By Chris W.B
In an absolute thriller, the Perth Taipans have raced away to a 14-6 halftime lead and then fended off whatever Central threw at them to steal a breath-taking 27-24 away victory. The win keeps Perth alive in the finals, and the game they played definately carries ominous tidings for whoever they play next week.
Central: Justin Murphy, Paul Stringer, and Scott Sattler. Shayne 5/6
Perth: Wes Patten, Mark McLinden, and Stephen Larkhim. Lockyer 7/7. Healy 1 fg.
PoM Points: Wes Patten 3, Mark McLinden 2, and Stephen Larkhim 1.
Some stupid penalties in the final twenty have handed Gold Coast a game they didn't deserve to win. Carnarvon got sloppy, and Andrew Johns' boot made them pay as the Crusade scored eighteen second half points (including two soft tries) to score an unlikely 24-14 win and snare a week off.
Gold Coast: Josh Perry, Franco Luullai, and Matthew Johns. Johns 6/7
Carnarvon: Freddie Banquet and Iestyn Harris. Taylor 3/3
PoM Points: Chris Latham 3, Matthew Johns 2, and Josh Perry 1.
A 78th minute Sonny Nickle try has brought New Zealand to within four of reigning premiers North Melbourne, down 16-12 with only two to go. The Maulers drew on last year's Grand Final experience, in which they weathered the greatest comeback in ASRL history, and managed to hold out the determined Cougars.
New Zealand: Sonny Nickle and Jerry Seu Seu. Luana 2/3
North Melbourne: Stephen Smith and Anthony Mundine. Wellens 4/4
PoM Points: Luke Phillips 3, Anthony Mundine 2, and Stephen Smith 1.
Parramatta's ill discipline has allowed Mat Rogers' boot to lead Manly to a solid 18-6 victory over the 5th placed Vikings, who now exit the finals due to upset results in earlier games. The Vikings join Carnarvon as the sides exiting the 2002/2003 finals series.
Manly: Mat Stcherbina and Stanley Tepend. Rogers 5/6
Parramatta: Jason Moodie. Marsh 1/1
NEXT WEEK
New Zealand vs. Perth @ SFS
Central vs. North Melbourne @ Telstra Stadium
What can I say? We were lucky to escape with that game, and if it weren't for that luck, we'd have been in a sudden death game this week.
We can't let this happen again. We let the Cowboys get on top of us, and then had to fight back. Full credit to Carnarvon, but I doubt we'd have fared so well had we been playing one of the top three sides such as New Zealand, Manly, and Central. If we want to make a serious go at defending our premiership crown- then we've got to pull our thumbs out and dig deep. We've got the hardest side of the draw, because we're scheduled to play either the minor premiers or the reigning premiers.
Who would we rather play? I'm not sure. A few weeks back I would've said Central, because we've always been their hoodoo side. But they dominated us in Round 26, and I'd be reluctant to play them again. North Melbourne and Gold Coast have some bad blood, especially after last year- I'm sure that'd be a spiteful game. Worthy of a semi final. I think we'll face Central though, they won't be surprised twice in a row.
The other game? I'd have to say my money is on New Zealand. I'd love to see Perth get through, and maybe set up a 2001/2002 GF rematch, but New Zealand murdered them a few weeks ago, and I think that'll come back to haunt Perth.
In the meantime we're just going to train hard. We've lost Michael Beuttner, which is a big blow to us, but Chris McKenna has been playing well in the lower divisions- and he's been rushed back into the run-on. We also dropped Franco Luulai in favour of Damien Driscoll, as we lacked go forward last match. Matty Johns' big game gets him back into the run-on next to Joey, and we'll be looking for Tommy (Martyn) to be a big strike player for us.
Chris Walker-Bush, Gold Coast Crusade coach
