2014 12 May 31 Camden V AvondaleIn a display that will send shockwaves across the district, Avondale Wombats continued on with their impressive form with a 58 points to 10 victory over Premiers Camden at Camden Rugby Park on Saturday. With up to ten players missing from last year’s Grand Final side, the Premiers were no match for the rampaging Wombats in a nine tries to two performance from the competition front runners.
The first half of the match was the Ryan Lonsdale show with the big Englishman running in three tries, whilst also spending ten minutes in the bin for a high tackle. Lonsdale missed last week’s match against Vikings due to disciplinary reasons but made his mark firmly in this match posting his first try less than one minute after the kick off. Ten minutes later Camden wingman Jake Sadler finished off a standard backline play to post a try for Camden to square up the score 5 – 5.
A poor defensive read from the Camden outside backs saw Lonsdale post his second try under the posts without a hand being laid on him in the run to the line. Camden half Andrew Brown left his side short when he was sin binned after fouling Lonsdale as he scored. With the try converted by Darryl Sanft, Avondale were out 12 – 5 after eighteen minutes.
Lonsdale was back in the game seven minutes later when phone number library a high tackle earned him ten minutes in the bin as well. Whilst Lonsdale was off the field Sanft added a penalty goal and with the Wombat forwards charging up field, led by back rowers Steven Fuka and Matt Taufa, front rower Anthony Amone posted his second try in two weeks. Converted again by Sanft, Wombats led 22 – 5.
A minute after returning to the field Lonsdale was in the action again. From a mid-field scrum, fly half Joe Aiono threw a cut out pass to Lonsdale who dummied past the Camden cover to score out wide to bring up the halftime score of 27 – 5.
2014 14a May 31 Camden V AvondaleLonsdale was in the action again when inside the first minute of the second half he made a strong run down the left and found fullback Scott Morgan in support who scored the easiest of tries for a score-line of 32 – 5.
Five minutes into the half Avondale flanker Michael Malaki was binned for a dangerous tackle but with the Wombat forwards continuing to rampage up field the tries kept coming. On the end of a backline overlap, speedy winger Viiga Lalatoa scored in the corner for a lead of 37 – 5.
One of Camden’s best fly half Dane Kelly put in a strong solo effort to score for the Rams out wide after beating a string of defenders to touch down. Two minutes later the Avondale onslaught continued when giant center Luke Thompson steamrolled his way over to score from twenty meters out. With the Sanft conversion the lead was 44 – 10.
In the last five minutes Avondale scored two more converted tries through Darryl Sanft who cleaned up a Camden knock on to stroll over the line, and replacement forward Josh Waine who finished off a dazzling play after five or six players handled the ball in a fifty meter effort.
The Rams had no answer for the power and speed of the Avondale effort and if it wasn’t for a healthy advantage in the penalty count to Camden, who knows what the score could have been, such was the dominance of the Wombats game. The power of the Avondale pack created the space and time for their backs to run riot almost as they pleased with back rowers Steven Fuka, Matt Taufa and Michael Malaki outstanding. Lonsdale, Viiga Lalotoa and point scoring machine Darryl Sanft took full advantage of their forwards efforts. The Rams will be looking forward to the latter part of the year when they will be able to get some of last year’s premiership winning players back on deck.