Fairfield have a long history of achievement in Division Two, and have touted 2004/2005 as the season in which they'll realise their potential and make a step into the big league. Certainly the presence of legendary five eighth, Brad Fittler, would attest to this commitment. Meanwhile the Chiefs, a product of a union between the Auckland Marlins and Christchurch Carnage, have defied critics this year with a powerful brand of football inspired by their quicksilver backline. Tonight's match would be, despite the placement of the competing sides, the finest of the round for Division Two.
Auckland Chiefs Fairfield Stallions
1 Matthew Bowen 1 Brick Dury
2 Michael Eager 2 Slick Cupples
3 Michael Robertson 3 Ben Kirchner
4 Ryan McGoldrick 4 Sébastien Azema
5 Mark Gerrard 5 Siose Muiliumu
6 Nathan Wood 6 Asuki Miyamoto
7 Eron Bates © 7 Brad Fittler ©
8 Corey Pearson 8 Andy Lynch
9 Aaron Gorrell 9 Mick Higham
10 Steele Retchless 10 Terry O'Connor
11 Ali Williams 11 Habib El Naj
12 Mark Minichiello 12 Rocky Elsom
13 Ryan Hudson 13 Scott Magro
++Interchange
14 Glenn Turner 14 Shayne McMenemy
15 Nathan Sharpe 15 Tony Price
16 Chad Robinson 16 Danny Sculthorpe
17 Gareth Raynor 17 Ryan Lawton
Fairfield could not have dreamed for a much better start, with hooking sensation Aaron Gorrell making an unforgivable error when he cockily went for a one handed pickup from dummy half and knocked it on. Those few loyal Sydneysiders who had made the journey across to New Zealand were given plenty to cheer about early on, when French sensation Sebastian Azema scored on the back of a superb Ben Kirchner linebreak. Scott Magro, the Maltese boy fast becoming a household name, converted to give his side an unlikely 6-0 lead after only two minutes play.
The opening exchanges were marked by some sterling defence from both sides, with the Stallions' pack having the better of the early battle. Despite being on the back foot offensively, Auckland were the next to post points, with former Brisbane sensation Eron Bates knocking over a penalty goal from close range after Glenn Turner was caught in a nasty high tackle from Habib El Naj. 6-2 after twelve minutes of play.
Fairfield hit back in the finest way possible, another Ben Kirchner linebreak the catalyst for Fairfield's second try of the game. After having a relatively quiet year having made the jump from Melbourne, Kirchner again found himself in the clear after a simple step and spin got him on the outside of Mark Gerrard. Whilst he was eventually run down by Michael Robertson, a try was always in the offing, with Scott Magro rampaging over from fifteen out and converting his own effort to give the visitors an impressive 12-2 lead.
Auckland were lucky not to find themselves further behind in the next fifteen minutes. The Stallions found easy metres wherever they looked, with Brad Fittler having a field day courtesy of Mogsheen Jadwat's somewhat relaxed ten metres. When the halves weren't doing the damage, it was the Stallions' veteran pack ploughing through lazy defense. Despite all of this, the Chiefs found enough to muster a first half try of their own in the 30th, an absolutely awful Fairfield set gifting the Chiefs with good field position. After an errant pass from dummy half lost the side sixteen metres on the fourth, Asuki Miyamoto was forced to kick from only thirty out. The Japanese halfback, set to retire at season's end, kicked it out on the full- and the resulting set of six saw Gareth Raynor finish off a fairly routine movement from the Chiefs- a three on two overlap created by a superb Gorrell dummy half pass. Eron Bates landed the difficult conversion to put his side just four adrift at 12-8.
The remaining ten minutes of the half were closely contested, with Auckland's confidence clearly boosted by their try. With only three seconds remaining in the first half, it looked as if the Chiefs could be surprise halftime leaders, Aaron Gorrell busting the line and rushing downfield before finding a supporting Tommy Martyn who ran in under the posts. Replays were looked at for five minutes before the Stallions were given a penalty for Fittler being taken out off the ball. With no time for the set to ensure, halftime was called with Fairfield as slender 12-8 leaders.
HALFTIME: Auckland 8 trail Fairfield 12
There was no lack of fire and gunpowder in the opening of the second half, with two Stallions cautioned in the 41st minute for their involvement in an incident off the ball. Terry O'Connor and Rocky Elsom were both given a warning after they gave Eron Bates a little work off the ball- with the resulting penalty giving Bates some revenge. The lead was down to two, at 12-10.
Fans were not disappointed with the second half in terms of competiveness either, with both sides completing at above 75% to ensure the game was as high quality as it was high tension. Despite all of the end to end excitement, it seemed like neither side could muster the energy for a potentially match winning try. With the quality of defence, it seemed almost certain that only one try would be needed to seal a place in next week's semi finals.
The scores were equalised in the sixtieth minute by yet another Eron Bates penalty goal, and the stage was set for what would be a grandstand finish. Too far out from full time for a field goal to be effective, it looked as if the final quarter of the match would come down to whichever side wanted it more.
Fairfield had the first bite at the cherry in the 67th minute, when repeated pressure from Brad Fittler's kicking game put his side well on the attack. Despite this, though, the finisher just wouldn't come. Whether it was a ball knocked on in the clear or a bomb bouncing into the arms of a defender, it just didn't seem like Fairfield's night. Auckland had their chance in the 73rd, but were thwarted by some great desperation defence from Division Two player of the year, Scott Magro.
With fulltime fast approaching, both sides also took long range shots for field goal, but the swirling winds made any kind of accuracy nigh on impossible. In the end it turned out to be Fairfield's increasing level of ill discipline that decided the game, two consecutive penalties for offside gifting Eron Bates with the easiest of attempts to win the game with just thirteen seconds remaining. The boom halfback wasn't put off by the small but vocal Fairfield contingent, nor by the winds- duly slotting it over for a narrow 14-12 win.
FULLTIME
Auckland Chiefs 14
Gareth Raynor
Bates 5/5
defeated
Fairfield Stallions 12
Sebastian Azema
Scott Magro
Magro 2/2
PoM Points
Scott Magro............3
Terry O'Connor.......2
Gareth Raynor........1
Match Stats
Penalty Count
Auckland Chiefs- 13 : 4 -Fairfield Stallions
Possession (%)
Auckland Chiefs- 52 : 47 -Fairfield Stallions
Time in Opposition Half
Auckland Chiefs- 37 : 43 -Fairfield Stallions
Handling Errors
Auckland Chiefs- 11 : 5 -Fairfield Stallions
Completion Rate (%)
Auckland Chiefs- 71 : 79 -Fairfield Stallions
Tackles
Auckland Chiefs- 223 : 230 -Fairfield Stallions
