The Gold Coast Crusade have had an outstanding year, backing up last year's premiership win with a minor premiership and a record setting season in many respects. Central Coast, on the other hand, have struggled for form despite fielding arguably their finest side in their short history. While today's match would be 1 vs. 8, there was no doubt that both coaches were forgetting the season before- and were intensely focussed on the upcoming eighty minutes of football.
Gold Coast Crusade Central Coast Falcons
1 Maleky O'Connor 1 Robbie O'Davis
2 Tommy O'Reilly 2 Matt Utai
3 Aaron Mauger 3 Sonny-Bill Williams
4 Matthew Gidley 4 Nigel Vagana
5 Ade Gardner 5 Hazem El Masri
6 Matt Orford 6 Braith Anasta
7 Andrew Johns © 7 Brent Sherwin
8 Josh Perry 8 Steven Price ©
9 Danny Buderus 9 Gunter Franz
10 Stuart Fielden 10 Havaleme Junasaesa
11 Bryan Fletcher 11 Michael Korkidas
12 Ruben Wiki 12 Matthew Burke
13 Scott Sattler 13 Mikhail Mitrofanov
++Interchange
14 Chris Flannery 14 Dean Walker
15 Steve Simpson 15 Luke Davico
16 Karl Pratt 16 James Manson
17 Michael Wainwright 17 Graham Anlezark
The Crusade set the tone for the match with their opening set of six, with intensity high on the end of a powerful seventy eight metre set of six. To top it off, the Crusade had their first points of the match after only twenty six seconds- with Andrew Johns converting a penalty for offside into an early 2-0 lead for the home side and raging hot favourites.
The early points didn't have the desired effect on the minor premiers, and despite good play, the Crusade couldn't extend their lead. They were twice repelled by committed Falcons' defence, before Central Coast hit the lead in the seventh minute due to a trademark Matt Utai try. The stout winger muscled his way across the top of Ade Gardner to score the game's opening try, which was duly converted by Hazem El Masri for a 6-2 lead for the visitors.
The game went from bad to worse for the home side in ensuing set of six, Josh Perry sin binned for a sickening high tackle on Central Coast's Gunter Franz. While Franz was straight back to his feet and throwing punches, referee Russell Smith had no hesitation in sending Perry for a spell.
Andrew Johns was able to peg back the difference with another penalty goal in the 10th minute, James Mason put on report for a swinging arm on Bryan Fletcher. Despite the closeness of the scoreline, the Crusade were clearly on the back foot, and it showed when Matt Utai seemed to have raced away for his second try of the match after running onto a charged down Matt Orford kick. The video referee deliberated over it for several minutes, before ruling that the Kiwi winger had been marginally offside when the ball was toed ahead by Stephen Price.
The Crusade were able to hold the Falcons out until Perry's return through a combination of excellent scrambling defence and an increased defensive workload from Stuart Fielden and Ruben Wiki. With a full compliment back on the park, the Crusade gradually clawed their way back into the game, making good metreage through their strong pack- and eventually taking the lead in the 23rd minute when Ruben Wiki was the surprise finisher on a towering Andrew Johns bomb. The Kiwi second rower, due to leave the club at season's end, had the ball fall into his arms while he was running obstruction for his outside backs. Johns converted, and the Crusade faithful were cheering again as 10-6 leaders.
From the ensuing set of six it became 12-6, a stupid two on one rake gifting Johns with a shot at goal- which he took out of respect for the Falcons' so far solid defence. But the try seemed to have sapped some of the Falcons' intensity, and the next few minutes saw uncharacteristic errors creep into their game. RSC call-up, Maleky O'Connor, made them pay in the 30th- the pacy Irish fullback scoring a scintillating try off a miraculous Danny Buderus shortball. The Irish international went in under the sticks untouched by opposing fullback, Robbie O'Davis. Johns converted, and it suddenly looked grim at 18-6. Despite immense pressure leading into halftime, including a scrum won against the feed and several big breaks from the Crusade, the Falcons were able to hold the line to trail by only twelve at halftime.
