Kalamunda Bulls Keep Perth at Bay
KALAMUNDA BULLS KEEP PERTH AT BAY
The Kalamunda Bulls continued their winning form against finals hopefuls Perth Bayswater and sent another clear signal to the rest of the competition about their intentions in 2007.
Perth Bayswater got first points on the board when their Under 19’s side spanked Kalamunda 42-5. After that, however, it was all red and black, with the Kalamunda Reserves grinding out a spirited 22-8 win and the Premiers holding out a fast finishing Perth Bayswater to emerge triumphant 14-9. The mighty fourths bounced back from last week’s loss to notch up an important 36-7 win away against Midland.
The Bulls Reserves side set the tone for the day with a hard fought 22-8 win against a confident Perth opposition. The first half was an extremely hard fought tussle with neither side gaining the upper hand. Both sides tested each others defences scoring one apiece in the opening stanza, Rhys Herbert crossing for the bulls. Both sides turned around at half time with scores locked at 5-5. When play resumed Perth Bayswater resisted a rampaging Bulls outfit before registering the first points of the half to lead 8-5. This only awakened the beast and Kalamunda went straight back into monstering mode. Puki Te Ao, Dan Calder, and Nigel Cooper crossed for three quick bustling tries to secure the bonus point and shut Baysie out of the match. Outstanding performances from Mike Te Ao and form forward Puki Te Ao, with a tidy cameo from Colin Murphy, were instrumental in the win.
The Premier clash was a much anticipated affair. Both sides are resurgent in 2007 and in top four contention with two wins from the first three rounds of the Home Building Society Competition.
The match started as a top four clash should, with crisp backline movements and high intensity forward exchanges. However neither side was able to establish any early dominance.
Perth Bayswater drew first blood when they kicked a penalty midway through the first term before the Bulls, like their second grade counterparts, were stung into action, stringing together 10 minutes of undeniable rugby. Evergreen halfback Charles Henry cut through on the blindside only to be bundled into touch barely centimetres from the Baysie corner flag. The Bulls pack amped up, working hard against an enthusiastic Perth Bayswater defence before captain courageous, Matt Peachy, dove across to score Kalamunda’s first 7 pointer. Before Perth Bayswater could resettle, Kalamunda’s outside centre David Kara re-opened the defence with an electrifying run through the midfield before throwing a freakish pass to Deon Berryman who showed a good pair of hands to dot down next to the posts and give Kalamunda a 14-3 lead. Quiet achiever, Quinton Tofua found space from the restart almost running end to end before a desperate Perth defence held out to deny Kala any further score before the break.
The second half was tightly contested and poor discipline allowed Perth Bayswater to get within striking distance with two more penalty goals. The Bulls defence was stretched to the limit when Conan Tutara was sent from the field with a yellow card. However, a revitalized William Hall led a hard working midfield defence and Kalamunda finished the game with their line intact.
Premiers coach, Andrew Spice, was glowing after the win and quick to praise his team for their effort. Andrew attributes Kalamunda’s immaculate start to the 2007 season to a new look Kalamunda backline. According to Andrew “Kala always had the ability to win our fair share of the ball up front. Now we have the finishing power to put other teams away. And, we’ll only get better at it.”
The Bulls are now firmly entrenched in the top four on the Home Building Society Competition table only three points behind front runners Palmyra. Kalamunda hosts fourth placed Associates at Hartfield Park this week in another crucial tie. A win will mean that Kalamunda can open up a minimum four point buffer between third and fourth spot and may be enough to secure second spot if other results are favourable.
