Story & photos John Campbell
It is a painful thing to watch a side self-destruct. But that is exactly what those of us who made the road trip to Lismore had to endure on Sunday as the Red Devils did their very best to present two competition points on a platter to Marist Brothers in the opening round of the NRRRL.
In the higher-education course of Rugby League #101 there is a lesson that must never be forgotten, viz: possession is nine-tenths of the law.
If you cannot control the ball and hang on to it for at least fifty per cent of the duration, you will inevitably find yourself up that smelly creek without a paddle.
For the record, Byron Bay was defeated by Marist Brothers to the tune of 46–24 at Lismore’s Crozier Field on the weekend. Not to put too fine a point on it, it was an inauspicious season opener for the Devils, but the score is not a true indication of the contest.
Until the later stages the boys were well in the hunt and, to give them their dues, they never turned it up. There is no shame in losing if you have a dig – all they need do now, as a matter of urgency, is work on the finer points of their execution.
Our unending Indian summer was still ablaze when hostilities were embarked upon. The Brothers looked to have a bigger side, with a few extremely beefy blokes in the forwards. But they were also less agile, and the Devils’ superior mobility might have proved to be an advantage in the sweaty conditions.
Indeed, in the opening exchanges it appeared that the behemoths in Blue-and-Gold would struggle to go with their more fleet-of-foot visitors, as deft passes from Joey ‘the General’ Gordon on the right edge and probing runs from Toby ‘Maguire’ Ryan lit up pathways to the goal-line.
Penalties saw to it that the home side got the pill just where and when they needed it, however, and before you knew it they were ahead 10–0.
Not for the first time in his unstinting career, the Bay’s captain, Ryan ‘the Crab’ O’Connell, now bearded and wearing the number nine, squirted over from dummy-half and shortly afterwards shot a between-the-legs torpedo pass to send the vigorous Toby ‘Maguire’ Ryan over in the corner.
The Bay were ahead 12–10, but on the back of another penalty the Papists regained the lead to go to the sheds at 16–12.
The ref pinged Byron at the very first tackle after the resumption and Marist scored. It was ‘good night, nurse’ from then on as the Devils found themselves playing catch-up football, with all of the unforced errors that that usually provokes.
A couple of well-deserved tries to irrepressible full-back Haydon ‘Rupert’ Rosenbaum – one off a sweet inside ball from half-back Tobin ‘Bronze’ Cupples – kept us all hoping for the best.
Behind by only four with plenty of time to go, the Devils still might have got the job done. But to the victor goes the spoils – Marist Brothers stuck to their patterns and with fewer mistakes and a more controlled performance they won in a canter.
The Devils are at home this Sunday – get behind them, they’re good value.
