By DAVID ROWLANDS
NORTH SHORE TIMES - 15/9/2004
Norths prop Cheyne Tickle gets some close attention from the rampant Roosters at Aussie Stadium on Sunday.
The young men of the
In two remarkable bursts at either end of the game, the Roosters demonstrated just why they are yet to have their tri-colours lowered in 2004.
It finished up 47-4, but in no way was it a fair measure of Norths’ application to the massive challenge.
After keeping
White could sniff an opportunity, sensing that the red-hot favourites were “flatter than I’ve ever seen them”.
But then, “in the blink of an eye”, the landscape changed dramatically.
Three tries in quick succession sent the score out to 16-0 before Norths steadied their ship.
A butchered try late in the first half may have been their final chance to apply some pressure. They were punished for failing to convert their chances while the Bondi boys did exactly that through a double to centre Jermaine Ale in the first 15 minutes of the new half that made it 27-0.
Soon after, Norths second-rower Lee Te Maari had the ball stripped in the act of scoring, which would have been a penalty try in years gone by. It mattered little though because Nathan Wilson crossed out wide two minutes later for the red and blacks.
Then came the hurricane finish that Norths dreaded.
In a furious eight minutes, during which they had the ball on a string, the minor premiers piled on 20 points, with three of the four tries starting from their own half.
“They’re just so big, strong and powerful,” Norths lock Nathan Ward said of their tormentors.
“Every bloke in our side put their hand up and had a go but they were just too good for us.”
After beating four of the seven sides above them over the last two months, White bemoaned the fact that his side couldn’t have finished at least one rung higher up the ladder and thereby avoided instant elimination at the hands of the rampant Roosters.
“I’ve got no doubt that if we had finished seventh, we could’ve gone all the way through,” he claimed.
“It’s a shame we had to play the best team in the comp straight away.
“We should be happy with where we’ve got to and I think we can improve on it next year.
“It’s been a big
learning experience
for me and the players.”
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