The Real Perth Stands Up
by Amanda Shalala
The Perth Spirit are finally starting to show us what they’re made of, after dishing out a comprehensive win over one of the ARC frontrunners, the Melbourne Rebels. They won the clash out in the golden west 24 points to 3, scoring two tries in the process. So it seems the (Western) Force may finally be with Perth, as its Super 14 stars show us the high standard rugby we’ve been expecting from it. Perth was all over Melbourne throughout the contest, with the big guns, Cameron Shepherd, and Matt Henjak, smokin’ aces. Flanker Richard Brown was man of the match, and there were some stellar performances from the Spirit forwards, including Luke Holmes and Tai McIsaac.
The Spirit still aren’t playing their best rugby, but it’s certainly an improvement, and coach John Mulvihill will be pleased with their steady progress. They had flashes of brilliance in attack, but often the finishing touches just weren’t there- skills that will stick as the team gets more time together. Melbourne was a little lacklustre, and failed to really threaten the Perth line. Effort has never been lacking throughout Melbourne’s ARC campaign, but the execution was difficult when faced with the classy Perth outfit. Perth only crossed for the two tries, but Cameron Shepherd’s foot was trusty as always, nailing 4 penalties. Perth really should’ve scored a few more five pointers with its sheer weight of possession, and its inability to convert possession into points will cost them in run to the finals, so its something Mulvihill will definitely need to address. The Rebels weren’t aided by the sin binning of David Haigh with 15 minutes left, and from that point it was no chance of catching the Spirit.
There were a few injuries to come out of the game as well- Perth’s Jimmy Hilgendorf tore his hamstring, while his sub Lachlan MacKay injured his groin, and Melbourne’s Dave Dennis also went off with a knee complaint.
Perth has a chance to really solidify its standing with another home game next week, this time against the East Coast Aces. Melbourne will play the last placed Ballymore in Brisbane, and should take care of the Tornadoes to continue its great ARC run.
On Friday night, the Central Coast Rays won the battle of the bottom two teams in the Championship, subsequently lifting themselves from the doldrums in its game against Ballymore. The Tornadoes never really threatened, as the Rays came away with an easy 29 to 10 win. Rays halfback Brett Sheehan put in a huge defensive effort, while fullback Peter Hewat was electric in attack. And full credit must go to Central Coast’s forwards, who completely dominated their opponents, and worked a treat at the set piece.
Today’s games see the Canberra Vikings take on the Sydney Fleet, and the East Coast Aces playing the Western Sydney Rams.
