A big crowd was on hand at Sydney's Sydney Cricket Ground to see the most unlikely of elimination finals, as Fairfield were 'hosts' to surprise finalists, Ipswich, who last week accounted for Dunedin in remarkable fashion. Today's match would see the end of the season for one side, and whilst the return of Brad Fittler would undoubtedly lift Ipswich, the fans on hand were largely there to cheer the Stallions on to the next round.
Fairfield Stallions Ipswich Reds
1 Adrian Vowles 1 Sebastian Tupont
2 Stuart Kelly 2 Tarin Bradford
3 Matt Adamson 3 Azuze Hiraki
4 Seamus O'Grady 4 Lee Hookey
5 Shane Elford 5 Derek Tulley
6 Slick Cupples 6 Brad Fittler ©
7 Ryan Lawton 7 Piri Weepu
8 Andy Lynch 8 Havaleme Junasaesa
9 Mick Higham 9 David Ferriol
10 Terry O'Connor 10 Barry Liverpool
11 Robert Salvatori 11 David Wah
12 Tony Price © 12 Dwayne Miles
13 Scott Magro 13 Martin Wood
++Interchange
14 Rocky Elsom 14 James Wilson
15 Clayton Lyons 15 Grant Wooden
16 Sean Ireland 16 Faron Anderson
17 Chris Tyrie 17 Craig Field
The game couldn't have had a more frantic start for the Reds, who were put under the pump from the opening minutes- a line drop out forced when Slick Cupples grubbered in behind the line and forced Tarin Bradford to clean up. From the drop-out, the Stallions earned a penalty for offside, and Scott Magro claimed first points to give Fairfield a 2-0 lead after three minutes of play. If fans were expecting the Reds to capitulate after the leaking of first points, they were stunned into silence when the Reds crossed for the first try of the match just four minutes after Magro's penalty goal. The try came on the back of some mammoth defence, that saw Terry O'Connor muscled into touch by Azuze Hiraki. From the ensuing set, Brad Fittler hefted a spiralling bomb, fumbled by Adrian Vowles, and collected by unlikely chaser- Barry Liverpool. The big Englishman grounded the ball despite his shock, and Derek Tulley's conversion saw the Reds take a 6-2 lead.
It was to become a game of frantic, scrappy, but exciting football. The Stallions have graced the finals on several occasions, but their experience didn't seem to daunt an enthusiastic Ipswich side- marshalled well by elder statesman, Brad Fittler. Where the attack was sometimes sloppy, it was in defence that both sides shone. When they weren't forcing errors with suicidal hits, they were wrestling their opposition into touch on daring blindside play. It was, quite simply, football played at breakneck speeds. Fairfield looked the stronger of the two sides offensively, but when a penalty was given in the 31st minute for Martin Wood's gruesome spear tackle on Ryan Lawton- Magro paid respect to the Reds' defence by landing a second penalty goal. The Reds were up 6-4 with halftime approaching. Magro saw scores levelled just three minutes later, Terry O'Connor's big bust ending when Brad Fittler and Lee Hookey got invovled to steal the ball. The resulting penalty saw Magro level scores, 6 all, and as halftime approached- both sides sought that last, morale boosting try. The Stallions continued to look like the side likely to score the try, but it didn't come, and when halftime came- the Reds' defence had managed to keep the high scoring Stallions' unit tryless.
HALFTIME: Fairfield 6 drawn with Ipswich 6
Fairfield essentially picked off where they left off in the second half, with their fast paced attack keeping the Reds back-pedalling and on the back foot. With the weight of possession, and the Reds continually on their own line, it was only a matter of time before the favourites regained the lead. Scoring their first try of the match through Shane Elford (off a brilliant Terry O'Connor offload), the Stallions raced to a 12-6 lead. The few Reds' faithful in the crowd would be forgiven for feeling hard done by, the margin of six created solely by penalties. The writing was put on the wall in the 51st minute, when Scott Magro landed his fourth penalty goal of the match (this time for offside) to extend the Stallions' lead to eight. The Reds were exhausted, and behind by eight, they looked ready to capitulate and suffer a potentially humiliating end to a bright season. The 53rd minute was a turning point of sorts, when Tarin Bradford bravely wrestled with big Terry O'Connor to prevent the Irish representative from scoring a potentially match-winning try. The diminutive Queenslander showed plenty of grit in holding up the big prop, and his efforts served to inspire his fellow 'no names' from southern Queensland. Another disallowed Fairfield try in the 60th served to crush Fairfield's spirits, and in the 64th, Tarin Bradford added to his already impressive game when he followed up a Grant Wooden half break to streak in for a try. Derek Tulley missed a potentially crucial conversion, but at 14-10, the game was well and truly 'on' for young and old.
