Round 5 vs Bond Match Report
by Ben Mitchell
Round 5 – GPS vs Bond University
Allsports Physiotherapy Hospital Challenge Cup
Saturday 8th May, Bond University, Robina
Fans were ready for a mouth-watering game of footy as the undefeated GPS men travelled to the Gold Coast to take on an undefeated Bond side. Both teams have looked dangerous and convincing in their previous wins, so it was anyone’s pick who would come out victorious.
The action commenced quickly with the Bull Sharks fly-half James Ambrosini kicking an early penalty to put his team up 3-0 after 4 minutes of play, putting GPS on the back foot. The Gallopers countered the early attack, as centre Chris Kuridrani came screaming out of the line in defence to smother Bond winger Dion Samuela, tackling him several metres back. Kuridrani pilfered the ball from his own tackle, and Captain Michael Richards slung the ball out from the ruck to the speedster Josh Collins, who glided past three defenders for a terrific opening try in the corner. Fly half Jason Hofmeyr converted a difficult kick near the sideline and sent his team up 3-7 after 8 minutes.
The fast-paced start to this match ceased to end, as not long later, GPS lock Tuaina Tualima scooped up the ball from the ruck and crashed through multiple Bull Shark defenders for a try. This came off the back of excellent build-up play from the Gallopers, with the forwards getting involved in several pick and drives. Hofmeyr, with an easier conversion attempt, was unable to hit the mark, and the score read 3-12 with just 15 minutes gone.
Bond University responded immediately with two sensational tries of their own. Winger Dion Samuela chipped a ball over the top of the GPS defence, bouncing up perfectly for pacey fullback Joey Fittock who strolled in under the posts, scoring his 5th try of the season. Shortly after, the Bull Sharks found themselves again in an attacking position. Samuela delivered an offload to his partnering winger Jordan Kahu, who threw an unbelievable behind the back flick pass to the chest of centre Dan Boardman, falling over the line for a try. With one conversion successful from two attempts, the score was now back in favour of the Bond University men, reading 15-12, 26 minutes in.
The score remained 15-12 at half-time, with no more show-stopping plays coming in the final 14 minutes. GPS inside flanker Ratu Vio was yellow-carded in the 35th minute for a dangerous tackle on Bond halfback Spencer Jeans, leaving the Gallopers with 14 men early in the second half.
Despite the extra man disadvantage for GPS, they began to flex their muscles, as they usually do, in the scrum game. They bulldozed their way through the Bond forward pack in the 46th minute, earning a penalty that gained them a good field position. From here, the Gallopers proceeded to have three consecutive rolling mauls, each one earning a penalty. Referee Brett Cronan had enough by penalty number three, awarding the Gallopers a penalty tries for their consistent and destructive efforts.
Only a few minutes later, GPS were back on the attack. After several phases of trying to break the defence of the Bull Sharks, winger Emori Waqavulagi found a gap that he could sliver through. Once tackled, he dished an offload to outside flanker Matt Gicquel who couldn’t be denied, diving over the line for a try. Hofmeyr had no problem with the conversion, giving his side a strong 15-26 lead over Bond University.
The next 15 minutes of play would showcase the tough, gritty defence that GPS possess. They refused to give up a try, holding the Bull Sharks out on several scoring attempts, all without their inside centre Maaloga Konelio, who was sin-binned for a high tackle. However, after phases and phases of pick and drives, the back of the Gallopers defence eventually broke, as fly-half James Ambrosini spotted numbers out to his left and fired the ball to Captain Dan Boardman, who flew over untouched for his second try. The score read 22-26 with just 11 minutes left, the match coming down to the wire.
No less than a minute after Bond’s try, the Gallopers were off and running. Winger Josh Collins found himself with the ball again in acres of space, a bad combination for the Bull Sharks defence. He darted down the left sideline and delivered a timely pass on his inside to Matt Gicquel, who literally dragged his defender 10 metres to the try line, hanging on for dear life. The team swarmed an exhausted Gicquel, elated with his determination to score such a hard-fought try, and by maybe sealing the road win. Hofmeyr was unable to kick the conversion, but the Gallopers were now up to two scores, 22-31, with 8 minutes remaining.
The rabid GPS defence came back to haunt Bond, forcing them to commit two fatal knock-ons late in the game, setting up scrums for a formidable Gallopers pack. Scrum number two resulted in Bond conceding a penalty right in front of the GPS goal, and Hofmeyr knew exactly what to do with it. He kicked the penalty over and the full-time whistle was blown, the final score reading Bond 22, GPS 34.
Key performers in this matchup would have to be flanker Matt Gicquel, and winger Josh Collins. Gicquel was sensational on the day, scoring two tries and being a presence at scrum time and in the breakdowns, pilfering the ball multiple times from Bond’s ruck. Alongside him, Josh Collins did what he does best, making huge metres with the ball in hand, earning himself a try and a try assist. Special mention must be made for the team defence of GPS, being able to hold Bond to 22 points on their home ground, and defending against long phases.
The Gallopers have now won five games in a row to start the season, and show no signs of slowing down. They have a bye this weekend and have earned a much-needed break before another big showdown on the 22nd of May against first place and a high scoring University of Queensland team. This is a home game for GPS and is shaping up to be the match of the season so far. Come down and support the men as two heavyweights clash to claim the top of the table!