The Auckland Nines is done and dusted for another year with big congratulations to the Sydney Roosters for taking it out. It was a spectacular end to the tournament on a day that’s thrown up future superstars, a stack of upsets and a few mixed feelings.
David beats Goliath
Heading into the second day, four teams stood out above the rest. The star-studded line-ups of North Queensland, Brisbane, Parramatta and the Gold Coast had everyone believing that one of the giants would be holding the trophy aloft come Sunday afternoon. Enter the little guys. The teams no one thought could even make the finals. Out of those four clubs, only one would make it pass the quarter-finals. And the only remaining club, the Parramatta Eels, were lost without Corey Norman, who succumbed to a hamstring injury. From there on out, the Sydney Roosters dominated to go from the dark horse to the Auckland Nines champions.
Kahu’s coach killer
Two minutes to go. Down 15-10. Brisbane charges forward, and suddenly rookie forward Sam Lavea carries three forwards over the white stripe to touch down. All of a sudden, it’s 15-14. Kick to come. A kick that will send the Broncos into the semi-finals. Jordan Kahu lines it up, and just before he drops the ball to his boot, the buzzer sounds. A first in Nines history, Kahu’s lack of attention sent his side home in a play sure to have Wayne Bennett livid. It wasn’t bad news for the Roosters, however, who’s blunder sent them through the semis, and eventually the grand final.
Gus Gould’s bittersweet afternoon
Gus Gould spent weeks bagging out the ‘ridiculous’ Auckland Nines event, so it would’ve been interesting to be a fly on the wall as Gould watched Penrith run out in the Nines final. Despite the loss, Gould’s reaction throws up many questions. Would he be cheering on his club to take home the $2.4 million prize money? Did he watch it all? Would it affect Gould’s view on the Nines? He’ll most likely keep quiet on the whole matter, but expect his Twitter account to be blowing up about his stance.
Who needs stars anyway?
Heading into the tournament, all the focus was on the likes of Jonathan Thurston, Shaun Johnson, Corey Norman and Jarryd Hayne, but in the end, one man doesn’t win a game. Between the two finalists, fourteen players across the squads yet to play in the NRL, and they were the ones that stood up when it mattered. Rooster’s winger Bernard Lewis scored a sixty-metre try in the final minute of their semi-final to take the team into the Final. Malakai Watene-Zellezniak, older brother of Dallin, outplayed experienced backs across the weekend, scoring a handful of tries, even outrunning Bevan French to score one. A majority of Penrith’s ten uncapped players have come through the Holden Cup together over the last few seasons, meaning they know each other’s game inside and out.
Jillaroos steamroll helpless Ferns
The Jillaroos have stamped their authority over bitter rivals the Kiwi Ferns in the Nines format, taking a 3-0 series victory over the weekend. Outside back Chelsea Baker managed four tries for Australia across the three games, with the Jillaroos now full focused on the World Cup at the end of the year. The series will bring confidence to the Aussie women, who conceded only eight points in the three games while scoring forty-two points of their own. Baker capped the weekend by claiming the Player of the Series.
Could this be the end for Auckland?
Reports emerged last night that this could be the last year we see the Nines played in Auckland, despite being the contracted location for 2018. There are fears the squads could be a lot weaker in 2018 freshly coming off the Rugby League World Cup, but people are quick to forget the inaugural Nines tournament was played only two months after a World Cup final. That weekend featured the likes of Shaun Johnson, Sam Tomkins, Robbie Farah and Ben Hunt, a sign that clubs aren’t afraid to bring their stars despite the hectic schedule of post and pre-season games. Brisbane is the hot tip for the Nines new location, but Melbourne has also reportedly put in a bid, looking to cash in on the influx of people attending the city for the Australian Open.
Try toppers have a slow day
Day One leading try-scorers Jordan Kahu and Gideon Gela-Mosby both managed to touch down five times each yesterday, but only managed to dot down once each today, bringing their tally to six apiece. Tipsters would’ve been disappointed in the two, with a Brisbane-North Queensland the hot tip for the final before a ball was kicked. Unfortunately for the Queensland rivals, both sides bowed out in the quarter-finals despite their star-studded line-ups. Semi Radradra did, however, stretch his all-time Nines try tally further in his last tournament, taking him to 16 tries across four years. Bevan French will surely take over that tally in the next year or two, sitting at 12 tries, after only two years.
Roosters are the luckiest team in Nines history
If the Auckland Nines are anything to go by, the Roosters will have a lot of good fortune heading into the regular season. The Roosters were blessed on the weekend, with luck playing a big part in their win. They were lucky to get past the pool stage, with a wrongfully disallowed try to Bryson Goodwin for a double movement giving the Roosters their second win of the tournament, and ultimately the two points that would see them finish second in their pool. Then in their quarter-final against Brisbane, a blunder by Jordan Kahu saw him convert a try too late, costing the Brisbane two points and handing the Roosters a one-point victory. In saying that, Connor Watson earnt his MVP status across the tournament, most notably his game-winning try-assist to Bernard Lewis in the semi-final, while rookies Latrell Mitchell and Joseph Manu stood tall. Chinese New Year was only one week ago, so if you believe in omens, take note – it’s the year of the Rooster.
What a weekend!
With the Auckland Nines over now, fans will be left waiting four weeks for the regular season to kick off after two-days of salivating tries and bone-rattling defence. Can the Roosters carry that form into the regular season? Which Nines rookie will emerge in the NRL in 2017? All good questions and all will be answered soon with the World All-Stars, Charity Shield and World Club Challenge all up in the next few weeks. Let the fun begin!
Comments are closed.