“Kelston Miss Out On Playoffs After Narrow Victory Over Tangaroa.” David McDonald KELSTON 8 (K. Temita Try, R. Alaisa pen) TANGAROA 6 (T. Faumuina 2 pen) Kelston needed to secure maximum points at Tangaroa on Saturday to advance to the Auckland 1A playoffs next weekend. This was never going to be an easy task to do against a side who has consistently matched it with the best schools all season. In slightly wet and slippery conditions both sides were locked into an arm wrestle contest for eighty minutes. Kelston had the better of the possession and territory stakes. However resilient defence and patience at the ruck contest by Tangaroa frustrated a Kelston side that were desperate for quick ball and maximum points. Kelston took the early lead with a penalty goal to fullback Roland Alaisa. Not long after Tangaroa were awarded a penalty in kicking range by referee Peter Willis. Second-five Talavou Faumuina giving his side a share of the lead at halftime. It was a frustrating match at times, not aided by the wet conditions. Both sides had issues with ball security and niggling errors. The first half saw a kicking approach by both sides to acquire handy field position with a desire to apply pressure; particularly Kelston who were kicking frequently in their attacking half. Such in-effective kicking went out of fashion in the second half as both sides took better care of possession. Kelston led the charge in the second half, again dominating territory and possession. They looked after possession better and dis-continued with excessive kicking. However they were unable to break the Tangaroa line who continued to exhibit patience and fight in defence. They were duly compensated when they forced a penalty twenty two metres out, close to the side line. Faumuina made no mistake of it to put his side in front. It was a tough mountain to climb from here for Kelston who needed four tries to add weight to their finals campaign. Tangaora were playing with venom and fight. Kelston winger Khodesh Temita gave his team a glimpse of hope. Temita crossed over with a simple overlap. The visitors finally cashing in on superior possession and field position to snatch an 8-6 lead. The conversion attempt went wide and gave the home side a sniff at victory with over 10 minutes remaining on the clock. A tight finish beckoned as both sides fought rigorously. It certainly did not disappoint. With just minutes remaining left Tangaroa pressed in the Kelston defensive twenty two. A loud blast from the referee penalising Kelston in a very dangerous kicking range for Faumuina gave Tangaroa a huge opportunity. The kick unfortunately went wide. Kelston held on to secure the 8-6 victory. However it subsequently drew the curtains on their season. Kelston management expressed their disappointment in missing out on finals football but acknowledged that knocking off Tangaroa at home was never going to be easy. “We were looking for the four tries out there today, but I guess the result shows just shows how close the Auckland 1A competition is.” “It has still been a good season for us and came so close. We have had some exciting young players coming through and showed some good performances particularly in the second half of the season.”
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 12:18:37 +0000
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