It’s come down to two of last year’s Premier League finalists battling it out for the big cash prize tied to the Bob Fulton Cup this season. Gold Coast, eventual premiers, took the field ahead of their opponents, the unheralded Darwin Cyclones. Whilst the Cyclones would go into the match minus regular winger, Caleb Ralph, fans were quietly confident of a big upset following the side’s 46-36 loss in the qualifying finals last season. It was clear, in that game, that the Cyclones were a match for the Crusade.
In the curtain raising game to decide third place in the tournament, the professionalism of the Sydney Oilers shone through as they downed Sunshine Coast 24-14 in a fairly one sided clash. The Wizards, who surpassed all expectations to even make it into the semi finals, scored a late try to save some face, but were never really in a game dominated by the Oilers’ world class squad. A treble to winger, Scott Staniforth impressed many, but it was the form of Jason Robinson on the other wing that gave Bossert cause for excitement.
Sunshine Coast: Maleky O’Connor, James Croaker, and Todd Lowrie. O’Connor 1/3
Sydney: Scott Staniforth 3 and Taine Randell. Walker 4/4
PoM Points: Jason Robinson 3, Ali Lauititi 2, and Brett Kimmorley 1.
Once the Oilers and Wizards left the field, fans were treated to a pre-game show including performances from local acts Alex Lloyd and Pete Murray, as well as a surprise appearance by international stars, Maroon 5. With everyone in the mood for a game, the two squads took to the field.
Gold Coast Crusade Darwin Cyclones
1 Chris Latham 1 Billy Slater
2 Chris Flannery 2 Mirco Bergamasco
3 Aaron Mauger 3 Justin Hodges
4 Matthew Gidley 4 Tana Umaga
5 Tommy O'Reilly 5 Chris Walker
6 Matt Orford 6 Mark McLinden
7 Andrew Johns © 7 Jonny Wilkinson ©
8 Josh Perry 8 Richard Villasanti
9 Danny Buderus 9 Chad Randall
10 Stuart Fielden 10 Owen Finegan
11 Bryan Fletcher 11 Blaze Wilson
12 Ruben Wiki 12 Barry Liverpool
13 Scott Sattler 13 Jim Dymock
++Interchange
14 Karl Pratt 14 Mark Tookey
15 Steve Simpson 15 Matt Cockbain
16 Vinnie Anderson 16 Ben Westwood
17 Epalahame Lauaki 17 Scott Salter
It was Darwin who kicked the game off, courtesy of the boot of former Crusade player, Jonny Wilkinson, and the Crusade produced a promising first set, capped off by a fruitless Andrew Johns grubber. It was Darwin who looked to draw first blood in front of the capacity Sydney crowd, however, Mirco Bergamasco almost scoring after taking an intercept on the Darwin twenty and racing downfield with Tommy O’Reilly in hot pursuit. The Irish international, a four year Crusade veteran, was able to wrap up the Wellington import in a brilliant try-saving tackle. The early threat seemed to put the Crusade on shaky ground, and their early sets were largely messy and lacked promise. Surfers Paradise import, Bryan Fletcher, and returning hero, Scott Sattler, seemed the only two members of the Crusade pack who remembered that they had entered the game as favourites. Their influence couldn’t sway the lacklustre efforts of their team-mates though, and after a powerful forward set, Jim Dymock strolled over through some tired defence to score Darwin’s first and make it 4-0. Wilkinson, who was last season’s most accurate goal-kicker behind Andrew Mehrtens, knocked over the conversion for a 6-0 lead after ten minutes.
Andrew Johns was able to peg back the lead only three minutes later, a penalty goal for stripping allowing him to make it 6-2. The try against them seemed to remind the Crusade that they couldn’t just ruck it out and hope to win, and the next ten minutes of play consisted of far more promising football. A disallowed try in the 23rd, a result of persistent pressure on untested fullback, Billy Slater, seemed to punctuate the Crusade comeback- but an uncharacteristic Andrew Johns’ mistake close to the Crusade line gave the Cyclones a gift opportunity. Utility back Ben Westwood, overlooked for Caleb Ralph’s spot in the backline, was put over the line without a finger on him courtesy of a long Mark McLinden pass. Wilkinson continued his good form with the boot, landing a difficult conversion to make it 12-2 in the 25th minute.
