THE old saying that a draw is ‘like kissing your sister’, and judging by the look on the faces of Jamberoo and Kiama first grade rugby league players following their thrilling 8-all draw to open the season at Kevin Walsh Oval on Saturday, the saying may be true.
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With the home side leading 8-7, Knights fullback Tom Atkins slotted a field-goal in the final second of the game to steal the point after a game that had all the hallmarks of classic local derby.
The Knights, after their superb season in 2015 that saw them finish just one game shy of a grand final berth, were looking to continue their role, while the Superoos, with a new-look side, were hoping to put the memories of their injury-riddled 2015 behind them.
Both teams were up to the challenge from the start, with thunderous hits in defence the feature.
The Superoos got a vital break in the 15th minute when former Knight Ben Wade showed great strength to crash over in the corner and fullback Matt Coelho landed a superb sideline conversion to give the home side a 6-0 lead.
The defence from both sides was producing some uncharacteristic handling from both sides, however it was a poor pass that led to the Knights only try of the day.
In the 26th minute a long ball went astray and Knights speedster Cam Cornell scooped up the ball and raced 50 metres to score under the posts. Jack Alexander converted for 6-all.
Jamberoo then suffered a double blow when hooker James Asquith suffered concussion and replacement forward Luke Gilmore a shoulder injury, ruling both out for the remainder of the game, before Alexander missed a simple penalty that would have given the Knights a halftime lead.
Matt Coelho missed a long-range penalty early in the second half and it was testimony to the defence as both side’s sideline dugout looked more like a casualty ward.
Jamberoo played the final 25 minutes with no replacements as Corey Grigg and Steve Bouchard also succumbed to injury.
With 14 minutes to play Knights lock Josh Toohey took the odds and landed a field-goal that just snuck over the crossbar, but less than two minutes later the Superoos regained the advantage via a penalty to Coelho for an 8-7 lead.
However there was one last twist when the Knights mounted a late rally and Atkins calmly landed a 25 metre field goal with the fulltime siren sounding in the background.
In some impressive performances, new Jamberoo props Matt Webster and Aaron Grigg led the way, while Matt Coelho, Ben Wade and James Gilmore also played strongly.
Josh Toohey, Kieran Poole, Tom Atkins, Brent Wake and Vaughan Thistlethwaite led the way for the Knights.
