GERRINGONG have opened the 2016 season on a victorious note, thanks to a scrappy 16-10 win over Berry at Michael Cronin Oval.
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On the whole the game was one to forget mostly, but it did include some moments of individual brilliance that brought the crowd to their feet, including a heroic chase from Lions’ hooker Nathan Ford that prevented Magpies’ winger Brent Marando from scoring what could have been the equaliser late in the game.
The game started with Gerringong enjoying the bulk of possession, with some ill-discipline from Berry seeing the visitors penalized often in the opening stages.
The Lions looked like they had used that possession wisely when winger Joel Doosey stepped inside his opposing number, but the Berry cover defence managed to knock the ball from his grasp.
After another run of errors from both sides it was Berry who managed to make the most of an opportunity to open the score.
Five-eighth Josh Ingold produced a well-weighted grubber and Marando won the race to the ball to score.
Ingold pushed the sideline conversion wide for 4-0 after 14 minute.
Berry held that lead for a little over 10 minutes before Gerringong snatched the lead when Joel Roberts and Patrick Cronin combined.
Roberts backed up the initial break from the Lions’ five-eighth before giving the ball back to the pivot who crossed next to the posts.
Roberts added the conversion for a 6-4 Gerringong lead.
Around five minutes later the Lions managed to extend that lead when Peter Cronin matched his brother’s efforts.
Quick hands from Ford and Michael Brown allowed the centre to stroll over out wide for a 10-4 lead the Lions would take into the break.
The second half started in similar fashion to the first, with scrums and restarts of play a common occurrence.
Berry looked to have the first real chance of the half when an Ingold bomb was allowed to bounce, but the Lions’ defence held firm.
Again the game deteriorated after that, with both teams producing little more than a half chance between them.
Magpies hooker Blake Dryden finally found a spark and broke through the Lions’ defence before linking up with Ingold to send the five-eighth streaking away to the line.
Ingold converted his own try to equalise the score with 20 minutes to go.
Ingold’s try seemed to perk up the visitors, but just as looked like they were gaining the ascendancy Lions’ winger Taylor Hudson pulled something out of nothing to put his side in the lead.
What seemed to be a regulation hit up turned into a highlight reel try when Hudson broke through the Magpies’ and raced 40 metres to score.
Roberts’ conversion gave the home side a converted try buffer at 16-10.
The Lions looked like they were on their way to running out the clock when an ill-timed offload gave Berry one last chance.
Marando picked up the loose ball and looked like he would make the try line until Ford’s heroics bought the winger down just short.
The Lions managed to hold the visitors out for the ensuing set to escape with the win.
For Gerringong Ford and the Cronin brothers all played strongly, while Dryden, Ingold and Josh Coulter were Berry’s best.