RUGBY union’s newest club, the Myall Coast Mudcrabs, proved they would become an exciting force in this season’s Lower Mid North Coast premiership with a hard-fought and stimulating four tries to two and 29-12 win over the Wallamba Bulls at Hawks Nest on Saturday.
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As the Mudcrabs surged to the top of the table with their second successive win, an equally pleasing result in a rain-disrupted second round came from Gloucester where the young, rebuilding Gloucester Cockies gained a gripping 15-11 win over last year’s finalists, the Manning River Ratz.
While the Forster-Tuncurry Dolphins had the bye, the defending premiers, the Old Bar Clams, were obliged to postpone their game against the Harrington Hurricanes at their new Blue Water Estate headquarters because of the water-logged ground.
The Mudcrabs were everything rugby union could ask of such a young club against the Bulls - healthy in playing numbers, balanced from forward pack to back line, possessing talent in crucial positions and, equally importantly, having a vibrant, vocal, fair-minded band of supporters and families.
Coach Ian Felton, a long-time stalwart of Manly club in Sydney, with ex-Gordon first grade hooker, Hugh “Flash” Gordon, as his ally, while understandably delighted with the result, lamented their abandonment of game plans, calling for more discipline and structured play in their own half.
But there was no denying that as the Mudcrabs become more hardened and match-conditioned, they will pose grim questions for the entire LMNC competition. Barring a string of injuries, it is not drawing too long a bow to predict they will be involved in the premiership play-offs in August.
Hooker Daniel Dorante is still settling into the position, but possesses the physique and attitude for the toughest role on the field beside prop Josh Fitzgerald; lock Blake Gibson threw well to Tom Davy at the lineout; No 8 and skipper Dayne Appleby was a robust character; the halfback combination of James Moses and Mick Wall was outstanding; and centre Ben Simon made several punishing bursts through midfield.
With local Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest talent and players from Medowie, Tea Gardens Hotel publican, Brendan Cusack, 33, a long-kicking, experienced fullback who represented the Mid North Coast Axemen in his days at South West Rocks, decided to launch a rugby club last year. They made him president.
Wallamba were no pushovers, but were outrun and outgunned on the afternoon, holding the Mudcrabs to 15-11 at half-time through tries by flanker Daniel Hessing and lock James Palmer only to fall away as their stamina deteriorated.
Gloucester Cockies president, Stuart Paynter, was another well-pleased man after his pack paved the way for their stout win over the Ratz, at one stage the forwards retaining possession for 10 phases before completing a try-scoring movement.
Hooker-prop Ben “Pumba” Williams is back in the Cockies’ pack after illness, and with players of the calibre of the rugged locking pair of Andy Pollock and Caleb Davies, no team can afford to under-estimate them, regardless of the loss of play-maker Michael Plain and five-eighth Tom Middlebrook.
At five-eighth, Gloucester ran a fine new addition from Singleton in versatile Scott Batey, allowing Tom Markey to make an excellent impression at fullback.