Kangaroos officially ended Edmonton’s hopes of making the 2014 finals and kept alive their own dream with a 32-28 win in Round 20 of the Cairns District Rugby League A Grade competition on Sunday.
The Kenfrost Homes Game of the Round at Vico Oval was a must-win for both sides, with sixth-placed Brothers breathing down the necks of reigning premiers Kangaroos, and Edmonton in seventh with an outside shot.
But it was Kangaroos who held their nerve in a nailbiting affair, after Storm had led 16-14 at the interval.
Kangaroos responded strongly in the second stanza to lead 32-22 with just 10 minutes remaining, before Storm’s Nathan Wales set up a grandstand finish with the visitors eventually falling just short.
Roos remain one point ahead of Brothers – who had a bye – with just two rounds remaining in the race for the fifth and last finals place.
Innisfail continue to hang on the coat tails of leaders Tully after a nervy 26-18 win over a brave Mareeba Gladiators outfit at Davies Park.
The Gladiators pushed the powerful Leprechauns all the way, leading 18-16 with 20 minutes remaining before Innisfail player-coach Ty Williams scored the match-sealing try with two minutes left on the clock.
Mareeba coach Cameron McPherson afterwards told The Cairns Post he thought his side deserved something from the game.
“We played a really good game,” he told The Cairns Post.
“We made some errors at the end there when the game was on the line.
“We just didn’t get much go our way in the final 20 minutes and Innisfail’s experienced players did a really good job of influencing the result.”
Tully took another step towards the minor premiership with a convincing 52-0 win over Ivanhoes at Tully Showgrounds.
Full-back Jared Verney was the star of the show, bagging four tries, while Matt Laumea also grabbed a double in the 10-try romp.
Yarrabah counterpart Menmuny Murgha went one better than Verney with an incredible haul of five tries as the Seahawks beat Mossman-Port Douglas 50-34 at Jilara Oval.
Murgha’s superb individual display also landed him the LD Total Cairns Player of the Round for the second time this season.
Five-eighth Brian Murgha also chipped in with seven conversions as Yarrabah cemented third spot on the ladder.
Meanwhile, fourth-placed Southern Suburbs all but secured a finals place by shutting out Atherton in a 42-0 win at Roosters Stadium on Saturday night.
Brothers Brent and Maddie Oosen both got on the scoresheet as Suburbs crossed the white stripe seven times against bottom-of-the-ladder Atherton.
2014 David McCoy Homes Cairns Key Real Estate A Grade – ROUND 20 RESULTS
Saturday 9 August
Innisfail Leprechauns 26 (Williams 2, Healy, Davis, Biondi-Odo tries; Biondi-Odo 3 goals) def Mareeba Gladiators 18 (Cokanisiga, Koroi, Sio tries; Aue 3 goals) at Davies Park, Mareeba.
Tully Tigers 52 (J. Verney 4, Laumea 2, R. Verney, Dore, Sitaba, Rankin tries; Jolley 4, R. Verney 2 goals) def Ivanhoe Knights 0 at Tully Showgrounds.
Southern Suburbs 42 (C. Henley, Sutherland, Saunders, M. Oosen, Bailey, Day, B. Oosen tries; Deen 7 goals) def Atherton Roosters 0 at Roosters Stadium, Atherton.
Sunday 10 August
Yarrabah Seahawks 50 (M. Murgha 5, Canedo, M. Mossman, C. Mossman, Tatipata tries; B. Murgha 7 goals) def Mossman-Port Douglas Sharks 34 (Zammataro, J. Sagiba, Oui, Beihler, P. Whap, Lightning, M. Sagiba tries; Sailor 3 goals) at Jilara Oval, Yarrabah.
Cairns Kangaroos 32 (Savage 2, Doi, Peeters, Gima, B. Whap tries; Stephen 4 goals) def Edmonton Storm 28 (Whyatt, Wales, Pryor, Tutavake, Toby tries; Gibuma 4 goals) at Vico Oval, Cairns.
Cairns Brothers - BYE