In many ways, the Reds were lucky to be within four, with Fairfield having the weight of possession and again being denied by the video referee in the 68th minute, this time for a rather dubious call of sheparding. To their credit, however, the Reds played by the whistle, and shocked the league world when they reclaimed the lead with just eight minutes of play remaining through Tarin Bradford's second try. In almost a carbon copy of his first effort, Bradford was put in after a well timed offload from Piri Weepu. Tulley got his sights in, and with seven to go, the Reds were on track for a second tremendous upset as 16-14 leaders.
Ill discipline undid the Reds, however, when they were penalised for a high tackle. Rather than going for glory, the Stallions went for the draw and extra time, Scott Magro landing the easy conversion to lock things up at 16 all. The Reds twice repelled threatening raids on their line, and whilst Slick Cupples had a last minute shot at field goal, the scoreline remained unchanged when fulltime was sounded. The Division Two finals would be graced with extra time!
FULLTIME: Fairfield 16 drawn with Ipswich 16
In a surprisingly competitive first period of extra time, it was end to end football on display. The first three minutes saw both Fairfield and Ipswich launch close raids, before Shane Elford challenged the video referee by claiming a controversial try in the 85th minute of play. The video referee looked at it long and hard, before ruling that Elford had been slightly in front of Slick Cupples when the ball was kicked. The Reds went from celebrating their good fortune to rueing their bad fortune not long after, with Barry Liverpool controversially sin binned for a deliberate forward pass. Queensland fans were livid as the big Englishman was sent to the sheds, and rightfully so, in one of the most woeful calls in rugby league history. The Reds continued to valiantly defend despite the blow to their morale, and it came down to just two plays. A memorable Martin Wood break, followed by a perfectly weighted Brad Fittler grubber kick for Sebastian Tupont. The fleet of foot fullback latched onto the bouncing ball, shimmied around Adrian Vowles, and raced in under the sticks for an unlikely try! Completely against the run of play, but as the siren sounded, Tulley booted his side to a six point lead!
EXTRA TIME HALF TIME: Fairfield 16 trail Ipswich 22
If the Reds shocked Fairfield with their late try, it was their turn to be shocked when the Stallions took just thirty seconds to score the equalising try. Running it from the kick-off, Fairfield put it through the hands to allow Rocky Elsom a damaging run down the flank. The big back rower kicked inside, and somehow managed to grasp the ball despite the attention of Tupont and Hookey, before wrestling his way over. Scott Magro converted his side's second try of the game, and it was all locked up again at 22 all.
The Reds engine began to come undone, as their inferior match fitness began to show. Whilst the occasional break still came, the Queenslanders' support play was nothing like Fairfield's- the Sydneysiders looking more and more dangerous as the clock wound down. Poor handling further hit the Ipswich cause, but as fulltime approached, it looked like a further twenty minutes of play may be needed to decide this one. Enter Ryan Lawton, the unlikely halfback feigning a field goal, before dummying out wide and racing in under the sticks with no time remaining on the clock. The gutsy play paid off, and Magro converted to give his side a 28-22 win. The Reds' season was over, and they would be left to rue a lopsided penalty count and the controversial sin-binning of Liverpool.
FULLTIME
Fairfield Stallions 28
Shane Elford
Ryan Lawton
Rocky Elsom
Magro 8/8
defeated
Ipswich Reds 22
Tarin Bradford 2
Barry Liverpool
Sebastian Tupont
Tulley 3/4
PoM Points
Terry O'Connor............3
Tarin Bradford.............2
Slick Cupples...............1
wow! what a game lol long live the reds ay heheh good luck to fairfield
hard luck ipswich, the previous worst side in footy, does the town of ipswich proud in the playoffs, hats off to the coach who did what i couldnt even come close to doing with that bunch of nevilles.
lol cheers m8 i'll cop that :D
