Steve Naughton attempts to break through the pack.
The Yass Golf Club Magpies lost on the scoreboard at the weekend but it is unlikely they lost any fans, with a gutsy performance against Queanbeyan Roos.
Played in front of a large vocal crowd at Walker Park on Saturday, the locals went down 20-12 in a match that had everything.
Both teams wanted to send a clear message, with second place on the competition table up for grabs.
The first half had a finals football feel about it and was extremely tough. There was plenty of feeling between the two teams with tensions simmering for the majority of the half.
It all blew up five minutes before the break with an all-in brawl erupting. Yass’ winger Dwyane Connors was subsequently sent off and the Magpies were down to 12 men for the remainder of the game.
As Yass were down 10-0 at the time, it would have been easy for the Magpies to throw in the towel but they didn’t.
Yass was finally able to get some ball during the second half and it proved helpful.
A Tim Warden bomb in the 15th minute of the second led to Yass’ first points when Halle Teofilo leaped high above the pack to score.
This was followed only minutes later when Teofilo busted a couple of tackles and offloaded to Allen Malua for another try.
With 10 minutes remaining Yass was up 12-10, but the Roos made a break which they took full advantage of, with a try. Queanbeyan sealed the victory with another try just before the final siren.
Despite the loss, there were a lot of positives that came out of the match for the Magpies.
The Magpies travel to Seiffert Oval in Queanbeyan on Saturday to take on the forth-placed Blues. A win will seal third spot and a home semi-final
Queanbeyan Roo’s 20 def Yass Magpies 12 (H Teofilo, Malau tries, Warden 2 goals)