Round Seven
Rockingham Sharks 10 – North Beach Sea Eagles 72
High flying North Beach showed their class with a devastating 74-10 victory over the Rockingham Sharks at Port Kennedy Sportsplex on Saturday evening.
Coach Phil Douche called it an ‘almost perfect’ performance against a lacklustre Sharks team down on players and luck.
“It was a very professional performance so I’m very happy,” Douche said. “In the past we have often gone away from the game plan, but not this time.
“Today we realty stuck at it and we were solid in defence right to the end, holding them up on the line three times.”
Douche was full of praise for veteran Tyron Cranston, who returned from injury and of hooker Kobi Aesi, who he switched mid-game from hooker to lock.
A young Cranston in NSW Cup Gear
The Sharks, who were forced to call up three players from reserves after late pullouts on Saturday morning, were put to the sword by a Sea Eagles side led superbly by Cranston, ably supported by the electric pace of Bailey Millar.
Winger Te Ra Hare Ahuri scored four times for the Sea Eagles, but it was the breaks up the middle from the evergreen Cranston and the pace of Millar round the edges that proved decisive.
Millar’s length of the field run to score midway through the first half was a highlight, although it has to be said this Sea Eagles team looks as goods as, if not better than the one that triumphed at Dorrien Gardens last September.
Centre Kitione Nairobi notched a double, with further tries from Charlie Lumb, Tom Fry and Tom Sinclair, with Jaylen Grey kicking a perfect 12 from 12.
Douche was also quick to point out after the game there were nine North Beach juniors in the side.
George Hough and Kendra Wood were the lone scorers for the Sharks on a day coach Pete Worth would probably prefer to forget.
Photo – Total Sports Photograph
“It’s a bigger job than I anticipated for sure,” Worth said after the game.
“We had three 17-year-olds on debut because of late withdrawals, but there’s a lot of learning to do.
“We will get better and like South Perth last season, and even North Beach in past years, it will come good. But it’s going to take a little longer than I envisaged.”
Worth, who was recovering from a stomach bug, ended up in the centres in the second half as the Sharks struggled to stay in the game.
“Disappointing would be an understatement, but we keep fighting,” he said.
Photo – Libby McMillan