PBC and Marsden in thrilling draw
Palm Beach Currumbin State High School has played out a dramatic opening round Langer Trophy draw with Marsden.
PBC came into the contest knowing it would be tough, but how tough is what took them by surprise.
The first half was locked at six a piece, and remained that way until Marsden went over the line on the left wing but failed to convert.
Both teams put up a tussle, with a late try from PBC levelling it for good at 10-10.
In the end, neither team could enjoy a fairytale season opener, but the draw certainly sets a tone for what is to come.
In the Walters Cup Palm Beach Currumbin charged through the first 30 minutes of play in before sealing a 22-16 win over Marsden.
Marsden came out of the halftime break determined to put more points on the board but struggled against PBC’s strong defensive lineup.
It wasn’t until the sixth minute when Marsden’s No.3 finished off his sides hard work in the righthand corner.
Exceptional kicking from their fiveeighth gave the maroon visitors an extra boost.
But it was not enough to put a damper on the home side’s momentum.
There was a brief sign of distress in PBC’s eyes as the score crept to 16-18 but coach Will Johnston remained confident his boys would pull it together. ”I was confident we just had to hold onto the footy like in the first half,” Johnston said.
“Once we got that swing of pression we were fine.
“We gave them double the possession in the second half which made it hard for ourselves.”
An A-class run from fullback Dylan Patterson sealed the deal for PBC to win 22-16
Patterson along with halfback Marley McLaren were Johnston’s picks of the day as clear MVPs in the red and white.
With round two around the corner, his side will get to work on completing their sets and putting more pressure on from the get-go.