Better signs for injury-hit Maccabi
After Maccabi were held up over the tryline on two occasions, Max Wright burst through the defence to score out wide to reduce the deficit to 16 points with 15 minutes remaining.
In their first NSW Subbies rugby union season in two years, an injury-
hit Maccabi Rugby Club has begun its 2023 Jeffrey Cup men’s division five campaign on the back foot.
The Blues are coming 10th on the 11-team ladder after three rounds, but showed signs in a home ground defeat last Saturday at Lyne Park to the North Cronulla Sea Lice, that there is potential for a mid-season recovery.
There still remains a chance that a round one forfeit to Blacktown, due to lack of available players, may be turned into a postponed fixture.
Round two was a forgettable one for the Maccabi men, who were outclassed 10-47 when travelling to competition heavyweights Oatley.
But last Saturday afternoon in round three, there was more flow to Maccabi’s attack, and they earned a bonus competition point for scoring four tries, in a 24-42 loss.
They also showed plenty of resilience when, in the first 15 minutes of the match, injuries to two of their starting XV forced their only two available reserves, Zach Moses and Sam Myers, to be thrust into the action, and several players to play out of their usual position.
Maccabi matched the Sea Lice in all departments in the opening 25 minutes, conceding two tries but also scoring two through Greg Ber and Ethan Agosin, to trail by just 12-14, before conceding a converted try just before the break.
North Cronulla lifted their intensity and had the best of the field position early in the second half, making Maccabi pay by scoring two more tries for a 35-12 lead.
But a gutsy effort by Maccabi in defence, some impressive line breaks by their backline, and forward drives by their big men, reaped rewards.
After Maccabi were held up over the tryline on two occasions, Max Wright burst through the defence to score out wide to reduce the deficit to 16 points with 15 minutes remaining.
North Cronulla sealed their win minutes later with another converted try, but Maccabi’s Ber scored just before full-time to bag a double.
After the game, the Blues’ new coach for 2023, Dean Friedlander – who is not playing this season due to injury – told The AJN, “There were some good signs for us from this match.”
“We were our own worst enemy by not taking advantage of opportunities we created, with some final passes not being made when they should have been, so we need to work better as a unit,” Friedlander said.
“But considering our starting squad still had five players out with injuries – including George Davis who cracked a rib in round two – and we effectively had no reserves bench after the first 15 minutes due to on-field injuries, I felt our defence was good overall, and our attack improved too.
“Our man of the match, Max Wright, was outstanding today, making tackle after tackle, scoring a try, while having to play in three different positions during the course of the match.
“Hopefully we’ll get some experienced players back from injury as the season progresses, and we definitely have some some good young players in our squad now who offer an x-factor.”
The Blues face seventh-placed Balmain at Leichhardt this Saturday afternoon.
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