SHARKS BITE BACK TO CLAIM VICTORY
North Beach Sea Eagles 24 Rockingham Sharks 28
By PETER ROWE
Having been on the wrong end of a comeback from Kalamunda in Round 3 of this season’s Full to Go & Play Premiership the Rockingham Sharks found redemption in Round 4 with a comeback of their own to defeat the North Beach Sea Eagles at Blueforce Park on Saturday.
Down 20-0 at the break the Sharks launched their amazing turnaround a minute into the second half when exciting young halfback Crockett Henry put backrower Terrence Rameka through a hole to score.
“We had a good chat at the break as I didn’t think we were worthy of being 20-0 down, so I expected a response, not just as quick as it came,” Sharks coach Reece Potter said.
Rameka, later voted the Sharks player of the match, picked up speed, gave a cheeky dummy and found the whitewash to get the visitors on the board.
“Terrence is no youngster but he definitely wound back the clock,” Potter joked. “He has some pace and burnt the fullback.”
Four minutes later Sean Scott saw a gap, again on the left edge, to dance across and it was game on.
Then from the kickoff Henry, the architect of the revival, put centre Daniel Muir through – again that left side – as the Sharks closed the deficit to just four points. Scott kicked the extras and it was down to two.
After defending their line admirably for about six minutes the Sharks saw the North Beach lead extended to four when Tane Dodunski picked up a loose ball in goal from a high cross-field kick from half Kurtis Everett to score.
But the Sharks were far from finished as centre Tom Leeder closed the gap again, crossing in the right hand corner.
End-to-end football ensued as both teams looked to secure the points, but it was perhaps fitting that Henry would score the try to take the win when he dived over from five metres out and Scott kicked the extras.
The Sea Eagles pushed for another score, but had centre Ben Wells-Talamaivao sent off as the Sharks held their nerve, defended well and came away with a deserved win.
Potter had praise for Henry, who tore up the left edge, causing problems throughout the second half.
“It was a coming of age game for him,” the coach said.
“All the young guys stepped up. When we went 24-18 down they never gave up, when they could have done, dropped heads, but they didn’t. There was a lot of positive team building out there.”
Rameka took the three points and Henry one, but the other big plus was fullback Detroit Tamanui.
“He hasn’t played much league, came from union, but he is showing his worth this season,” Potter added.
Assistant coach Brian Burns was disappointed to lose in the way they did, but knows his young side will learn from it.
Wyatt Rogers, Riley Bradley and a fantastic individual try from fullback Te Ra Hare Ahurri had given the home side commanding lead and when Bradley soared high to score off a cross-field kick it looked game over.
But of course it wasn’t.
“We started well and had a good half-time lead, but I always knew they would come at us at the start of the second half – and they did,” he said.
“To concede 18 points in the first seven minutes was tough.
“It was certainly a game of two halves but we had no bench for a lot that second period and our rotation suffered.
“At the end we had to defend our line with 11 players, so I was proud of the boys for their effort.”