It was a difficult weekend for the Sydney Roosters affiliate clubs, with both the Bears and Jets failing to get over the line, while the Glebe Dirty Reds had the weekend off in preparation for next week’s trip to Fiji.
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears have fallen to their second straight loss in the NSW Cup, after a narrow 36-30 defeat at the hands of the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles on Saturday afternoon at North Sydney Oval.
The Bears showed true grit and determination to peg back a fast-starting Sea Eagles outfit, but a hattrick to winger Alfred Smalley and a double for lock forward Zach Dockar-Clay wasn’t enough to lift North Sydney to victory and a spot at the top of the ladder.
The hosts were put under the pump early with Blacktown running in two tries in the first 10 minutes to set the tone for what would turn out to be a high scoring affair.
However, after a sinbin to Sea Eagle Latu Fainu, the floodgates opened with four unanswered tries lifting the Bears to a 12-point lead just before the interval.
North Sydney started the second half poorly, allowing Blacktown back into the contest before Smalley completed his hattrick to lock the scores up at 24-apiece with 20 minutes of play remaining.
The Sea Eagles finished the game as they started, running in a pair of tries to ensure that they had an almost unassailable advantage heading into the final five minutes of the match.
Docker-Clay crossed for his second try of the match just four minutes before full time, setting up a grandstand finish, but the Bears couldn’t find another four-pointer to level the scores, falling agonisingly short.
The Bears return to North Sydney Oval next Sunday to play the Newtown Jets in a mouth-watering clash between competition high-flyers, where they will look to return to the winner’s circle.
Ipswich Jets
In the Queensland Cup, the Ipswich Jets remain winless despite a brave effort in their 18-30 defeat against the Northern Pride at North Ipswich Reserve on Sunday afternoon.
The Jets showed impressive spirit to claw their way back into the match at 18-0 down, heading into half time with the scores at 18-12 after winger Ricco Falaniko scored his sixth try of the season.
Ipswich engaged in a physical second half battle, restricting Northern Pride's lead to only six points for the majority of the match, until their hopes were dashed by a late Will Patridge try for the visitors.
Despite the defeat, the Jets performance was a massive improvement on the showings in recent rounds, demonstrating the belief and ability of the playing group, with strong efforts across the park.
The Jets have a daunting task ahead of them next week as they travel to Davies Park on Sunday afternoon to take on competition leaders, Souths Logan Magpies, where they will be hoping to pull off an upset victory.
