Sargeant matches ‘hero’
HAYDEN Sargeant delivered in his coveted flyhalf showdown with his “hero” Quade Cooper as Bond University went within a whisker of fending off Souths’ stars.
After defending their line for almost the entire last 15 minutes – including being a man down for eight of those – it was another former Wallaby in Karmichael Hunt who tied the match up at 24-24 on the buzzer for Souths with a cutout pass to hat-trick winger Emori Waqavulagi.
Cooper would miss the ensuing sideline conversion attempt but moments later produced an unforgettable moment for Surfers Paradise junior Sargeant.
As Magpies captain, Cooper had the duty of recognising the player of the day from their rivals and it happened to be his opposite number Sargeant, who he hailed as “a great young player” who has “a bright future”.
Better known as a fullback or winger, the 2018 Junior Wallabies representative was outstanding, showing spark, poise, energy and desperation in a performance that included a solo try.
“It’s definitely a memorable one up against Quade. He has always been a hero of mine,” Sargeant said.
“The game plan was to keep attacking and try to beat him at his own game but he’s pretty good. He’s Quade Cooper and kids around the world know him so it was pretty tough.”
The 20-year-old described the draw as “really bittersweet”, given crucial victory points were seconds away yet a loss was also one kick away.
The thriller was played in front of the biggest and noisiest Bullsharks crowd in recent memory as fans flocked to see the in-form team take on Cooper and Hunt, who was playing his first game since being arrested in December.
“That’s the biggest crowd I’ve seen at Bond – and vocal towards the end there when it came down to the wire so it was really good and inspiring,” Sargeant said.
THE ROAD HOME Bond’s remaining fixtures: Sunnybank (ninth, away), bye, Norths (sixth, away)