Steely Pirates tackle Eagles
A TREMENDOUS defensive effort has hauled Bond Pirates back into the Gold Coast District Rugby Union finals race.
The Pirates and Gold Coast Eagles played out a Saturday afternoon thriller at James Overell Park in a match that went 12 minutes into overtime as the home side tried desperately to snatch their first win in 2019.
But they kept getting turned away by the resilient Pirates, who finally sealed a 34-29 victory when the ball was turned over just in front of their try line.
“They managed to get five penalties right in front of our posts but obviously they had to go for the try and get the conversion to win the game,” Pirates co-captain and fullback Damien Timms said.
“We just managed to show some ticker, show some heart and work together and hold them out until the end.
“It was a great win because we were a man down from pretty much the get go with the red card (issued to Sam Webb in the first half).”
It snaps a four-game losing streak for the Pirates, who had been competitive all season until falling away the previous two rounds.
“We really wanted to get the win and they hadn’t had their first win yet – we didn’t want to be the team to let them get that as well,” Timms added.
“Nerang are just in front of us so we need to get a few more wins to get into the top GCDRU ROUND 9
P W L B Pts 9 8 1 0
8 6 2 1
8 7 1 1
9 3 6 0
9 2 7 0
9 0 9 0 Pirates Eagles 274 113 18 -84 -142 -179 10 3
four to make the finals. We’ll come to training this week and everyone will be ready to run out next time and keep it rolling and get another win.
“We definitely want to make a statement this year and shake up the comp and let them know we’re going to be serious for next year as well.”
Flanker Jarrod Newton was man of the match.
The Pirates don’t play Nerang again until Round 12; their next opponent is Surfers Paradise.
The grand final rivals from the past three years both flexed their muscles on Saturday: Surfers got the better of Helensvale 34-23 in what is their biggest winning margin this season, while Griffith University Colleges steamrolled Nerang 68-5.
Surfers’ win solidifies their standing as the form team in the competition.
The Dolphins were comfortably beaten by Helensvale in Round 4.
However, they have benefited from a mid-season bolstering of their squad – including the return of some key faces from their 2018 run to the decider – which has helped them go on a fivegame winning streak including against Colleges and now the Hogs.