Medway Dragons Rugby League Football Club
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Under 16's 2009 Results
| Team Score | Opponents | Opponent Score | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Greenwich Admirals | 17 | Away | 4 July 2009 | View Report |
| 28 | Croydon Hurricanes | 12 | Home | 20 June 2009 | View Report |
| 0 | West London Sharks | 38 | Home | 13 June 2009 | View Report |
| 70 | Brixton Bulls | 0 | Away | 6 June 2009 | View Report |
| 26 | Elmbridge Eagles | 34 | Away | 23 May 2009 | View Report |
| 28 | Croydon Hurricanes | 24 | Away | 9 May 2009 | View Report |
| 24 | West London Sharks | 28 | Away | 2 May 2009 | View Report |
| 18 | Elmbridge Eagles | 40 | Home | 25 April 2009 | View Report |
| 32 | Brixton Bulls | 14 | Home | 18 April 2009 | View Report |
| 20 | Croydon Hurricanes | 10 | Home | 28 March 2009 | View Report |
| 38 | West London Sharks | 26 | Home | 21 March 2009 | View Report |
| 52 | Brixton Bulls | 10 | Away | 14 March 2009 | View Report |
| 22 | Elmbridge Eagles | 42 | Away | 7 March 2009 | View Report |
| 30 | Hainault Bulldogs | 10 | Away | 28 February 2009 | View Report |
The Dragons Under 16’s crashed out of the WCAM London RL Junior League Play Offs at Well Hall in a classic against local rivals Greenwich Admirals. The Admirals have two teams in this age group and it was clear from their selection of their leading players that they were treating The Dragons with respect.
The opening period of the game saw both packs weighing up the challenge and probing the defensive lines with strong running. The Admirals were unable to breach the fierce Dragons defence, invariable with three players in the tackle, and took to throwing wide passes to get the break through. The first breakthrough came with help from The Dragons who turned over possession too easily and then failed to work hard to recover. The Admirals made them pay.
One score down but well in the game, The Dragons again coughed up the ball again with a soft turnover and again failed to defend. Long passes over the heads of the Dragons defenders got the winger away to extend the score to 8 – 0. As the half drew to a close, The Dragons conceded a third try following a lack of discipline and were made to pay, 12 – 0 down and the break.
Coach Alaisdair Stewart rallied his players in the break and fired them up for the critical second half. There was new discipline in the Dragons, epitomised by outstanding defensive efforts from, Rory Baldwin, Adam Shears and Jack Johnston which lifted the team. The Admirals were clearly tiring and hanging on to the game when Luka Syplywczak sported a gap and burst through, Nick Hardinges was in support and galloped away to beat the chasing defenders to score under the posts. Ashley Banfield converted to bring The Dragons back into the game at 12 – 6.
The momentum was with the men in red & gold and they through everything into the game. Munro Thirds and Fergus Stewart battered at the line and made big in-roads into the Admirals territory. The Dragons managed to cross the try line three times in the nail biting climax but were unable to get the ball down. The Admirals defended bravely and always managed to get a man there to save the day.
The final whistle brought the curtain down on a great season for the Dragons who received a standing ovation from both sets of supporters at the end.
Dragons Head Coach Martin Coyd said ‘We asked the boys to leave nothing on the field and be able to look one another in the eye, and themselves in the mirror. They can certainly do that. The second half performance was massive and with a couple of different bounces of the ball we may have tied the game. Greenwich deserve great credit for hanging in and preventing us from scoring’
‘This was a great advert for Rugby League, it had everything a player and spectator would want. Fiercely competitive, tough and loads of skill. The lads should be very proud of their performance
