Illawarra record big win
Illawarra Sports High has proven too classy on home turf in defeating Bass High 30-8 at WIN Stadium in their first GIP Schoolboy Cup match.
In front of a vocal crowd, Illawarra weathered yesterday’s slippery conditions better than Bass as they took a 24-0 lead into the sheds at halftime.
Bass however were resilient and determined to get back in the game after halftime in scoring two tries and won the second half scoreline 8-6.
Looking ahead, Illawarra is unfazed about their performance in the second half.
"We seemed to lose a bit of possession in the second half. We said at halftime it would be tough and we needed to toughen it out in following through our effort," Illawarra Captain Abraham Atallah said.
Atallah also acknowledged the large crowd and paid tribute.
"They were really good. Hopefully they'll keep following us around to other games."
GIO Most Trusted man of the match, hooker Kieran Tranter, was instrumental in leading the Illawarra forward pack around the field.
The match will be televised on Fox Sports at a later date.
WESTFIELDS VS PATRICIAN BROTHERS ROUND TWO
A brilliant second-half performance has seen defending GIO Schoolboy Cup premiers Patrician Brothers Blacktown defeat a gallant Westfields Sports High at New Era Stadium, Cabramatta.
After trailing 10-6 at half time, Patrician Brothers took to the field with a full head of steam in the second half, piling on four tries in ten minutes after the break.
Westfields were never able to recover, and despite clawing a try back in the dying minutes, were defeated by 34 points to 16.
GIO Most Trusted Player for the match was awarded to Patrician Brothers captain Sione Utia-Katoa for a barnstorming performance at dummy-half.
Utia-Katoa attributed his side’s stunning second-half showing to an assertive half time talk from the Patrician Brothers coaching staff.
“They said to come out and start doing the simple things right: run hard, tackle hard and we’ll get there at the end of the day.”
In what was both a great showing for schoolboy rugby league and an ominous sight for Westfields, Patrician flooded their away fixture with hundreds of boys from their school who occupied the entire New Era Stadium grandstand.
Utia-Katoa revealed that his side has been using the support from the Patrician Brothers student body as a springboard for their premiership defence.
“It’s great to have the support and with them behind us, if we put in the hard work I think we can do it.”
Westfields skipper Jordan Hedges paid tribute to his classy opponents, but believes his side can take a number of positives away from the game.
“We knew we had a chance to win and we showed that at half time. We have to get back to the training paddock and work on out plays and do what works for us.”
