Young Cherrypickers have put the disappointment of their past two matches behind them, scoring an impressive 8 tries in their 36-14 win over the Tumut Blues at Alfred Oval on Saturday.
The Cherrypickers had suffered back-to-back losses prior to their Round 13 victory; the convincing win and the manner in which it was achieved will please coaches Dan Barclay and Jayke Hogan, who had been asking their troops to ensure they make the most of opportunities that arise or are earned.
The first quarter of the match saw both sides feel each other out with the scoreboard remaining unchanged, before a try to Young’s edge back rower Max Jones got the home side started.
Cooper Smith continued his rich vein of form, crossing 10 minutes later, with the next pair of tries for the Cherrypickers being scored by Che Hyslop.
Nick Canellis got in on the act to score shortly after half-time, and by that stage, the hosts were well and truly in control, ticking their own score over regularly whilst keeping their visitors scoreless.
Todd Magnone and Jordy Maher briefly stopped the landslide for Tumut, both getting over for a try each, but that pause in momentum only seemed to urge the Pickers on.
Smith and Canellis joined Hyslop as scorers of doubles for the match, while the eighth and final try for Young was scored by Jack Rolfe.
The only thing that prevented the scoreline from truly reflecting Young’s dominance was the fact that the Cherrypickers only managed to score 2 from 8 conversions, an area that will no doubt be addressed over the next fortnight before their collision course with local rivals Cootamundra.
Despite missing six regular first graders in the win against the Blues, Young showed a fantastic example of the depth in the Cherrypickers squad at the moment, with Billy Lamb becoming the ninth local debutant this season as he took his place in the First Grade side.
Coach Dan Barclay said after a physical opening, it was pleasing to see the result of certain combinations working well and in turn providing some positive results for Young in the process.
“It was a really resilient performance from us on Saturday. Both sides came ready to play after a first round draw with each other, and Tumut had a lot of opportunities in the first 20 minutes and we were defending consecutive sets on our tryline a lot but held them out.”
“Combinations are starting to settle and did so after that initial 20 minutes and we found our rhythm which we got success off the back of,” Barclay said.
Once again Smith was one of the standouts for Young, continuing an impressive debut senior season, while Hyslop was one of the Pickers’ best in his 50th game for the club. Josh Barton was another to perform exceptionally for Young in his run on debut for the side, clocking up in excess of 60 tackles and deservedly being awarded Players Player for the day.
With a strong contingent of their best 17 on the sidelines at the moment, Barclay said they’ll enjoy a good rest with this coming weekend’s bye and then start to plan for the exciting rivalry match against the Bulldogs.
“We are monitoring and working with our injured players to get them back in a good, safe time. Jonah (Latu) and Toa (Porima) will be coming back from ankle injuries after hip drops. Winnie (Cherrington) is on track to return before finals, and Boro (Navori) should be back on deck after the bye.”
Aaron Byrne
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