The Western Suburbs Magpies put in a strong, determined performance at Lidcombe Oval on Sunday afternoon but ultimately went down 18-6 to a resilient Newtown Jets outfit.
Looking to respond after last week’s result, the Magpies got off to a great start. After building early pressure, Izaac Tu'itupou powered over from dummy half to score the opening try and give the home fans something to cheer about.
Wests held firm for much of the opening half, but a brief lapse in defence allowed the Jets to hit back down the left edge through Michael Gabrael. A successful conversion from Niwhai Puru handed Newtown a narrow 6-4 lead.
With just minutes remaining in the first half, Kurt Falls kept the scoreboard ticking over, calmly slotting a penalty goal to send the teams to the sheds locked at 6-all.
The arm-wrestle continued into the second half, with both teams showing plenty of grit. However, it was Newtown who found the breakthrough again down the left, with Eli Clark stretching out to score. Another Puru conversion edged the visitors ahead 12-6.
Despite matching Newtown physically for much of the contest, ill-discipline at crucial moments hurt the Magpies' chances. With the game still within reach late on, the Jets sealed the result through Braden Hamlin-Uele, who crashed over under the posts. A third successful conversion from Puru pushed the final scoreline out to 18-6.
The Magpies showed considerable improvement from last week, matching a strong Newtown outfit for large periods.
Izaac Tu'itupou’s opening try was a reward for our early pressure and intent.
Our discipline will be a key focus heading into next week after a handful of costly penalties gave the Jets crucial opportunities late in the match.
With less than four minutes on the clock and the game still within a converted try, Newtown's Braden Hamlin-Uele powered over from close range, ending any hopes of a late Magpies comeback.
The Magpies will look to build on today’s effort when we host the St George Illawarra Dragons next week, once again at Lidcombe Oval. We hope to see all our members and supporters there as we aim to bounce back with a strong performance.
