Northern suburbs rugby league teams have encountered mixed fortunes as their 2023 seasons get under way.
After a first-up loss to De La Salle, Thirroul Butchers bounced back in first grade with a 22-6 win in slippery conditions over Corrimal, a result coach Jarrod Costello was pleased to get while mindful of possible improvement.
“Our spine will only get better … they’re experienced players and will gel well the more they play together,” said Costello, noting new captain Hayden Crossland continued to lead through performance.
“It was nice to get a win at home … we had a tough loss against De La Salle and we didn’t give ourselves a chance in the second half because of our error rate.”
Costello was anticipating returns from injury for Inno Inosesio and Andy Fiagatusa as tough tests loomed against Collies and Wests.
Butchers president Brett Jones said new players such as Jarrod Boyle, Brad Deitz, Sione Afemui and returning players Jye Patterson and Josh Martin would help the side improve.
“We have a fresh bunch of talent coming through in our under 18s and second grade,” he said.
The Butchers will host a luncheon at Panorama House on June 11 as part of the club’s 110th year celebrations (enquiries mitchgbate@hotmail.com).
In first division, Helensburgh Tigers tasted initial success with a satisfying 22-18 win over Thirroul before succumbing 30-10 to Wests. Club president Kendall Ryan said Liam O’Toole’s accurate kicking had helped him win man-of-the-match honours against Thirroul as Bailey Gill starred in his first hit-out in the second row.
“It was a nail-biter … it was a good performance with plenty of room for improvement,” said Ryan, claiming the win showed the competition the Tigers were the real deal this year.
Thirroul and Corrimal had narrow losses in their opening first division matches.
Helensburgh’s women’s tag team struggled in early rounds but at least got on the board in a 30-4 loss to Woonona Bulli after an opening-round 24-0 defeat against Figtree. Ryan noted the side’s fighting spirit while pointing out that players needed to tighten defence. Kiara Manning was a standout in the Figtree loss.
Helensburgh’s juniors have a new committee and president in Tim Lloyd. “New committee means new ideas – they have already created a different culture at the club,” Ryan said.
In second division, Northern Suburbs Bulldogs kicked off with a 30-6 win over Corrimal before losing 24-6 to Avondale.