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The Roosters U19s defeated Centrals 20–12 in a tight encounter. Photo supplied.
Before a good crowd for Ladies Day and the Home Hill Devils reunion, the Burdekin Roosters suffered a heartbreaking 28–26 defeat to Townsville Centrals.
Both teams scored 5 tries, but goal kicking proved the difference; Centrals converted three to the Roosters' two, with a final Burdekin conversion sailing wide just three minutes from full-time.
Centrals scored just two minutes in, but the Roosters fought back to a 16–4 lead after 20 minutes. Aided by local errors, Centrals levelled the score 16-all at the break and maintained the lead throughout the second half.
Coach Steve Lansley noted four of Centrals’ tries came from attacking bombs or against the run of play due to lapses in concentration, though he praised his side's resilience and enterprising attack.
The hard-fought match saw standout performances from best players Nick Brown and Nemia Nawave, while tries were clocked by Adam Camer, Mitch Brown, Jye Olsen, Lach Bachbach, and Luca Lago, alongside 3 goals from Adam O’Brien.
The loss leaves the Roosters fifth on the ladder, just outside the four, while other A Grade results saw Brothers defeat Norths 28–16, Charters Towers beat Western Lions 32–24, and Souths dominate Herbert River 40–10.
Centrals defeated a rudderless Roosters Reserves 36–4, powered by centre Joe Zaro who scored 4 of his team's seven tries.
Burdekin played without regular leaders Dylan Doak and Ron Geia, who were both called up to A Grade. In their absence, Tubby Heron had an outstanding game in the forwards with help from Caleb Noah. Kane Dyne showed promise in the centre, and halfback Keon Noah was rewarded with a good try.
The Reserves look to redeem themselves against Herbert River this Saturday, while elsewhere in the division, Brothers defeated Norths 28–16 and the Western Lions beat Charters Towers 28–14.
The Roosters U19s defeated Centrals 20–12 in a tight encounter. Centrals led 6–4 at halftime and later 12–8, utilising long-range tries and clinical goal kicking while Burdekin struggled with dropped balls.
The turning point came when Roosters second-rower Leylan Lampton sparked a comeback, converted by newcomer Kobe Geia. Speedster Chekayne Taiters then sealed the win with another try, also converted by Geia.
Coach Alf Cantarella praised the effort against Centrals' tough defence, noting they out-scored the Tigers four tries to two. Forwards Mason Kiehne—who was the deserved winner of the Old Boys prize for making metres on the attack—Lampton, Joey Southwell, and the returning Harrison Lammon all had big games. In the backs, K J Zaro, Chad Fraser, Taiters, and Kirk Viero stood out, with Cailin Taiters crossing for two tries in a determined effort. In the only other under 19 game of the weekend, Brothers defeated Norths 56–0.
As part of the Hostplus Cup Country Week, the 10th-placed Townsville Blackhawks will face last year's premiers, the 3rd-placed Burleigh Bears, at Ayr's Bendigo Bank Park this Saturday at 6:00 PM. The Blackhawks will be in the district conducting local school visits on Friday.
Saturday features a full day of Rugby League starting at 9:00 AM with Junior League fixtures running from under 6 through to under 15.
Following the juniors, the Burdekin Roosters will host Herbert River in their fixture matches, with the Reserves kicking off at 3:00 PM and A Grade following at 4:30 PM.
Supplied by Brian Carnes
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