THE Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles have put a huge dent in Jamberoo Superoos minor premiership aspirations, after scoring a resounding 32-16 win at Centenary Field on Sunday.
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In what is probably considered the biggest upset of the season, the Eagles, who were celebrating a reunion for the 20th anniversary of their 1999 three-grade premiership victories, led 16-10 at half-time and went on to score a six-tries-to-three win.
The Superoos were severely hindered by the fact that they played more than 30 minutes with 12-men following Mark Asquith's 37th minute sin-binning and the 57th minute send-off of backrower Corey Grigg.
The home side couldn't have got a worse start with the kick-off failing to go 10 metres, with Jamberoo capitalising when they ran the ball on the final tackle and centre Simon Maslanka sending winger Dylan Capaan racing over in just the third minute.
Corey Grigg missed the conversion and Jamberoo led 4-nil.
The Eagles were determined to hit back immediately and a great pass from Jarryd King sent prop Sione Lufe crashing over and Blake Jones converted to give the Park the lead 6-4.
But they weren't finished yet and in the 17th minute rookie half Jake Brisbane found space for Jarryd King to dive in and Jones again converted as a massive upset loomed.
The Superoos then lifted again and it was again the Maslanka-Capaan show, as the winger went in untouched and this time Grigg landed the conversion for the visitors to trail by just two.
With half-time approaching, the game was turned on its head when Superoos five-eighth Mark Asquith was sin-binned for a professional foul.
From the ensuing penalty, classy young winger Chad Harrison did well to pull in a cross-field kick and managed to ground the ball one-handed just inside the dead-ball line, for his side's third try of the day and a 16-10 half-time lead.
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Jamberoo desperately needed a good start to the second half but it was the Eagles who again made the most of their one-man advantage when fullback Luke Patten slipped a clever ball to centre Dallas Harrison who dived over.
Jake Brisbane landed a great conversion to give his side a 22-10 lead.
The Eagles were aiming up in defence and were frustrating the normally unflappable Superoo attack and in the 57th minute the visitors were dealt a huge blow when second-rower Corey Grigg was sent off on a touch judge report, much to the delight of the Eagles fans.
Despite being down to 12 again, Jamberoo were managing to hold their line until the 70th minute when a grubber-kick by five-eighth Jayden Harris was fumbled by the Jamberoo defence and referee Ryan Micallef ruled that Dallas Harrison had grounded the ball.
Brisbane's kick was astray, but the writing was well-and-truly on the wall at 26-10.
Jamberoo did manage to hit back through a dummy-half run by Luke Asquith and Capaan converted, but in the end, Eagles hooker Brent Wake put the exclamation point on the game with a last minute try from close range and Jones' conversion wrapped up the 32-16 triumph.
In a great team effort, Lufe, King, Dallas Harrison, Lewis Hazelton and Luke Patten were the best for the Park, while Simon Maslanka, James Gilmore and Kyle Stone all tried hard to lift the Jamberoo side.