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Navy
rugby breaks police line
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GOOD
KICK: Navy vs NSW Transit Police rugby league match at
St. Marys in which Navy won 18-16.
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By
Michael Brooke
The Navy Rugby League team wrenched the Ferris Ashton Trophy from
the clutches of from the Transit Police, surviving a late fight
back to run out winners 18-16, in a rugged match played in freezing
conditions at St Marys on August 12.
Navy opened the scoring on the fourth minute through fleet-footed
outside centre (No 4) ABCD Josh Seaman, who left several defenders
grasping at thin air as he scooted over the try-line.
Unfortunately the conversion by AB Leyds was unsuccessful.
The Navy continued its momentum through its big pack of forwards
who paved the way for clearance diver AB Jason Harp to crash over
the try line on the 18th minute.
The conversion again sailed wide of the posts. The Navy scored its
third try just 10-minutes before half-time, through winger ABMW
Peter Coates who intercepted the ball near his own tryline and ran
90 metres to score under the posts. AB Darren Leyds was on target
with the conversion.
The Navy went to the half-time break with a lead of 14-0, and appeared
set for a landslide victory with many spectators expecting the supremely
fit Navy divers in the team to run riot over their fatter and feeble
opponents in the second half.
But the second stanza featured a stirring fightback by the Transit
Police, who benefited from a spate of baffling penalties which repeatedly
got them within striking distance of the try line.
The referee hammered the Navy 5-11 in the penalty count and his
bizarre rulings had many spectators, including league legend Ferris
Ashton, utterly bewildered.
The sin-binning of AB Seaman soon after the kick off for allegedly
using an elbow (which nobody else saw) against a defender as he
ran the ball up helped get the Transit Police back into the game.
With AB Seaman in the sin-bin for 10-minutes, the Transit Police
scored three quick tries, thanks to their advantage in attack and
also a flood of penalties from the referee. When AB Seaman returned
after his time in the sin-bin Navy put on another try through AB
Clinton Tailor, who pounced on a loose ball in goal after an embarrassing
fumble by the opposing full-back.
The Navy team appeared to have the game won at 18-12 with 90 seconds
of play remaining when suddenly the referee awarded the Transit
Police a highly controversial penalty to give them sniff of victory.
The penalty came after AB Coates was tackled by a defender the two
became entangled like players in a game of Twister. This prevented
a quick play of the ball, which according to Rugby League rules
results in a penalty against the defender.
But referee penalised AB Coates, which brought howls of protests
from the crowd and the Navy team.
The Transit Police scored a try from the penalty with just 15 seconds
of play remaining, but justice prevailed when their kicker failed
with the conversion. Had he been successful it would have locked
up the scores at 18-all and sent the game into ‘sudden death’, with
the next scorer winning.
Rugby league legend and former RAN sailor, Ferris Ashton, 79, congratulated
the Navy team for their victory, saying they played well given the
flood of peculiar penalties against them that almost cost them the
match.
Ashton, an Able Seaman who served in HMAS Quickmatch during WWII,
presented the trophy to the Navy team captain and live-wire hooker,
Darren Leyds, after the match.
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