The Wentworthville Magpies have shown their class at Ringrose Park this afternoon, convincingly overcoming the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles 52-8 in Round 3.
Magpies playmakers Jamal Fogarty, Troy Dargan and Scott Schulte were in rare form for the home side, while the efforts of Cameron Cullen and the left-edge attack of Jonathan Wright and Peter Schuster didn't go unnoticed for the Sea Eagles. With the rain clearing up and the Ringrose Park surface in pristine condition, it allowed Wentworthville to put on the flurry of points and keep Blacktown winless in the Intrust Super Premiership NSW.
It didn't take long for Wentworthville to open the scoring, with Bureta Faraimo taking on three defenders and crossing in the corner just four minutes into the contest. That try came before Blacktown even had a chance with the football, thanks to two early penalties that put the Magpies in an attacking position. Fogarty missed the conversion from out wide for a 4-0 lead.
When the Sea Eagles did get an opportunity to attack, they made no mistake; their first attacking raid delivered points thanks to a well-placed Cameron Cullen grubber. That kick was pounced on by Wright, who made it three tries in as many appearances for the new joint venture. Once again the difficult conversion attempt was waved away and scores were locked at four apiece.
Cullen already having a major influence on the game for the Sea Eagles, it was his opposite number's turn to lay on some points and in the 26th minute, Dargan put Nathan Davis through a gaping hole to score under the posts. Fogarty converted to make scores 10-4.
Minutes later Fogarty had his own four-pointer, finishing a good effort from Magpies captain Cody Nelson to run 40 metres to the try line. Converting his own try the home sed led 16-4 as they gained the ascendency at Ringrose. The Sea Eagles had one last roll of the dice and nearly came up with a try through Schuster, but the winger was forced into touch and 16-4 was the half-time score.
The second stanza started in similar fashion to the first, with Wentworthville taking little time to extend their lead. George Jennings showed his explosiveness as he smashed through the defence and found space - while Cullen never gave up his chase, the winger would run 50 metres to score.
Suddenly the Magpies appeared to be doing it easily with more points coming just three minutes later, this time through second-rower Jack Morris. Once again it was Fogarty who set up the try and he then converted it, bringing scores to 28-4.
When the Sea Eagles got their chance they almost scored a sensational try, with Pita Godinet tapping the ball on to Tyler Cassel in space. Cassel knocked the ball on at the line, however, and Godinet got no reward for his efforts. They were soon denied another certain try when Wright was deemed to have thrown a forward pass to outside man Schuster, who would have raced 40 metres to score. Two plays later the Magpies made them pay for their missed opportunities as Faraimo and Schulte combined for another long-range four-pointer, which was converted for a 34-4 score line.
The game soon reached an extended break as the Magpies' Marata Niukore went down with a serious injury and was carefully stretchered from the field by staff. Upon the resumption, the Sea Eagles finally found a way through for their second as Pat Mataele scored, but the conversion was missed and scores were 34-8.
The Magpies weren't finished with and after a Pita Godinet error, they got the chance to put on more points. Big men Rory O'Brien and Sam Gorman combined for the next try, with the latter diving over and bringing up 40 for the home side. In the ensuing set, the Magpies broke through once more for perhaps the easiest try of the day; a simple left-side movement brought a big overlap and Faraimo strolled in to make it a hat-trick.
A last-ditch effort brought the Magpies yet another late try, due to an in-goal fumble from Ray Lesoa. Gorman dived on the loose ball for his second, which was converted for the full-time score of 52-8.
Wentworthville Magpies 52 (B Faraimo 3, S Gorman 2, N Davis, J Fogarty, G Jennings, J Morris tries; J Fogarty 8 goals) def Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles 8 (J Wright, P Mataele tries)
