By Blake Edwards
The Illawarra Cutters were defeated 24-22 by the Wyong Roos at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Saturday.
The contest began with great physicality which prevented either team getting the upper hand in the
first quarter of the game.
The arm wrestle was soon broken however by some great footwork from Cutters fullback Mitch Porter, who broke the defense, sprinting seventy metres down field before linking up with outside back Corey Brown, to add the first points of the match.
Cutters centre Izaac Thompson followed suit a short time later, showing some brute strength to push off
defenders and muscle his way to the try line, to score the first of his three tries.
Cutters winger Tom Carr showed great athleticism to out-leap Wyong defenders off a Nona cross-field
bomb, to score the Cutters third try.
The visitors though hit back with a late first half try which reduced the margin to 12-6 at the break.
The second stanza could not have started any worse for the home side, who put down a short kick
off by the Roos.
The visitors capitalised on the error, scoring a try off the first attacking set of the half.
Further errors in the first twenty minutes of the second half gifted the visitors three unanswered tries.
The Cutters finally responded through Thompson in the 73rd minute with the centre crossing again in the dying stages of the game to narrow the margin to 24-22 at full time.
Illawarra Cutters 22. Tries: Thompson (3), Brown, Carr. Goals: Nona (1/5).
Wyong Roos 24.
