Capetown's astounding debut season in the Premier League is just one game away from becoming league folklore. Central Coast may have promoted and made the finals last season- but not side has ever gone from Division Two straight to the Premier League grand final. Of course, Central won't be obliging- wanting to have another shot at the title after finishing two points behind Wellington in the 2003 decider.
Capetown Ravens Central Phoenix
1 Freddie Banquet 1 Clinton Schifcofske ©
2 Luke Rooney 2 Brad Flemming
3 Mark Hughes 3 Keith Senior
4 Martin Gleeson 4 Leigh Bush
5 Alan Watts 5 Scott Donald
6 Andrew Mehrtens 6 Danny Orr
7 Derek Gateshead 7 Paul Deacon
8 Keith Mason 8 Alex Synn
9 Jeremy Paul 9 Harley Autitia
10 Barrie McDermott 10 Scott Logan
11 Mike Forshaw 11 Adrian Morley
12 Travis Elken 12 Hunter Tylerson
13 Andy Farrel © 13 Scott Sattler
++Interchange
14 Frank Pritchard 14 David Shayne
15 Sean Carstens 15 Stuart Fielden
16 Stanley Gene 16 Iafeta Palea'aesina
17 Steve Devine 17 Vinnie Anderson
Andrew Mehrtens got the game underway, and the big crowd got up on their feet to cheer their chargers on. Since both sides are based so far from Sydney, the game would take place in a packed Subiaco Oval. While Perth fans had a fairly poor year in terms of football from their local clubs- they showed they appreciation as Capetown and Central's forward packs bashed each other in the early going. The first try didn't take long, Andy Farrell leading by example when he powered over on the third. Mehrtens continued his amazing year with the boot, and the Ravens took an early 6-0 lead.
The early try didn't dampen the Phoenix spirits at all, and instead the intensity in defence lifted a notch. The injection of Stuart Fielden and defensive utility David Shayne into the game had a marked effect- the added pressure forcing the Ravens into stupid errors which squandered their excellent field position. But it was Capetown's defence that continually hindered the Phoenix attack, nowhere near as bruising, but doubly effecient. The second Ravens try, scored by Andy Farrel in the 13th minute, was a result of good defence pinning Central in their end. It was a near carbon copy of the first try, Farrell carrying Paul Deacon across the line with him to make it 10-0. Mehrtens showed a momentary lapse of concentration to miss the relatively easy conversion.
Central's response was immediate. Hitting the ball up on the second tackle, Luke Rooney was almost knocked out of the park when he ran into the shoulder of Scott Logan. The ball was jarred loose, and Central were suddenly on the attack. Powerful centre Leigh Bush made the Ravens pay for their poor ball control- scooting over out wide after a wrap around play with Brad Flemming created the extra man. Paul Deacon converted from out wide to make it 10-6 and lift the Central fans.
Andy Farrell's first quarter domination continued largely unabated however, the English captain working overtime in defence to deny Central a try that would possibly give them the lead. In the 23rd he helped Capetown's cause further, the Great Britain lock removing Scott Donald from the equation with a big don't argue before crashing over out wide. Andrew Mehrtens was quick to add to Capetown's total. Thanks to a superb opening stanza from Andy Farrell, the Ravens were in firm control at 16-6.
Central's best player, for the second week running, looked to be Brad Flemming. After forcing Aaron Barba from the starting lineup, Flemming last week tore Wellington apart, and did the same to Luke Rooney and Mark Hughes in the Capetown line. When the Phoenix got into Capetown's half courtesy of a penalty for offside, Flemming and Leigh Bush combined again- Flemming sliding over thanks to a perfectly timed Bush offload. Deacon's conversion was waved away, but 16-10 with ten minutes to go left the game wide open.
Paul Deacon helped Central's cause further in the 32nd when he landed a long distance penalty following a high Travis Elken tackle, and the lead changed suddenly when Brad Flemming got his second try on the end of a movement he'd engineered. The talented former Wellington winger skipped clear of a Luke Rooney tackle on his own thirty, and made good metres downfield before Freddie Banquet came across to end the movement. One play later the ball was spread wide again, and Flemming raced onto a long Danny Orr ball to go over in the corner untouched. Deacon converted, and in the space of five minutes the lead had become Central's- 18-16 up heading into the break.
