Story & photos Dogwhistle
They weren’t the prettiest wins in their recent history but the Great Northern Byron Bay Rams did manage to totally overwhelm the battlers from Casino in both Premier and Reserve grades on Saturday.
The tough and determined Casino sides have just restored to the premiership level and were not to be taken lightly. Despite the Rams’ clear superiority, it was no walkover for the table leaders in either grade.
In the Reserves, Will Ennis came off the bench at the 30-minute mark and immediately buried a cross from Jonno Pierce to give the Rams the lead into the break.
Five minutes into the second half, Herrick Schuenemann controlled and turned a high ball in the crowded Casino box to take the score to 2–0. The Cobras responded with a quick counter keeping their hopes alive, but a power drive from prodigal Ram Jordy Campbell sealed the 3–1 win for the second-string Rams.
The top-squad clash was an equally gritty struggle. The tough and physical Cobras’ defence managed to hold out the relentless Rams and despite many early chances the Byron boys struggled to find the net for much of the first half.
Twenty-four minutes in, the Rams’ striker James Tomlinson leapt above the Casino defenders to head in the opening goal. Two minutes later, Tomlinson again found the net, pouncing on a deflection to drive the ball home. Tomlinson completed his hat-trick three minutes after that, with yet another soaring header.
Casino rallied and dug in for the remainder of the match and, despite countless flanking runs from Conor Cannon and Tyson Kaye, the Rams couldn’t manage to break through.
With four wins from four outings, the Rams are top of the table in both grades going into this Saturday’s clash with ambitious Anzac Cup winners, Lennox Head.
Reserves kick off at the Lennox Head grounds at 1pm and the Prems at 3pm.
