Mitchell Farrugia
The Kaiviti Silktails went down to defending premiers the Wentworthville Magpies 22-10 at Ringrose Park in Round 12 of the Ron Massey Cup.
In a tough opening battle, the Silktails poor discipline cost them after a careless high shot on Wenty fullback Nick Walker saw Maika Serulevu sent for 10 in the bin.
Wenty capitalised on the extra man advantage through Etonia Nabuli who barged over for the first points of the afternoon. Beau Henry converted to give Wenty the 6-0 lead.
The sin bin proved to be costly for the Silktails after Wenty went over again through Charlton Schaafhausen. Henry converted again to push his side out to a 12-0 lead after 30 minutes.
After Serulevu came back onto the field, Wenty’s Blake Cook was sent for 10 minutes in the bin for a professional foul.
Slick passing and an overlap on the left edge saw Silktails centre Ratu inoke Vasuturaga cross over for a try. With the conversion unsuccessful, Wenty headed into the sheds leading 12-4.
Running out for the second half, the Silktails got off to the perfect start. After a mid-field break, Malakai Kovekalou collected a pass down the right hand side to score untouched. The conversion was successful by Waisale Nayavucere, putting the Silktails only two points behind.
With 20 minutes remaining, the contest could have gone either way. The Silktails invited the Magpies back into attacking field position, and Wenty were able to capitalise as Jordan Latham crashed over the line. The successful Beau Henry conversion saw Wenty's lead stretch out to eight points.
The Silktails poor discipline continued, as a high shot landed Samuel Daveta in the bin for 10 minutes, giving Wenty an opportunity to put the result to bed.
Despite determined defence from the Fijian outfit, Wenty landed the final blow through Filia-He-Tau Utoikamanu who barged over close to the line. The try ensured victory, as Wenty notched up their 4th consecutive win at home this season, defeating the Silktails 22-10.
The Silktails’ participation in the NSWRL’s Ron Massey Cup is proudly supported by the Australian Government through PacificAus Sports.
The NSWRL receives funding from the Australian Government through PacificAus Sports to support the Silktails’ participation in the NSWRL’s Ron Massey Cup.
