Maheno maintains top position
MAHENO remains top of the pile after the latest round of Citizens Shield games in North Otago on Saturday.
Maheno beat Old Boys 3833 while Valley beat Athletic 3819. In the other match, Excelsior defaulted to Kurow.
Maheno has 27 points, Valley and Kurow have 24 while Old Boys has 19.
Athletic Marist has five points and Excelsior has one.
There was a big crowd at Maheno Domain on Saturday after the two sides had played a thriller the previous week.
Maheno’s pace out wide once again put pressure on Old Boys as winger Bryden Skinner crossed in the 10th minute for Robbie Smith to convert.
Old Boys dominated the middle stages of the first half as first fiveeighth Mataitini Feke scored two tries, both converted by Lemi
Masoe.
Six minutes from halftime
Maheno flanker
Jacob Day touched down and
Smith levelled with his conversion.
A minute from halftime,
Maheno speedster Adam Johnson went in for an unconverted try to give Maheno a 1914 halftime lead.
Straight away in the second half, Maheno used its pace out wide and Johnson and Skinner added further tries to give Maheno a 3314 lead.
Smith added a penalty to extend the lead before Old Boys hit back with three late tries to Kulueti Lolohea and two to flanker Toni Taufa with a couple of Masoe conversions taking Old Boysfive points short on the final whistle.
Athletic Marist played with plenty of courage against the favoured Valley which pulled away in the final 40 minutes for a 3819 win.
Athletic Marist defended its line strongly for the first 26 minutes before Valley centre Ben Paton added an unconverted try.
Athletic Marist hit back eight minutes from halftime with tries to winger Epineri Logavatu and Mason Kinzett converting for Athletic’s 75 lead.
Hooker Sam Sturgess’ try and Paton’s conversion gave Valley a 127 lead.
The powerful Valley forward pack took a grip on the second half as Sturgess mader a second try, Paton’s conversion extending the lead to 197.
A determined Athletic Marist defence allowed only three tries in in the final 40 minutes as midfielder Matt Vocea, winger Hayden Gold and prop Jake Greenslade added tries with Paton converting two of the tries.