Facing up against Wests this week the Royals pack were looking for a turn around from the loss in round 3 at Jamison. But having gotten over us in the earlier round Wests came into the match fired up and confident, busting through Royals defensive line several times and breaking away to an early lead. Fortunately the blue bags were able to address momentum in the later stages of the first half with Angus Staniforth and Liae Tuilagi crossing the try line out wide, with both try’s coming from some neat counter attack and excellent support.
Early in the second half Ed Kennedy asserted his dominance, crashing over to give Royals the lead. Soon followed by Lincoln Smith who crossed six minutes later and the coaching staff started to breathe more comfortably as the scoreboard began to favour Royals. Jarrah McLeod was the next to cross the try line extending the lead further with ten to go, and with Royals playing most of the game in their opposition half, a win seemed likely. But again, Royals were disappointed with Wests fighting back in the dying stages of the match to secure a draw.
Strong for Royals this week was Dylan McLachlan who steered the team well and was very strong defensively, covering well and making his presence felt. Ed Kennedy was particularly strong in the forward pack, bending the line in attack and putting on some bone rattling hits and Lincoln Smith was a constant threat around the park.
Next week we take on Queanbeyan in Queanbeyan, and with both teams fighting to stay in touch of a finals berth, a tough game is expected. The Queanbeyan crowd are always parochial so it would be great to have our supporters make the trip and add their voices from the sidelines.