HALFTIME: Gold Coast 18 lead Central Coast 6
The Falcons desperately needed to make a positive start to the second half, with the Crusade well known for clocking off after establishing halftime leads. The visitors did just that only six minutes into the second half, veteran centre Matthew Burke running onto a brilliant Braith Anasta grubber. El Masri, ever the master of difficult conversions, landed it for an 18-12 scoreline.
The Falcons lifted in intensity and commitment as a result of this try, and were able to keep the Crusade out for the following ten minutes, before Chris Flannery scored a carbon copy of Burke's try, albeit from an Andrew Johns kick. The try, which came against the run of play, was mostly engineered by some gutsy defence from the Crusade's outside backs. O'Reilly and Mauger, in a real game changing moment, wrestled Braith Anasta into touch to give their side excellent field position.
If that try hadn't spelled the end of Central Coast's 2004/2005 dream, the one from the next set of six did. The Crusade's leading man and Capetown bound captain, Andrew Johns, did all the damage himself- the Dally M player of the year wrestled his way out of a weak Sherwin tackle and produced a characteristic strong run to score adjacent to the uprights. He converted his own effort to well and truly seal the game. The Crusade up 30-12 with twenty remaining.
The game continued to be an arm wrestle, with the Crusade clearly coasting on the back of their eighteen point lead. The Falcons weren't playing bad football, far from it, but they were continually shut out by the Crusade's dominant forward pack. When Wiki and Fletcher got tired, they'd immediately be replaced by former international Steve Simpson, and talented back row partner, Michael Wainwright. The interchange of Flannery and Buderus was also a telling part of the Crusade's final try of the match, the two cutting the Falcons' defence to ribbons before Aaron Mauger was handed a gift try by a familiar Matt Gidley flick pass. Johns again converted, and his side were already savouring a week off as 36-12 leaders.
A late Nigel Vagana try, unconverted, saved some face for the Falcons- who would be leaving Carara Stadium to begin the long task of rebuilding for the season to come. The Crusade didn't ease up until the final siren, but were unable to break forty and really rub salt into the visitor's wounds.
FULLTIME
Gold Coast Crusade 36
Maleky O'Connor
Aaron Mauger
Andrew Johns
Chris Flannery
Ruben Wiki
Johns 8/8
defeated
Central Coast Falcons 16
Nigel Vagana
Matt Utai
Matthew Burke
El Masri 2/3
PoM Points
Andrew Johns.........3
Karl Pratt...........2
Aaron Mauger.........1
Stats
Penalty Count
Gold Coast Crusade- 8 : 7 -Central Coast Falcons
Possession (%)
Gold Coast Crusade- 56 : 44 -Central Coast Falcons
Time in Opposition Half
Gold Coast Crusade- 44 : 36 -Central Coast Falcons
Handling Errors
Gold Coast Crusade- 16 : 15 -Central Coast Falcons
Completion Rate (%)
Gold Coast Crusade- 64 : 56 -Central Coast Falcons
Tackles
Gold Coast Crusade- 191 : 231 -Central Coast Falcons
I'm not sure what happened really, we were just purely out muscled. All season we've lacked a driving force and we simply didn't have it today either.
Congradulations to Gold Coast. We have a long stage of rebuilding this off season.
Brian Randell came out to comment on the game between the Gold Coast Crusade and the Central Coast Falcons. Earliar that day he had been taken from the field after he decided to streak across the field and yell obscenities at Ceo and Coach Chris Walker Bush.
"I'd just like to say that he can suck my dick, I ain't apologising. The whole things a farce. I could beat all of them with my hands behind my back, old man johnsy, I'd like to see him come and try me, I'd kick his 3 ply toilet tissue ass. Be a man you sissy bitch use 1 ply like the rest of us."
Onlookers report seeing a bottle of Jim Beam with the troubled coach. Mavericks Officials commented saying that it was mearly a promotional prop and that the coach who has a history of alcohol related abuse had not touched the fine sweet sweet liquor.
