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Associates upset Cottesloe 17-9 at Harvey Field on Saturday in a disjointed but passionate RugbyWA club competition match of the round, sponsored by KWIK Transport and Crane Hire.
The loss knocked Cottesloe off the top of the competition table two weeks before the finals and gave Associates their second win over the Seagulls this season.
Despite Soaks dominating territory and possession Cottesloe led 6-3 at half time but the visitors were able to make the most of their advantage after the break and put pressure on the scoreboard.
Cottesloe opened the scoring after four minutes when goal kicking machine Dave Cloete, playing out of position at fullback, kicked a 40 metre penalty goal for offside.
In reply Soaks flyhalf Kyle Goodwin, returning from a prolonged injury break, missed a simple kick two minutes later.
Goodwin followed with a dreadful attempt at a drop goal after ten minutes, wasting a period of attack as Soaks pinned the home side in their half.
Cott moved downfield with a penalty and Cloete kept the scoreboard ticking over when he nailed a 38 metre penalty for obstruction after 17 minutes. Again Soaks gained the opportunity to reply immediately with a penalty in the centre of the 22 and again Goodwin steered it wide.
The game fluctuated between the 22s with handling errors bedevilling both teams, and although Soaks had the better of possession, genuine opportunities were in short supply.
Soaks were hard on attack with a scrum five metres out when the ball went wide and young Cott wing Ash Mullen intercepted, sprinting over halfway but he was run down from behind by Goodwin.
His confidence restored, the flyhalf went on to kick an angled penalty goal as Soaks returned to the attack and Cott were caught offside after 33 minutes.
Soaks missed another prime opportunity minutes later when the Emirates Western Force back Scott Staniforth, playing at inside centre, sliced through and chip kicked ahead but the ball bounced back and he knocked on just short of the line.
Instead Cloete lined up a monster 57 metre penalty goal from the centre of the field for not retiring ten but over-worked the attempt and it hooked badly towards the left corner.
Soaks opened the second spell with the same passion but errors, penalties and wayward kicking from both teams made for a staccato, unattractive match, punctuated by another angled goal from the 22 by Cloete for holding on after 12 minutes.
Soaks lost number 8 Jason Missen to the sin bin minutes later but the penalty spurred them on to attack Cott's half. After 24 minutes, the Associates pack screwed a Cottesloe scrum in defence of their line and then pounded their line with pick and drives until Force halfback Chris O'Young was driven over under the bar. Goodwin converted the sitter and Soaks hit the front 10-9.
Soaks were on fire and powered back into Cott's 22, O'Young scooping up loose ball and zipping forward, then handing on to reserve lock Tom Hobbs who smashed over for the try in the corner. Goodwin put the icing on the cake with a conversion from the sideline and the visitors grabbed a 17-9 lead with nine minutes on the clock.
Cottesloe wing Nathan Hunt came close to scoring after a long sideline sprint but knocked on his attempted kick and regather, and full time followed soon after.
The win was even more significant considering the changes to the Associates team in the week before the match, losing flyhalf Mike Rovira, futility Matt Dreyer, flanker Alex Rovira and fullback Zack Holmes.
“Our backline hasn’t been the same back-to-back for the whole season, but once again they’ve done really well,” Coach Anthony Brain said.
Brain said Force stars O’Young and Staniforth produced standout performances despite not being able to train with the team.
“We’re really pleased to have them as a part of the club, especially considering all the injuries,” Brain said.
“But we’re not in the position we’re in just because of those guys. We’ve had 43 guys play first grade this year and they’ve all come in with the right attitude.
“Our club’s biggest asset is the player group, they’re just a great bunch of blokes to be involved with.”
Once again the unsung heroes of the win were the hard-working Associates forwards who dominated the larger, more fancied Seagulls pack for much of a game that failed to flow.
“It comes down to the player group,” Brain said.
“They play with passion, they play for each other, they’re fully committed and it makes my job a lot easier.
“The continuity had some issues because of all the disruptions but I think in the first half we were unlucky not to score several times.
“Things didn’t go our way all the time but I think we probably reacted better, and played to our game plan when we could.”
At half time and trailing 6-3 despite dominating much of play, Brain spoke about patience and playing the eighty minutes.
“The Cottesloe pack were looking tired, and we were too, it was a hard battle out there,” Brain said.
“But we probably got over them in the last twenty.”
The win leaves Soaks in the hunt for a valued spot in the top two, but Brain didn’t see that as a focus.
“What we want to do is keep winning and playing a style that builds into the finals,” Brain said.
“We believe we can beat any team in the comp, but we also have a respect for every team.
“We’ve got Perth and Rocky in our last two games, the bottom two teams in the competition, but we still give them respect and they’ve put on some interesting results, particularly Perth.
“It’s more about playing good footy at the crucial stage of the season.”
In other games, Nedlands regained the competition lead when they thrashed Rockingham 50-7, Palmyra hung on to fourth place with a healthy 34-8 win over University at Thompkins Park, Wests-Subiaco again threatened with a 39-15 win over Wanneroo at Rosalie Park and Kalamunda stayed in the hunt for a spot in the four with a thumping 48-12 win over Perth-Bayswater at Pat O’Hara Reserve.
KWIK Premier Grade: Associates 17 bt Cottesloe 9, Palmyra 34 bt UWA 8, Wests Subiaco 39 bt Wanneroo 15, Kalamunda 48 bt Perth Bayswater 12, Nedlands 50 bt Rockingham 7.
Reserve Grade: Cottesloe 25 bt Associates 24, Palmyra 48 bt UWA 5, Wests Subiaco 40 bt Wanneroo 10, Kalamunda 33 bt Perth Bayswater 12, Nedlands 110 bt Rockingham 0.
U20's: Associates 14 bt Cottesloe 6, Wests Subiaco 20 bt Nedlands 7.
U20 Div 2: Perth Bayswater 87 bt Curtin Uni 3.
U18's: Cottesloe 37 bt Associates 0, Mandurah 19 bt Palmyra 5, Wanneroo 25 bt Wests Subiaco 8, Perth Bayswater 26 bt Kalamunda 19.
3rd Grade Black: Associates 21 bt Cottesloe 12, Palmyra 43 bt UWA 10, Wests Subiaco 81 bt Wanneroo 10, Kalamunda 106 bt Perth Bayswater 0.
3rd Grade Gold: Curtin Uni 17 bt Arks 16, Joondalup 23 bt Southern Lions 14, Mandurah 25 bt Bunbury 10.
4th Grade Black: Cottesloe 15 bt Associates 10, UWA 51 bt Palmyra 0, Wests Subiaco 38 bt Wanneroo 0, Kalamunda 26 bt Perth Bayswater 17.
4th Grade Gold: Curtin Uni 15 bt Arks 14, Southern Lions 36 bt Joondalup 0, Mandurah 26 bt Bunbury 0.
4th Grade Blue: Cottesloe 24 bt Associates 19, Nedlands 33 bt Rockingham 19, Midland 25 bt UWA 0.
Women's: Cottesloe 46 bt Wanneroo 12, Perth Bayswater 50 bt Kalamunda 0.
by Rick Boyd | RugbyWA