Noosa toughs it out for victory
THE Wartung Premiership trophy is firmly within both Noosa and Caloundra sights after the two vs three ladder clash on Saturday.
With Noosa in the process of rebuilding the dream team that slayed competitors in the unbeaten 2010 season, they demonstrated their capacity to slog out the tight games with a two-point victory over the southerners.
Trent Morgan was the first to get the points on the board with a Noosa penalty early on in the match, with Caloundra countering shortly after with a try at the northern end of the paddock.
An unsuccessful conversion by the Caloundra Lighthouses meant Noosa was able to bring the point difference back to one soon after with another Morgan penalty.
Caloundra appeared to dominate territory early on the match, spreading the ball wide, with the outside backs gaining metres by consistently crossing the advantage line.
Smart rugby by Jarred Postle gave Noosa a reprieve from constant early defence, with an exceptional clearing kick pushing Noosa out of their defensive 22 and into a more palatable position in the oppositions 22.
The Noosa forwards initiated their offensive pick and go from an improved position, with this tried and true forwards dominated tactic again delivering the goods in the form of a try by Tore Shaw.
The Noosa backs were not to be outperformed however, and responded with an amazing break by playmaker Matt George.
With support on the outside by Nat Forrest, Noosa proved too quick for the Lighthouses, with Forrest touching down in front of an appreciative home crowd, and Morgan successfully converting.
Garry McNeill proved that it's not only the backs who can be relied upon to break the opposition defence, with a powerhouse run just prior to half time leaving bewildered Caloundra players in his wake.
Caloundra started the better of the two sides after the break, with the Lighthouses piling on two tries in a fast-paced opening 15 minutes, an attempt to unsettle the Noosa pack. This worked until Noosa started to receive a string of penalties.
