MYALL River Hawks juniors had their chance to shine at Myall Park on Saturday 17 May, after all senior games were abandoned.
The U14 boys, U14 girls, and U16 girls tackle teams all took the field at home, benefiting from a brief glimpse of sunshine and blue skies before the heavens opened again that evening.
First up the U14 boys tackled the Central Newcastle Butcher Boys, with spirited play from both sides in the wake of weeks of rain.
The Hawks had the majority of possession in the first half to lead 6-0 at the break.
Momentum shifted in the second half, with the Hawks under sustained pressure as Central Newcastle came back to secure a 6-18 win.
Despite the result, the Hawks put in a valiant shift defensively, putting bodies on the line to stop points on multiple occasions.
Next the U14 girls tackled South Newcastle, who kept them on the defensive from the start, quickly scoring the first try.
The Hawks girls got close on many occasions, but South Newcastle held them back for almost all of the first half.
A desperate, all-in push by the Hawks played out past the half-time siren, ultimately seeing Indi-Rose plant it over the line for her side’s first try.
The Hawks’ second half started on the same high the first had ended, with passing runs from kick off resulting in a poetic ‘Indie to Indi’ play.
Indie passed in from the wing to Indi-Rose, who picked a line through defenders to score within the first minutes of the second stanza.
A successful conversion kick from Poppirayne followed.
A third Hawks try came for Malayna soon after, before South Newcastle pushed back to restore their dominance and claim a 14-32 win.
In the U16 girls tackle, both the Hawks and their Cessnock opponents came out of the gates in impressive fashion.
In a tough contest, the rigours of tackle football saw several girls being walked off from both sides.
Cessnock pressed their dominance through effective passing and running, securing a 0-28 win away from home.
The Hawks U17s played away from home, defeating South Newcastle 24-20 at Learmonth Park.
By Thomas O’KEEFE
