Halves Troy Pezet (left) and Craig Bowen at Crushers’ training
Broncos’ coach Wayne Bennett apologised for the high tackling which marred Brisbane’s 36-14 Optus Cup rugby league win over Wests Magpies at Campbelltown. Bennett even went as far as to say that referee Paul McBlane had been lenient. But at the same time Bennett emphasised he hadn’t sent his players out to take heads off, instead blaming the ‘lack of technique’ on lack of match practice.
These were trying times for the code with Super League having been stopped in its tracks by the Federal Court, and Super League aligned clubs forfeiting first round games in the ARL competition while they considered their options.
When they reluctantly took the field again there almost certainly would have been players thinking they had a score to settle with the ARL loyal players who would have been perceived to have been gloating over the establishment’s court victory. Wests Magpies were heavily aligned with the ARL, given they were coached by fiercely loyal Tom Raudonikis, and had never been targeted by Super League.
Bennett revealed there were two contracted Broncos’ players who were considering jumping ship to an ARL club, and said he would not stand in their way. He would not reveal their names.
One Broncos’ player with a bee in his bonnet was utility star John Plath who was sent off on a kicking charge with Plath claiming he was merely retaliating after Wests’ New Zealand Test prop Brent Stuart had lashed out at him with his feet. Broncos’ prop, Andrew Gee was put on report for a spear tackle on Stuart. Bennett said Plath accepted the “stupidity of the situation.”
Wests led 10-6 at halftime but Brisbane scored five tries to one after the break with winger Willie Carne crossing twice and kicking three goals from as many shots, one from the sideline.
Wests centre Brandon Pearson was the Magpies’ best back and did well to get up after a classic crash tackle by Broncos’ lock Peter Ryan in the 74th minute. Pearson’s co-centre Ken McGuinness scored two tries.
The Broncos’ strong 80 minute performance was a tribute to performance head Steve Nance who had to keep the players focused after five weeks without football. There were a couple of minor exceptions with Darren Smith having played half a game of league with South Tweed Heads while Brad Thorn and Wendell Sailor had dabbled in rugby union in the GPS lower grades.
“Things like Andrew Gee getting under six seconds for the first time over 40 metres, give you a lift,” Nance said.
The day before the Campbelltown clash, the much maligned South Queensland Crushers defeated fellow ARL loyal club Parramatta 24-20 at Suncorp Stadium with halfback Troy Pezet scoring two tries, including the match winner four minutes from fulltime when he chased his own rubber kick and regathered the ball as it bounced off the left hand upright. Graham Mackay converted to give the Crushers a 22-20 lead and then kicked a penalty goal on fulltime.
Pezet had been knocked out in the first half and was taken to the dressing rooms where he was treated by club doctor Roy Saunders. Crushers’ coach Bob Lindner said Pezet “dead set had stars floating above his head” but he satisfactorily answered a couple of questions put to him by Dr Saunders so Lindner gambled by throwing Pezet back into the fray for the closing stages.
“He had the presence of mind to put that last try on,” Lindner said. “There was a lot of courage in that and overall I thought our win was 80 percent courage and 20 percent skill.”
Pezet, who had an engrossing duel with the Eels Kiwi halfback, Gary Freeman, opened the scoring with a fine individual try in the fifth minute and the Crushers looked good leading 16-8 at halftime. But two soft tries by Parramatta – one by Kiwi Jarrod McCracken and other by Englishman Vince Fawcett – put the Eels 20-16 in front with 16 minutes left
Crushers’ hooker Craig Teevan, who played State of Origin for Queensland in 1995, was outstanding running from dummy half. Parramatta suffered a huge setback in the 27th minute when World Cup hooker Aaron Raper was carried from the field after making a tackle on Trevor Gillmeister. Raper, the son of league Immortal, Johnny Raper, fell away in agony after he connected Gillmeister on the side of the head as the Crushers’ skipper ducked into the tackle.
Test star Dale Shearer, on the comeback trail from injury, had a night to forget for the Crushers in reserve grade as the home side went down 14-8.
Footnote: I covered the Campbelltown and Suncorp Stadium games for The Courier-Mail.
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