Valleys attack fires to set up a decider
HERB STEINOHRT OVAL: Valleys has done its part to set up a minor premiership decider against Wattles next week, after beating Oakey.
The Roosters prevailed 5824, in the process setting up what appears to be a winner-take-all match against the Warriors on Saturday night to determine who will earn a first round break in the TRL Premiership finals.
They were made to work for it against a gallant Oakey side, who despite their lowly position on the ladder, was able to stick with Valleys for much of the contest.
Despite finding themselves down 42-6 in the early stages of the second half, three tries in the space of 11 minutes to the visitors kept them within reach.
“Oakey named a really good forward pack and they came to play,” Valleys coach Matthew Schulze said.
“They never stopped trying. We were guilty of making a few mistakes and giving them possession, and they put a couple of tries on us.”
In the end their class shone through, as they piled on three tries to close out the game, in another dominant attacking display.
Currently Valleys sit just second behind Wattles in points per game, and have averaged more than 46 points per game in the three weeks since their round 13 bye.
“They’re playing with confidence, and we’ve got a few in good form at the same time which helps,” Schulze said.
“We’re playing good footy. We’ve got a few defensive goals that we have to stick to, and when we control the footy we’re able to score some points.”
The Roosters were able to blood debutant Matthew Rohde on the wing, making the step up from U18s, while Alex Hinch Jr played his first A-grade game for the club after a handful of outings with Southern Suburbs last year.
They stepped up in the absence of Denzel Burns and Zac Miles.
“They played on the wing and both did their jobs,” Schulze said.
“Alex got two tries. Matt didn’t get as much ball as we’d like, but he rushed 30m to score a try in the corner.”
Aaron Sillitoe and Dylan Chown finished the evening with hat-tricks, to go with doubles to Hinch Jr and Dexter Buchanan.
A win over Wattles will see them secure the minor premiership, while a loss needs them relying on results to go their way in the final round.