Capetown were clearly shocked by their sudden reversal of fortune, and they let frustration get the better of them, conceding a stupid penalty from the kick-off for a high Mike Forshaw tackle. Another penalty put the Phoenix right in Capetown's territory, and Clinton Schifcofske made them pay when he dummied on the last and sliced cleanly through the goal-line defence for a soft try. Deacon again converted, and the Phoenix looked in control at 24-16 up.
A try from the kick-off made the Ravens' grand final dream seem a little far fetched. The Phoenix produced another fine set of six, and looked content to just kick it downfield- but a painful bounce for the Ravens saw the ball bounce back into the arms of Stuart Fielden- who was following through well behind the line due to tiredness. The freakish bounce put Fielden in possession only fifteen out with only Martin Gleeson in his way. It was a foregone conclusion, the huge prop scoring a powerful try. Deacon was unlucky to miss, and the halftime score would see Central as shock 28-16 leaders.
HALFTIME: Capetown 16 trail Central 28
Capetown came out and signalled their intentions in the only language Central would understand- force. Andy Farrell, Mike Forshaw, Uri Novavich, and Sean Carstens made Central pay for every metre they gained with big hits and gang tackles. While it didn't make for pretty football, it clearly frustrated a Phoenix side who thrives on making quick metres from dummy half. All of their good work came undone when the first half hero, Farrell, knocked it on from dummy half only eighteen out from his line. A powerful set of six from Central forced a dropout, and from the next set of six the Phoenix crossed again through Paul Deacon. He converted his own effort to give Capetown a mountain to climb at 34-16.
The mountain got a little smaller in the 60th when Mark Hughes crossed at the end of an inspiring Andy Farrell break. Farrell clearly blamed himself for the situation the Ravens were in- and focussed all of his frustration on Danny Orr when he ran over the shocked five eighth. Farrell's powerful run took him thirty metres downfield, where it was a simple matter of off-loading to a supporting Mark Hughes to get the Ravens back in the game. Mehrtens converted to make it 34-22 with twenty minutes remaining.
Like Capetown in the first half, Central let aggression and frustration hinder their game, giving away stupid penalties for high or late tackles. When Stuart Fielden was sent to the SIN BIN in the 64th minute following his second consecutive high tackle- his English team mates, Farrell and Gateshead, combined to bring the margin back to six. Farrell made another incisive run to put his side within five, and Gateshead's kick and chase for himself earned the Ravens a try. A partisan South African crowd roared its approval as the scoreline begin 34-28.
Farrell's absolutely dominant game got scorelines level in the 70th minute when he again made a clean break. It seemed like he was playing on another plane of existence, untouchable by the opposition defence. Farrell combined with another English international in Mike Forshaw to level scores, the big second rower given a clear path to the line after Farrell ran over the top of Clinton Schifcofske. Mehrtens again converted, and ten out the game was locked at 34 all. No one would have expected it after the early 34-16 margin.
Both sides settled their game as the game ticked towards what could be extra time, but Paul Deacon eliminated that possibility when he shot an opportunistic field goal. David Shayne had made a break that got the Phoenix 43 metres downfield, and rather than take his chances looking for a try, Deacon ignored a three on two overlap to knock the ball over the black dot for a 35-34 lead.
Uri Novavich took exception to the points, and in his next tackle after the kickoff almost killed Deacon with a stiff forearm. A brawl broke out, and the Ravens were penalised for it. Deacon opted to take a long range penalty shot from his own half, but the ball fell well short and gave possession back to the Ravens. A knock on from Jeremy Paul wiped Deacon's poor decision from memory- and he let his football apologise for him when he scored the match winner five from fulltime. The underrated halfback dummied and danced his way over from fifteen out and converted his own effort to make it 41-34. Capetown knew the game was as good as over, but Deacon spelled it out for them when he landed another field goal in the 79th. Central would progress to the grand final courtesy of a high scoring 42-34 win.
FULLTIME
Central Phoenix 42
Clinton Schifcofske
Leigh Bush
Brad Flemming 2
Paul Deacon 2
Stuart Fielden
Deacon 6/9
Deacon 2 fgs
defeated
Capetown Ravens 34
Mark Hughes
Derek Gateshead
Andy Farrell 3
Mike Forshaw
Mehrtens 5/6
PoM Points
Andy Farrell....................3
Paul Deacon....................2
Brad Flemming................1
