Sharks maul Doggies

Saturday morning’s tsunami warnings caused the cancellation of the two planned rugby league games on Rarotonga.

The cancelled games were the double header showdown between the Arorangi Bears and Ngatangiia-Matavera Sea Eagles, and the Avatiu Eels and Tupapa-Maraerenga Panthers.

However, on Friday afternoon, a fantastic game of rugby league was played on Aitutaki between the Aitutaki Sharks and the Titikaveka Bulldogs with the whole island turning up to enjoy the game and support their side.

The Bulldogs scored two early tries to give them a comfortable lead.

The Sharks came back with a converted try to keep them in the game 12-6 before the half time whistle.

The star Sharks player Mau George was in a devastating form, busting the defence twice to score two great tries and edge out the Bulldogs by 2 points 14-12.

It was a very vocal crowd and the home support certainly paid off when the Sharks half back crossed the line to dot down under the post.

The conversion gave the Sharks a comfortable lead 20-12.

With time ticking away the Bulldogs again attacked the Sharks with Bulldogs captain Lloyd Matapo finally crossing the line to pull in the Sharks lead 20-18.

The Bulldogs, sensing their chances slowly slipping away with minutes left on the clock, launched a final attack on the Sharks only to be stopped inches away from the try line.

It was a jubilant crowd when the hooter finally went for full time and a big relief to the players who managed to hang on to their 2 point lead.

While it brought joy to the people of Aitutaki, poor handling errors by both teams spoilt a very good running game and the scores would probably have doubled if these mistakes were avoided.

The completed sets were a disaster with both teams only managing to complete about two sets each.

The Sharks’ defence was very good which kept them in the game and eventually gave them the win.

Above all it was an excellent day for the island of Aitutaki