The Gold Coast Crusade showed their class in the ensuing period of play, never panicking despite being behind by ten points in a final against a clearly fired up side. The lead was reduced to just six in the 36th minute, Andrew Johns doing it all himself to muscle his way over for a soft try. Johns, still winded from a heavy hit from Richard Villansanti, somehow missed the easy conversion to leave it at 12-6. The return set showed plenty of fire from the defending premiers, but it amounted to little after Matt Orford lost the ball in a heavy tackle from Ben Westwood. With the ball forty four out from the Crusade line, it took just one play to score a decisive blow, Justin Hodges slicing through a weak Matt Gidley tackle and finding Billy Slater in support for the Cyclones’ third first half try. Wilkinson missed a more difficult conversion, and halftime saw the Cyclones unlikely 16-6 leaders.
HALFTIME: Darwin Cyclones 16 lead Gold Coast Crusade 6
Half-time reports said that coach Chris Walker-Bush had been furious at his side’s first half performance, and he didn’t see much in the early going of the second half to convince him they’d heard his words. Whilst the Crusade forwards, in particular, Scott Sattler, were continuing to have solid games- the back seven struggled to compete against a youthfully exuberant Cyclones’ backline. When Ben Westwood was able to finish off a movement started by a Blaze Wilson linebreak, the Crusade were adrift 20-6. Wilkinson again missed, this time clearly appalled, but a fourteen point lead didn’t leave the Crusade much hope if they continued to play stupid football.
It went from bad to worse only two minutes later, a penalty for lying around in the play the ball putting the Cyclones right back in the Crusade’s red zone. The line held brilliantly for four tackles, before Billy Slater was able to dance his way over from five out to make it 24-6. Wilkinson was able to land the easy conversion, and it looked as good as finished at 26-6 with twenty five remaining.
Two disallowed tries in the 59th and 62nd minutes allowed the Crusade to breathe a sigh of relief, but with thirteen minutes remaining they still trailed 26-6 and were continually being broken by the likes of Umaga and Westwood. Some moments can turn games, and Mark Tookey’s clean drop only fifteen out from his line proved a catalyst for the Crusade’s first try of the half. Irish sensation Tommy O’Reilly took a quick tap and went dangerously close to scoring past an unnattentive Darwin pack, and was able to offload around the corner to Scott Sattler in support. The veteran lock crashed over despite the attentions of Billy Slater, and Johns’ conversion made it 26-12 with just over ten minutes to go.
Ben Westwood’s superlative game continued however, the young centre able to stand up Matt Gidley in defence and embark on a weaving run downfield. Whilst Chris Latham and Tommy O’Reilly pursued grimly, the bench back was too fast for either of them, and Latham had to content himself with keeping Westwood from bringing it around under the posts. Wilkinson duly missed, but the final was as good as won at 30-12 with ten remaining.
The 74th minute saw Chris Walker sin-binned for a sickening high tackle on Chris Flannery, who was clearly shaken by the blatantly high tackle. Walker left the field dejected and clearly unrepentant, but he had plenty to feel bad about when Karl Pratt ran straight down the wing he would have been defending and took it around under the sticks. Johns’ conversion stuck, but with five remaining, the Cyclones held a 30-18 lead.
The Crusade threatened to cause a boil-over when Scott Sattler broke through the line from the kick-off, but some solid one on one defence from Billy Slater defused a volatile situation. Westwood, the three try hero, became a villain when he lost the ball in a heavy Josh Perry tackle only two tackles later- and Aaron Mauger powered his way over to score a brilliant solo try. Johns duly converted from the touch-line, and the game was very much open at 30-24 with less than three minutes of play remaining. Gold Coast fans would no doubt be recalling their side’s tremendous fight-back in the 2002 grand final, and a seventy metre set of six as the clock wound down did plenty to get them excited. As the last play came, the siren sounded, and the ball was thrown wildly from dummy half from Karl Pratt, who was filling in for an injured Danny Buderus. The ball went well behind Andrew Johns, and was picked up by Tommy O’Reilly. The winger bombed it, but Matt Gidley’s jump failed to get hands on the ball, and it bounced wildly in the in goal for one second, two seconds…a flying Billy Slater, aiming to ground the ball, succeeded only in knocking it back into the field of play by a good fifteen metres. Ruben Wiki, another high profile signing in the off-season, powered over after picking it up, and slammed it down underneath the black dot to complete a remarkable comeback! Johns converted duly, and the fulltime score was 30 all. The Crusade had turned a 30-12 deficit into a drawn fulltime scoreline, and would take Darwin to extra time for the second time in as many weeks. Would they be better for last week’s experience? Or worse for the expended energy? More importantly, would the return of Chris Walker push the Cyclones back into overdrive?
