THE Nowra-Bomaderry Jets chalked up win number three for the 2017 season on Sunday and in doing so, have kept their slim finals chances alive.
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At the Nowra Showground, the Jets defeated an under-strength Warilla-Lake South Gorillas outfit 27-16 in a scrappy affair.
After an ill-disciplined start from both sides, it was the visitors who scored first, when the Sultana brothers combined.
Half Emanuel hit winger Aaron with a cut-out pass to score untouched in the right corner.
Emanuel then converted for a 6-nil lead after seven minutes.
Eight minutes later, the hosts responded with a try of their own – out of absolutely nothing.
After gathering a loose pass, half Zac Blattner did a banana kick, which somehow ended in the hands of Tyson Simpson – who out-jumped two defenders to score.
Mark Brandon missed the kick and the Gorillas lead was 6-4.
The visitors converted try advantage was restored minutes later when Emanuel Sultana and Blair Grant combined to put centre Kyle Stone over.
Emanuel missed the conversion and the lead was six.
Numerous penalties by the Gorillas gifted the Jets strong field position and after Blattner was held up, Steve Brandon scored his team’s second four-pointer.
His brother Mark then levelled the scores 10-all after 29 minutes.
The Jets had two tries in as many minutes when Ryan James touched down, following some strong work by Santino Battagliolo.
Brandon’s boot extended the hosts lead to six.
On the stroke of half-time, Blattner slotted a field goal to push the lead at the break to more than a converted try.
Once again, Warilla started the half the stronger, reducing the lead to just one, when Andrew Diomei played an inside ball to Nick King, who hit the hole and pace, stepped fullback Brandon and scored under the posts.
Sultana converted and the score was 17-16.
Two of the Jets best, Simpson and Ryan James, then combined to score a freaky try and extend the hosts lead.
Simpson put in a grubber kick, which was then toed forward by chaser James and regathered at full-pace by Simpson to score.
Brandon added the extras and the Jets led by seven.
The contest was sealed with 15 to go when Mark Brandon found his brother outside his man with a pass to score.
Brandon couldn’t convert and the final score ended 27-16.
In the win, all three Brandon boys – Steve, Mark and Kieran, were strong for the Jets, as were James and Simpson, while Doimei, Emanuel Sultana, Nick King and Ben Cotter tried hard all day for the Gorillas.