In a round of Premier League finals that showcases two of the ASRL’s bitterest rivalries, the second of the preliminary finals would see the sixth placed Central Coast Falcons clashing with the second placed Wellington Cougars. Anthony Magro’s inability to beat Douglas Allen has been well documented, but with the Falcons in fine form, could 2004/2005 be the year of the Falcon?

Wellington Cougars Central Coast Falcons
1 Anthony Minichiello 1 Luke Patten
2 Lesley Vainikolo 2 Matt Utai
3 Gordon D'Arcy 3 Matthew Burke
4 Timana Tahu 4 Nigel Vagana
5 Joe Rokocoko 5 Hazem El Masri
6 Danny Orr 6 Braith Anasta
7 Sean Long 7 Brent Sherwin
8 Kevan Mealamu 8 Stuart Fielden
9 Keiron Cunningham 9 Justin Marshall
10 Paul Rauhihi 10 Luke Davico
11 David Kidwell 11 Imanol Harinordoquy
12 Jamie Peacock 12 James Manson
13 Kevin Sinfield © 13 Paul Sculthorpe ©
++Interchange
14 Selwyn Corey 14 Michael Korkidas
15 Danny Tickle 15 Chris Flannery
16 Andrew Lomu 16 Reni Maitua
17 Sean O'Loughlin 17 Graham Anlezark

The boot of Sean Long got the game underway, and one of the most intense and bitter rivalries in the ASRL would add another chapter before the day was out. The game opened without the stinging defence and big hits both coaches probably would have liked, the Falcons in particular guilty of some uncustomary errors whilst on attack. Wellington got the first chance of the match to put points on the board, but Danny Orr’s grubbing kick for Joe Rokocoko was easily picked up on the fly by Matt Utai. The next ten minutes of play saw several promising sets in attack from both sides, but if the early exchanges highlighted anything, it was both sides’ commitment to defence. The Cougars found the first chink in the armour in the 14th minute, Paul Rauhihi exploiting some lazy marker defence to make big metres downfield. This put the favourites on the attack, and whilst Sean Long claimed a try, the referee didn’t agree with his opinion- and the Falcons were let off the hook for their defensive lapse.

The Cougars continued to mount pressure on the Falcons, and as the saying goes, the Falcons eventually cracked. With Brent Sherwin given ten in the bin for niggle in the play the ball, the Cougars had an ideal opportunity to score some quick points. Once again it was the Cougars’ world class forward pack that lead the way, Kevan Mealamu barging over the top of Justin Marshal to plant the ball for a relatively soft try. Still, to be trailing only 6-0 after sustained pressure on their own line, the Falcons were still looking good. But would the early defensive workload wear them down?

The opposite seemed to be true, with the Cougars’ play slowing down as the game wound towards the halfway point. Certainly the Falcons hard hitting defence could take some credit for this, but when Justin Marshall went over from dummy half for an appallingly soft try in the 33rd, it was clear that the Cougars’ problems weren’t just fitness. Their try should have lifted their spirits immensely, but instead they had switched off, and Hazem El Masri made no mistakes as he levelled scores. Both sides fought hard for more first half points, but the defensive lines both held after their momentary lapses, and as halftime sounded- the scores were deadlocked at 6 all.

HALFTIME: Wellington 6 drawn with Central Coast 6

It was all Central Coast from the outset of the second half, the Falcons playing with plenty of enthusiasm and width as they sought to crack the Cougars’ usually stoic defensive line. Just four minutes into the half Justin Marshall claimed his second try of the match, being put in under the posts by a brilliant short ball from Braith Anasta. El Masri converted, and whilst the lead was only 12-6, things looked grim for a Wellington side not playing with much enthusiasm.

Perhaps this reporter spoke too soon, however. Bringing the ball up on the third tackle, Matt Utai was met with a bell-ringing tackle from Joe Rokocoko, which sent his Kiwi team-mate stumbling into touch. The resulting turnover put the Cougars in great field position, and Tamworth City recruit, Gordon D’Arcy, sliced through out wide from a pinpoint Sean O’Loughlin long ball. The difficult sideline conversion proved too much for Kevin Sinfield, and the Cougars remained two adrift at 12-10. Would the D’Arcy effort spark something, or did the Falcons have Wellington’s number in the enthusiasm stakes?

Tries may be the highlights of a good game of league, but for the next ten minutes, it was defence that showed how committed Central Coast are to winning this season. Despite weathering set after set of offence from the Cougars, the Falcons were able to continually repel their most ingenious advances. When Hazem El Masri was able to cap off this ten minute period of defence with a penalty goal to make it 14-10, the first signs of a potentially premiership winning club emerged. The Cougars defended valiantly at their own end but despite having the better of field position (but not possession), they weren’t able to find another break in the Falcons’ defensive line. The Falcons also fought hard in attack, and were likewise held at bay by committed up and in defence. As the 70th minute ticked into being, it was perhaps hard to believe that Wellington could need only one try to seal a draw, and one conversion to seal a win. Enter Luke Davico. The big prop came up with a game-breaking play as the Cougars brought the ball out from their line- picking up Sean Long and driving him into touch just inside the Cougars’ half. With good field position, the Falcons mounted another raid, and were rewarded when Brent Sherwin’s patented kick for the post found Michael Korkidas on the rebound. El Masri converted, and the Falcons faithful were on their feet. Up 20-10 with nine remaining, the Falcons would only need to hold their line to secure a grand final berth against Northern.

Just a minute later the Falcons did more than they needed to, Matt Utai scoring a great try to cap his evening off and put an end to Wellington’s. The diminutive but nuggetty winger was the recipient of a freakish Braith Anasta banana kick, crossing out wide to extend his side’s lead to fourteen. El Masri continued his fine evening, and just like that, it was 26-10 in favour of the fifth placed Premier League side. It could have gotten worse for Wellington, but their defence was able to hold despite the Falcons’ growing enthusiasm. When fulltime sounded, the Falcons’ players were visibly ecstatic. After seven years of trying, the Central Coast would be represented in a Premier League grand final.

FULLTIME

Wellington Cougars 10
Gordon D’Arcy
Kevan Mealamu
Sinfield ½

Lost to

Central Coast Falcons 26
Matt Utai
Justin Marshall 2
Michael Korkidas
El Masri 5/5

PoM Points
Matt Utai……………….3
Hazem El Masri………..2
Luke Davico……………1

well done magro, good luck, ill be barricking for ya!

Well, I'll be going for Dave. There's not enough room in our house for two premiership winning coaches, Magro. :P