saw one yellow card, one red and a post-match melee, the hackles of both sides were up going into the match with a greater desire than normal for old scores to be settled. It was the Rats that set the tone, crossing twice early on to post the first points the Marlins had conceded all day but a try from Alex Northam reduced the arrears to 14-5 at half-time. Manly upped the ante after the break and scored three tries in succession through Dane Chisolm, BJ Hartmann and a second for the speedy Northam.

Warringah grabbed a late response as the siren sounded but for the second week in a row, bragging rights remained with the Marlins as they squeezed home 22-21. Alex Northam was named Player of the Tournament and alongside team mates Chisolm, Hartmann, Harry Bergelin, Kotoni Ale, Mali Hingano, Sione Ala, Damian Reti, Brian Sefania, Jack Brisby, new recruit Shaun Treweek and captain Marshall Milroy, they look to have a squad capable of challenging for a third title in three weeks when they head to the Kiama Sevens this weekend.

West Harbour, Parramatta, Penrith, Gordon, Warringah, Northern Suburbs and Souths themselves all featured on a day where the weather wasn’t exactly conducive to running rugby. However, all the sides involved were able to exhibit some very attractive footy and it was four Sydney club sides that prospered to face off in the semi-finals.

The Pirates of West Harbour had too much for the Two Blues in the first semi, running out 28-12 winners before the hosts came unstuck at the hands of an impressive Penrith, the Emus triumphing 26-5.

The Grand Final proved to be a physical affair with plenty of bell-ringing hits providing a backdrop to some dazzling footwork. West Harbour struck first but two late tries gave the boys from the foot of the mountains a 12-7 half-time lead. Ball handling was at a premium after the break as aggressive defence forced plenty of loose possession but it was the Pirates who found a breakthrough to level the scores and set up a grandstand finish.

The West Harbour squad celebrate victory at the Southern Districts Sevens held at Forshaw Park

Both sides had their chances to seal the deal but with the clock ticking down to full-time, it was Wests who worked themselves into good field position and some neat hands from the backline created an opener for the match winner as the siren sounded.

Elsewhere, Norths defeated Warringah to carry home the Bowl while the home crowd left with something to cheer as Southern Districts Colts put in a great effort to finish 21-5 victors over Gordon A to claim the Plate.

Southern Districts would like to thank all the teams for participating as well as all of the volunteers who helped make the day a great success.