Last weekend the Wellington Cougars scored a morale boosting victory over Parramatta at this very ground, but all bets were off as the Vikings made the trek across the Tasman for the second consecutive week intent on keeping their finals dream alive.

Wellington Cougars Parramatta Vikings
1 Anthony Minichiello 1 Christian Cullen
2 Lesley Vainikolo 2 Francis Meli
3 Gordon D'Arcy 3 Jamie Lyon
4 Timana Tahu 4 Mark Gasnier
5 Joe Rokocoko 5 Matt Sing
6 Danny Orr 6 Nathan Fien
7 Sean Long 7 PJ Marsh
8 Kevan Mealamu 8 Nathan Cayless ©
9 Keiron Cunningham 9 Dean Widders
10 Paul Rauhihi 10 Luke Bailey
11 David Kidwell 11 Nathan Hindmarsh
12 Jamie Peacock 12 Craig Fitzgibbon
13 Kevin Sinfield © 13 Neville Costigan
++Interchange
14 Willie Poching 14 Tim Smith
15 Danny Tickle 15 Michael Vella
16 Andrew Lomu 16 Jack Afamasaga
17 Henry Faafili 17 Ralph Herdoffer

The boot of Parramatta's Nathan Fien got the game underway, with fans in a packed Westpac Trust Stadium on their feet as Anthony Minichiello fielded the ball on his return match. A tentative start from the Cougars gave Parramatta an ideal early opportunity to land the first blow, but both sides played smart football- sniffing one another’s weaknesses out rather than playing full blown free flowing football. The capacity crowd enjoyed this style of play, with both sides gradually warming their way into the game with increasingly expansive play. With both sides possessing such potent attacking lineups, it was only a matter of time before the first try was scored, with Danny Orr able to finish off a dangerous Wellington play on the back of some feeble Parramatta defence. The Great Britain five eighth showed plenty of flare, getting in two touches on the way to a forty six metre try in broken play. Kevin Sinfield converted the scintillating try, and the Cougars took a handy 6-0 lead after five minutes of play.

The try seemed to spark some extra ‘oomph’ in the defence, as both sides lifted their game a notch. While Parramatta were simply playing smart defensive football, the Cougars used their big and experienced pack to bash their opponents into submission. A period of five minutes, between the fifteenth and twentieth, gave Wellington their next points- as they enjoyed great field position and repeat sets on the Parramatta line. The points didn’t come in the form of a second try, however, with the Vikings’ line proving resilient and forcing Kevin Sinfield to take a shot at goal when a penalty was conceded. The Cougars looked dangerous, sitting on eight points, but looking ready to secure more if Parramatta couldn’t land a few telling blows of their own.

The word came out from the sheds, and Parramatta’s game noticeably lifted in the ensuing minutes of play. The Cougars responded with some more aggressive defence, but this only leaked penalties, and the visitors were quick to capitalise on their increased share of the possession. An inspiring run by Jamie Lyon kick-started the movement, and Tim Smith finished it when he was able to scoot over out wide from a good PJ Marsh pass. Craig Fitzgibbon landed the difficult conversion from out wide, and the face of the game was changed as the visitors made it 8-6 after twenty three.

Christian Cullen and PJ Marsh continued to control things magnificently for Parramatta, who realised full well that a loss in today’s clash would end their best season to date. Memorable runs from both players ended, however, without points- as the Cougars’ defence drew on its immense finals’ experience to repel repeated attacks. Kevin Sinfield landed another steadying penalty goal in the 32nd minute to lift his side to a 10-6 lead, but the Vikings were gradually starting to look more and more threatening as half time approached. Despite promising periods from both sides, however, their lines held until the half-time siren sounded, both clubs providing an excellent first half for the fans on hand.

HALFTIME: Wellington 10 lead Parramatta 6

Halftime couldn’t have started any worse for the Vikings, when Christian Cullen, arguably their best player in the first half, was unable to handle the spiralling kick-off from Sean Long. In the ensuing set of six, the Cougars made him doubly sorry as Timana Tahu was put over in the corner by a superb Danny Orr long ball. Sinfield rubbed salt into the wounds with his own conversion, giving the Cougars a handy 16-6 win after just one minute of play in the second half.

Interchanges were made by Parramatta to staunch the flow of negative morale, but the Viking offence was visibly diminished by the try, with their attack becoming increasingly expansive. Dropped ball, and later, penalties for niggling in the tackle gave Wellington an ideal opportunity to close the game out. When Danny Orr was able to take a quick tap and stroll over from just five metres out, things looked well and truly over for the Vikings. Whilst their players cried foul over the tap being taken before their line was set, Sinfield extended the lead to make it 22-6 with thirty minutes of play remaining. The next try would prove crucial, with another Cougars’ try certain to open the floodgates and end Parramatta’s year.

The Vikings, to their credit, did not let the soft try break their resolve, and what followed was an exciting period of play from both sides. Whilst Wellington got a little lazy in seeking out the potentially match-winning try, the Vikings worked their way back into the game with solid defence and creative work around the ruck. The Cougars, denied once by the video referee, suddenly found themselves in a carbon copy of the first half. The Vikings, behind by sixteen, would need to score quick points if they were to make a fist of the game. Jamie Lyon’s sin-binning for a blatant rake over the line, however, cast further shadow over Parramatta’s premiership dream. As the game grew inexorably closer to its conclusion, however, it became clear that Parramatta lacked the world class playmaker they’d need to fight their way back into the game. With every promising break made, there was an equally disappointing finish- with Fien and Marsh simply not in the same league as Orr and Long on the opposite side. A disallowed try in the 68th minute seemed to shatter Parramatta’s fighting spirit, with Danny Orr grabbing his hat-trick after galloping onto a well timed Sean Long pass. The game was well and truly over for Parramatta, with Sinfield’s successful conversion making it 28-6. The Vikings would be mourning a second half ill spent in just nine minutes.

The Cougars made sure those minutes were painful.

Sean Long continued his impressive game when he engineered Anthony Minichiello’s 77th minute try, the crafty halfback reeking all sorts of havoc in a disorganised Vikings’ lineup. It went from painful to downright humiliating in the final minutes of the game, as Danny Orr grabbed his fourth when the Cougars broke open Parramatta on their kick return. The conversion put it at 40-6, a humiliating defeat for a Parramatta side that would be fair in considering themselves far better than the scoreline indicated. Their season was over, whilst Wellington would advance to the preliminary final courtesy of finishing second on the Premier League ladder.

FULLTIME

Wellington Cougars 40
Timana Tahu
Danny Orr 4
Anthony Minichiello
Sinfield 8/8

Defeated

Parramatta Vikings 6
Tim Smith
Fitzgibbon 1/1

PoM Points
Danny Orr…………3
Andrew Lomu……..2
Sean Long………….1

nice first up effort from the boys. danny orr is the man

One step closer to not being eliminated this round.