Young Knights keep cool to trounce Storm
A NIGGLY Edmonton Storm couldn’t put off Ivanhoes from delivering their latest shellacking and the winning coach has declared there are big things ahead for his side.
At Petersen Park on Saturday night, the home side had a player sent off and another sin binned, but Ivanhoes kept their cool to win 58-6.
Knights co-coach Stephen Chisholm said it would have been easy for his young side to be drawn into the Storm’s aggression but was pleased they let their football do the talking.
“I was happy with our composure. We’ve got a very young side and Edmonton were trying to get us into a fight, which they’re pretty renowned for,” he said. “We did really well and had a debutant who ended up getting players’ player, a 17year-old in Zane Knowles – he had a real good game and scored two tries.”
The interchange hooker could have done more damage had he not been the victim of a late hit and left the field with concussion after a matchwinning 30-minute stint.
Knowles is the latest in a string of strong A-grade debutants at Ivanhoes this season and Chisholm said it showed there were good things ahead for the club in 2018.
“I think we’ll do real well this year. It’s just getting better and better,” he said. “I think we’re a dark horse.” Ivanhoes will face a much tougher test next week against Kangaroos, who got back to winning ways 28-18 in a highquality contest away to Tully.
Roos skipper Kieran Hayes said it was promising to see the bounce back from his side after a last-start loss to Atherton.
“We worked on a few things during the week at training and it all just came together,” he said.
“It was a real high-quality game. We were back and forward all game and with about 20 minutes to go in the game they had three or four sets on our line and we held them out for a bit and I think that won us the game.
“(Tully) were definitely a good side. Full credit to them. But our boys dug in and won it, which was good.”
Hayes said backrower Sam Kupa stood up in the win, as have many of the young players who have bought into coach Michael White’s astute game plan.
“I think Whitey just gets us together and believing in ourselves,” he said,
The loss was the Tigers’ first of the season.
In Mareeba, Innisfail Leprechauns put in one of their most complete performances of the season for a 28-0 shutout.
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RESERVE GRADE Tully 30 Kangaroos 22 Ivanhoes 34 d Edmonton 16 Mareeba 38 d Innisfail Brothers 24 Southern Suburbs 36 d Mossman/Port Douglas 14 Yarrabah 40 d Brothers 34 UNDER-19 Ivanhoes 60 d Edmonton 14 Innisfail Brothers 42 d Mareeba 40 NEXT WEEK Saturday, May 19 6pm: Tully v Mossman/Port Douglas, Tully Showground 7pm: Atherton v Southern Suburbs, Mungalli Creek Dairy Stadium 7pm: Kangaroos v Ivanhoes, Vico Oval Sunday, May 20 3pm: Yarrabah v Mareeba, Jilara Oval 3pm: Brothers v Edmonton, Stan Williams Park Bye: Innisfail Brothers