Round 1 vs Souths Match Report
by Ben Mitchell
Round 1 - GPS vs Souths: Saturday April 10th, Ashgrove Sports Ground, Yoku Road
Clear skies and little wind set up perfect conditions for a round one clash between the GPS Gallopers and Souths Magpies at Ashgrove Sports Ground. With a kick-off temperature of 32 degrees, fans and players were expecting a free-flowing and exciting game of rugby. Before the game commenced, Freddy Burke, a stalwart at prop for GPS was congratulated for his 100th cap for the side.
The Gallopers came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, taking a commanding 14-0 lead after just 16 minutes of action. A beautiful set play devised by the back line led the speedy right-winger Josh Collins over for the first try of the match, assisted by his fullback Patrick Nicholson playing up from his position. Following several dominant scrums by the GPS front pack early on, the Blue and Green were poised for another attacking opportunity with a lineout deep in the Souths 22. A well-executed rolling maul allowed Captain Michael Richards to easily cruise over the line for try number two.
Despite their rocky start, Souths snatched back some of the momentum with a huge turnover win by flanker Sean Farrell, proving to be a problem for GPS all game at the breakdowns. This allowed them to push the ball down the pitch, and after several phases the Magpies finally broke the advantage line of GPS as half back Jakob Morrison delivered an excellent offload to prop Phransis Sula-Siaosi for their first score.
A yellow card late in the first half for Souths tighthead prop Andrew Tuilagi had the Gallopers licking their lips for another score, and to build the lead with the extra man advantage. Teti Tela broke through in the final minutes of the half off a well-worked set play by GPS, but the ball was knocked on by Patrick Nicholson behind some desperation tackling of the Souths back line, wrapping up the first half action.
The Magpies came out a different team in the second half, almost securing a stunning long-distance try in the first minute of action, but fortunately for GPS, left-winger Leone Cama just put a foot in-touch, saving them from an early scare. This did not waver the confidence of Souths however as they controlled the next 20 minutes of play with the return of prop Andrew Tuilagi from the sin bin.
After the Gallopers conceded several penalties inside their 22, Souths fullback Luke Samoa slotted two simple penalty goals to bring the score to 14-11 with 21 minutes left in the match.
As the tension started to build around the home fans, GPS needed to find that extra gear to pull away from the surging Souths team. A well structured attack led the Gallopers within metres of the try line for a potential score, and slick work by half back Josh Vuta to find a small gap in the defence from the ruck, earnt him a try in his GPS debut.
From here, the points began to pile on for GPS as replacement fly-half AJ Alatimu continually drove his team down the field with booming kicks that gained massive metres. This set up a penalty goal 30 metres out for Alatimu in the middle of the park, which he converted with ease, giving the Gallopers a 22-11 buffer.
Undoubtedly, the play of the game came with 6 minutes left in the match, off the back of a dominant scrum by the GPS front pack, a constant theme during the match. Winger Josh Collins received the ball from Alatimu in full stride and blitzed through the Souths pairing of Cama and Samoa for an acrobatic try in the corner, putting the nail in the coffin.
When the final whistle was blown, the score had GPS defeating Souths 29-11, and all-around performance for the men in the Blue and Green.
There were several standout players for the Gallopers on this day; winger Josh Collins terrorised Souths with his lightning speed, scoring a brace to start his season in red hot form. Alongside him, replacement fly-half AJ Alatimu made an immediate impact after being inserted in the game, controlling the tempo masterfully and leading his side to 15 unanswered points on their way to victory.
Special mention must be made for the GPS forwards who maintained a powerful scrum throughout the game, earning several penalties from their pressure and giving the backs opportunities to create dazzling set plays.
The Gallopers next match will be on the road against Norths at Hugh Courtney Oval, Saturday 17th April. If you are free and in need of some rugby, make the short trip to Wavell Heights and support your GPS Gallopers to another win!