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Sat 27 Nov 2021
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Prems (1)
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Tough Loss for the Prems Against Valley
John Byrne19 Oct 2021 - 04:11
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Valley come out on top in another arm-wrestle of a game
Three games into the season and no-one was the wiser as to who the favourites should be for this game considering how tight the league table stood. The game lacked momentum as both teams prodded and probed each other's defence before an error led to Valley breaking the deadlock through a penalty. A try for Valley from a rare missed tackle had Sandy Bay supporters worried despite the forwards continuing to display set piece dominance. Gradually the big ball carriers of Luke Wilson, Ben Davey and Luke van der Smit began breaking tackles and forcing Valley back into their own 22. Sustained pressure on the Valley try line resulted in a try for van der Smit as Valley simply ran out of bodies guarding the try line.
At 10 - 7 down at half-time Sandy Bay were well within striking range and confidence was high. Although lacking some familiar names in the back-line, the bench had a very strong replacement front row who were expected to turn the screw further as the match wore on. As it happened the second half was marred by a series of handling errors and a worrying habit of conceding kickable penalties which saw Valley extend their their lead to 16 - 7, meaning Sandy Bay had to score twice. Caution was thrown to wind in an attempt to claw back the game but Valley's defence remained resolute and opportunities began to appear for them as the game opened in the last few minutes. Were it not for an outstanding cover tackle by Jamie Grist in the closing few minutes the score would have flattered Valley but Sandy Bay were nonetheless left to rue missed opportunities in a another close defeat.
On the positive side it was great to have our HK7s flyer Seb Brien back from international duty and Nik Cumming returning from a long term injury. A rest next week will be very welcome before we seek to avenge the loss against Kowloon on October 30th. We might also get a glimpse of new signings Jamie King from New Zealand and Dewald Naude of South Africa who will look to inject some zip and experience into our attack.
At 10 - 7 down at half-time Sandy Bay were well within striking range and confidence was high. Although lacking some familiar names in the back-line, the bench had a very strong replacement front row who were expected to turn the screw further as the match wore on. As it happened the second half was marred by a series of handling errors and a worrying habit of conceding kickable penalties which saw Valley extend their their lead to 16 - 7, meaning Sandy Bay had to score twice. Caution was thrown to wind in an attempt to claw back the game but Valley's defence remained resolute and opportunities began to appear for them as the game opened in the last few minutes. Were it not for an outstanding cover tackle by Jamie Grist in the closing few minutes the score would have flattered Valley but Sandy Bay were nonetheless left to rue missed opportunities in a another close defeat.
On the positive side it was great to have our HK7s flyer Seb Brien back from international duty and Nik Cumming returning from a long term injury. A rest next week will be very welcome before we seek to avenge the loss against Kowloon on October 30th. We might also get a glimpse of new signings Jamie King from New Zealand and Dewald Naude of South Africa who will look to inject some zip and experience into our attack.
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