By MARK CASHMAN

Gordon coach Darren Coleman doesn’t reckon that his Highlanders were rewarded enough for their lofty position on the Shute Shield competition ladder at the end of the home and away season.

The Highlanders finished minor premiers and squeaked their way into Week Two of the finals series on the back of a 15-14 win over Randwick on Saturday.

A penalty goal from fly half Rodney Iona in the final couple of minutes got them home in a game where the vast majority of the heavy lifting was done by the Galloping Greens.

Randwick turned themselves around in the space of a week after conceding 81 points against Easts in the final round and on the weekend were physical and robust at the breakdown and really took the Gordon scrum apart throughout the 80 minutes.

“It’s a funny one, I’ve got to admit but I don’t like the playoff system,” Coleman said in the wake of the game.

“The top two teams, Easts and us, played dead rubber matches on the weekend and I reckon that is a tricky thing to overcome.

“Your opponent is desperate and there is that feeling of comfort for the higher seeds in the contest.

“That said it was not an excuse for our poor attacking and set piece performance on Saturday.

“As a coach you watch the game waiting for players to get up uninjured as much as you do watching the score and the Sydney Rugby Union need to re-think that system.”

Randwick made their intention clear early and their defence was first rate and their work at the breakdown was great.

Christian Poidevin and Jeral Skelton led the way in these two areas and the sixth placed side probably deserved a better result on the day.

Randwick were rewarded for their early intent and got out to a 6-0 lead on the back of two penalty goals to fullback Ben Donaldson.

Gordon’s James Widders-Reece then kick started the Highlanders scoring with a try that was converted by Iona to make the score 7-6.

Donaldson got his side in the lead in what was an extremely tense and rumbling nail biter with another penalty goal.

All the while the tension you could feel in and around the Gordon coaching box was translating to the field and the Highlanders grabbed a vital try to Ahmu Tuimalealiifano to give the minor premiers a 12-9 lead.

The deep into there second half Randwick struck through Triston Reilly to score out wide and put the Wicks in the lead at 14-12 with minutes left and the drama around that penalty goal and yellow carding of David Vea.

“Full credit to Randwick for the way that they bounced back from the week before. We had a lot more trouble bending them than Easts did,” Coleman added.

“They’d be feeling like their season should still be alive but I was super proud how the boys defended under the circumstances. I don’t think anyone’s kept Randwick to one try this season.

“If you play for each other and you can do amazing things. This group defend for each other.

“They don’t want to be the guy to let the team down with a missed tackle.

Tom Silk made 18 tackles in 60 minutes.

“We are getting better now in the clutch parts of a tight finish.

“We had none all season now two in a row so I’m hoping that gives us confidence for the next two weeks.”

Randwick had reason to walk away from the game with a lot of well founded what could have been theories.

“We were terribly disappointed with that result. We created enough opportunities to win the game but failed to convert them and on top of that we let them off the hook with some horrible ill discipline,” Randwick coach Ben McCormack said.

“I thought my forward pack did a great job – Poidevin and Skelton in particular were outstanding.

“Gordon showed some quality and patience coming back and nailing it late – it going to be an interesting last two weeks.”

GORDON 15 (Ahmu Tuimalealiifano, James Widders-Leece tries; Rodney Iona conversion, pen goal) d RANDWICK 14 (Triston Reilly try; Ben Donaldson 3 pen goals) at Pittwater Rugby Park.

IMAGE: ANDREW QUINN / GORDON RUGBY