FULLTIME: Gold Coast Crusade 30 level with Darwin Cyclones 30
Andrew Johns got the first ten minutes of extra time underway, and what followed was a frantic and exhausting period of football from both sides. The return of Chris Walker definitely had an effect on the Cyclones’ morale, and they dominated extra time accordingly. Despite the presence of Jonny Wilkinson in the squad, however, the Cyclones refused to take a shot for field goal. On the stroke of halftime, Mark Tookey vilified the decision when he pounced on a grubber from McLinden to score. Wilkinson was quick to convert the try, and the Crusade would need to score next to keep the game alive.
ET HALF TIME: Darwin Cyclones 36 lead Gold Coast Crusade 30
It took no time for the Crusade to hit back, a dazzling passage of play involving Tommy O’Reilly and Matt Gidley putting the Crusade right on the attack in the first set of six in the second half. Josh Perry, clearly trying to show up his front row opposite, bulled his way over from fifteen out to score a power try of his own. With Andrew Johns down with a twisted ankle, the goal-kicking duties fell to Matt Orford, who stopped hearts when his conversion bounced off the left upright and left the Crusade two adrift at 36-34. Shortly before the fulltime whistle sounded, however, Chris Walker again found himself in controversial circumstances when he was sin-binned for the second time, this time for abusing a touch judge following a penalty awarded for offside. While Orford converted the penalty into two points, Walker was escorted from the field by coach, Jelly Adams. The fulltime siren sounded, and we’d see twenty more minutes of extra time after the scores remained dead-locked at 36 all.
ET FULLTIME: Gold Coast Crusade 36 drawn with Darwin Cyclones 36
The absence of Chris Walker, thankfully, did not inspire a point-scoring flurry reminiscent of that seen in the last ten minutes of real time- and the score after another ten minutes of extra time remained at 36 all. Walker returned to the field, booed soundly by the big crowd, and would be hoping his presence could spark a comeback and erase the misbehaviour that saw Darwin in a position to lose the game despite the fact they’d lead by eighteen with only seven minutes remaining earlier in the match.
A minute into the next period of ten minutes, Andrew Johns, showing no signs of the ankle injury that forced Orford to kick earlier, calmly knocked over a long range field goal to put his side up 37-36. The Cyclones frantically pressured the Crusade line in the final nine minutes, but tenacious defence, again lead by Scott Sattler- held the line. A late attempt at an equalising field goal by Wilkinson fell just wide, and the siren sounded on the most exciting Bob Fulton Cup Final in the tournament’s short history. It had taken two hours to decide a winner, with the Crusade completing a remarkable comeback to take it out 37-36.
FULLTIME
Gold Coast Crusade 37
Karl Pratt
Aaron Mauger
Andrew Johns
Ruben Wiki
Scott Sattler
Josh Perry (ET)
Johns 5/6
Orford ½
Johns 1 fg
Defeated
Darwin Cyclones 36
Ben Westwood 3
Billy Slater 2
Jim Dymock
Mark McLinden (ET)
Wilkinson 4/7
MAN OF THE MATCH: Scott Sattler (Gold Coast)
Ben Westwood………..2 points (Darwin)
Andrew Johns…………1 point (Gold Coast)
Well done to both teams in a great BFC final. Now after the short break we can get into the season proper <osama>
stupid jonny wilkinson not wearing his kicking shoes.
I know im so devastated he kicks 7/7 i week then the next 4/7 very disappointed but also hate chris walker who pretty much lost that much for us due to him being sent off. anyways i hope its a good sign for darwins season.
