ROOSTERS GRIT IT OUT ON THE ROAD DESPITE INJURY CRISIS AND CLOSE FINISHES

The Burdekin Roosters were on the road again last weekend, travelling to Charters Towers on Saturday with A Grade and Reserve Grade, and then to Bushland Beach on Sunday for the Under 19s.

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In their wisdom, the BLTD has created a separate draw for Under 19s, meaning clubs are being split up, as was the case with the Roosters last weekend.

Charters Towers are always hard to beat on their home ground, and it was no exception, with the Roosters getting up in the dying stages to beat the Miners.

A Grade coach Steve Lansley was a happy man after the match, saying his players showed plenty of character in coming from behind to beat the Miners in front of a huge crowd during Ladies Day.

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Lansley said the Burdekin Roosters produced another gritty come-from-behind performance to defeat the Towers Miners 28–20, overcoming a frustrating night of errors and missed opportunities. Dropped balls at crucial stages repeatedly handed the Miners valuable field position and piled pressure on the Roosters’ defence, making the task tougher than it needed to be.

Despite the setbacks, the Roosters refused to panic and worked their way back through tough carries and relentless middle-third effort. The forwards laid the platform in the second half, dominating the physical battle and swinging momentum back in Burdekin’s favour.

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Best for the Roosters were Jye Olsen, Nemia Nawave and Lachlan Shepherd, all playing key roles in the hard-fought win. Jye was awarded Players’ Player.

For the Roosters, Malik Ogameni, Terry Connors, Nash Beck, Lach Bachbach and Nemia Nawave scored tries, with Jye Olsen kicking four goals.

In other A Grade results, Brothers beat Centrals 28–12, Souths beat Norths 42–18, and Western Lions upset Herbert River 30–18.

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Lack of numbers did not help the Roosters Reserve Grade, going down 20–12 to a full-strength Miners side. Coach Peter Horan said he travelled with only three on the bench, compared to the home side’s six, and “that makes a difference”. He estimated around 12 players were unavailable through injury.

Harvey Horan was again a standout, with Jahi Starr, Luca Lago and Bokeem Moore Reid also strong performers. Ron Geia and Dylan Doak also contributed well. For the Roosters, Jahi Starr and Ron Geia scored tries, with Dylan Doak kicking two goals.

In other Reserve Grade matches, Centrals beat Brothers 18–10, Souths defeated Norths 38–12, and Western Lions beat Herbert River 19–16.

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On Sunday, the Under 19s had a tough match against Norths at Bushy Beach, going down 18–14 in a topsy-turvy contest. Roosters coach Alf Cantarella said it was a difficult game, with only two on the bench and no bench left after injuries.

The Roosters dug in but were overrun in the final 30 seconds. Jacob Drain captained the side well, with Chad Fraser named Man of the Match. “We were really down on players and didn’t get the two points,” Cantarella said.

The Roosters also spent time down to 12 men after a send-off, with Norths scoring twice during that period. Jack Power, Callum Taiters and Romeo scored tries, with Chad Fraser adding a goal.

In other Under 19 results, Brothers beat Centrals 24–4 and Herbert River defeated Western Lions 58–0.

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In the women’s competition, Western Lions defeated Charters Towers 62–0, Centrals beat Brothers 20–8, and Souths defeated Norths 56–4.

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This week, the RLTD has a rest round for all teams except Burdekin and Herbert River Under 19, who meet at Bendigo Park in Ayr on Friday night from 6.30pm in a delayed fixture. Fixtures resume Saturday 6 June in Ingham across three grades.

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Contributed with thanks to Brian Carnes

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