WINGHAM warmed up for next Sunday's mega clash against Port Macquarie by thrashing Wauchope 40-12 in the Group Three Rugby League game at Wauchope.
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This was Wingham's seventh consecutive win and the Tigers (21 points) and Sharks (19) have cleared away from the rest of the field.
It was a clinical performance by the Tigers who went into the game minus five-eighth and captain-coach Kurt Lewis and centre Tim Bridge who were both on duty with the North Coast team. Wauchope were without lock Matt Bird and prop Beau Kettle for the same reason. However, the Tigers showed they aren't a lost legion without Lewis, their chief play maker.
Halfback Trent Green again steered the Tigers around the park while five-eighth/hooker Mitch Collins was heavily involved. Collins did spend 10 minutes in the sin bin after a melee broke out just before halftime. Wauchope prop Shane Quinn was also sent to the bin by referee Barry Murray following the same incident.
Fullback Blake Sky continued his great form for the Tigers by running in three tries. Sky reads a game adroitly and is on the spot when a break is made. He's also worked a combination with Green that is reaping rewards for the Tigers. His second try came from a run-around move with Green close to the Wauchope line.
Wauchope were simply outgunned. The Blues started on the right note when winger Justin Hinton was given space down the short side and he brushed through some lazy defence to open the scoring for fullback Sam Watts to convert. But the Tigers put 28 points on the board before Wauchope's supporters had something else to cheer about when tall second rower Carlin Duncan - probably their best on the day - scored Wauchope's second for Watts to add the extras.
In between time it was all Wingham. Sky opened Wingham's account when he backed up a break from stand-in hooker Brody Myer to score for Michael Bailey to convert. Green used his strength to crash over for Wingham's second and then Bailey then added his now regulation long distance try. On this occasion a cut out pass from Green found him in space and he hared 80 metres to the line. He missed the conversion but at 16-6 Wingham looked in control.
Sky made it a double just before the break and the Tigers trotted off with a commanding 22-6 lead at oranges.
Wauchope dropped the ball from the re-start and within the next six Shannon Ellem was over for the Tigers. Duncan's try registered Wauchope's dozen with Watts' conversion.
But Collins had the last say. Now back at hooker he made a great run from dummy half and sent Sky away for his third while just before fulltime he scored for Bailey to add the goal to bring up the 40 points - Wingham's biggest win at Wauchope for a number of years.
"We won't be able to fit them in next week," Wingham treasurer Craig Martin noted at fulltime, expecting the full house sign to be up at the Wingham Sporting Complex next Sunday for the clash with the Sharks.