Wests rally to defeat Nedlands

Wests Subiaco has reignited the KWIK Premier Grade championship race with a 26-24 come from behind win over reigning champions and top of the table Nedlands.

Trailing by 10 at half time Wests kicked up a gear while Neddies stalled, allowing the home side's dangerous backline the space it needed to find gaps and score.

A 79th minute try to Heremaih Teaute completed the remarkable win in what lived up to its pre-match hype.

The result means that at the halfway stage of the season Nedlands lead at the top of the table has been cut to seven while Wests have strengthened their hold on second moving two points clear of University who are third.

Wests outscored the reigning premiers 19 – 7 in the second half in what was eerily reminiscent of last season match at Rosalie Park where Wests claimed another two point victory.

“Earlier in the week I said we had to play for the full 80 minutes and that's what we did,” said Wests Subiaco coach Steven Montgomery.

“Neddies are too good a side and if you don't work for the whole game it's not going to happen.

“I think today's game was very touch and go, both sides were especially good in the backs. I don't think it would be fair to say one side was any better than the other, we just got over the line in the end.

“We lost Isiahiah Mosese before the game and centre Anthony Tait in the second half but the bench came through for us which was very encouraging. You need those players to contribute because it's a long hard season.”

“It's a local derby and it doesn't matter where or when we play Nedlands, it's always a great game and we're looking forward to meeting them again in the last round of the season.”

It was Nedlands who started the game strongest, building pressure in Wests' half and moving the ball through multiple phases before a poor pass was dropped and the ball hacked forward by the home side allowing Matt O'Brien to pounce, scoring the first try against the run of play.

The try was converted by Teava TeRangi but the rest of the half was all Neddies and the Royal Blues piled on 17 unanswered points through tries to Marlen Walker, Bryce Penny and Cam Crowley to lead 17 – 7 at the break.

Wests Subiaco began the second half with all guns blazing and their much vaunted backline began to find some space as Nedlands appeared to take their foot off the gas.

It didn't take long for Wests to break through and William Barrett crossed in the 45th minute after Anthony Tait broke down the wing and drew the last defender before offloading to put Barrett over in the corner.

TeRangi missed the conversion but got another chance five minutes later when fullback Chance Antonievic-Bunce scored a great individual try running 50 metres and weaving his way through multiple defenders to dot down untouched. This time TeRangi kicked true and Wests led for the first time in the match.

As they have done so many times before this season Nedlands stuck right back, the forwards driving over from a lineout five metres out from Wests' line to give prop Walker his second try of the match and put the Royal Blues back in front.

Mike Botes slotted the conversion and had an opportunity to extend the lead to 8 in the 75th minute from a penalty 30 metres out dead in front but missed to the left.

It was all the invitation the home side needed and Wests launched an all-out assault on Nedlands try line throwing the ball from one side of the field to the other in an attempt to stretch the visitors' defence.

The expansive and aggressive style of play paid off when Teaute crossed after 79 minutes, dancing around one tackler and bouncing off another to dive over to the right of the posts.

TeRangi was tasked with landing the match winning conversion and held his nerve to kick true handing Nedlands their second defeat of the season.

“I don't think we just lost it right at the end, we deserved that result because we just stopped playing in the second half,” said Nedlands coach Tony Ball.

“Our effort was really poor across the board and we spoke about that after the game. No finger pointing, we just didn't turn up in the second half.

“We let them dictate the terms, we didn't get up off our line on defence and we didn't play field position like we talked about at half time.

“I think today they definitely wanted it more. We sat back on our laurels after playing really well in the first half.

“We had them on the ropes but we didn't put them away and they came back in the second half.

“Full credit to them though, especially their forward pack, they're probably one of the smallest forward packs going around but they out muscled us today.”

In other results UWA made it three on the trot with a 22 point win against Associates which has relegated Soaks out of the top four and into 7th such is the mid table clutter of teams.

Wanneroo kept their hot recent run going with their third win in succession, a 35-29 victory at Kingsway, while Palmyra kept pace with the top sides in a bonus point 42-10 result over a struggling Kalamunda.

In the final game of the round Perth Bayswater arrested a recent slide with a two point win over Cottesloe. The 26-24 result was Cott’s fourth defeat in a row and last season’s grand finalist are struggling 3rd from bottom.

http://www.westernforce.com.au/NewsE...2/Default.aspx