Wattles move to top after derby

RUGBY LEAGUE: Wattles have claimed bragging rights over their local rivals Warwick following a hard-fought 34-22 win at Platz Oval on Saturday night.

The win all but cements a spot in the Madsen Rasmussen Trophy on June 17 for the Cliftonbased club after they assumed top spot on the TRL Premiership ladder.

A strong start helped catapult the Warriors to a commanding 16-0 lead from as many minutes of play, and despite the Cowboys fighting back to 22-18 at half-time, Wattles were able to close out the victory on the back of a strong defensive effort in the second half.

Coach Travis Burns knew his team would be in for a fight, and commended the way his team responded to the challenge.

“I thought it was a really good performance,” Burns said.

“It was a danger game for us being a derby and there’s always a lot of feeling in them.

“They did their damage when they were coming out of trouble. Our goal-line defence was outstanding.

“They’ve got quality across the park, and in the last 10-15 minutes of the half they put a few tries on us and with a bit of luck made a game of it.

“If Warwick beat us last night they would probably scrape into the Madsen Rasmussen trophy.

“We’ve got Souths next week and then the bye. It has put us in a strong position to have a good run at the finals.

“We’ve been getting 50 blokes to training across A-grade and reserve grade and it’s showing on the field in both grades.”

Burns heaped praise on second rower Ty Gardner, giving him the ultimate compliment after a man of the match performance.

“I thought Ty was really good. He’s the best back rower in the game by far,” he said.

“He’s going from strength to strength. Ty has only played about three or four seasons and there is still room for improvement, which is scary for other teams.”

After Wattles dominated early proceedings, back-to-back Warwick tries to Josh Cruice and captain Mick Bloomfield prior to half-time helped the Cowboys cut the gap back to four.

The game was on a knife’s edge to start the second half, as both teams threw everything they had at their opponents to gain ascendency.

It wasn’t until the 53rd minute that Jake Hargreaves helped to give the Warriors some breathing room, and Andrew Richardson’s second put it beyond doubt with 12 minutes remaining.