06 May 2024
The Griffith under 14s boys rugby league team fought hard in the first round of the Buckley Shield last week. An early defeat at the hands of Narrandera, however, unfortunately sealed their fate in the comp.
The boys took on Narrandera in their first match of the day. Their slow start set them off on the wrong foot for the rest of the game. The boys were down 12-nil when they first got their hands on the ball and though they managed to score a try, they then failed to convert. Due to the 15-minute halves, by the time they had found their footing, the game was almost over. Griffith lost by two points.
Griffith then went on to take on Leeton and beat them by an impressive 24 – 12. After a few position adjustments the boys really gelled as a team. The next game of the day had Griffith watching with bated breath as Leeton got off to an early lead against Narrandera. There was a collective sigh disappointment among Griffith, however, when Narrandera’s comeback meant the end of the team’s run. Narrandera went on to be defeated by Wade.
Kingston Sipiki, Jarvarus Tuialii and Lucas Donovan were the standouts on the team with strong carries and good defence. Unfortunately Lucas got injured at the end of the first game, preventing the team from reaching their full potential.
“Even though things didn’t go our way in the start, I was really pleased by how the team performed in the second game,” recounts team coach Matt Ruming, “There was some really promising talent on the team that we can build on for next year.”