RD 10 Match Report – Mendi Blackhawks Rewarded with Back-to-Back Wins

Monday, June 14, 2021

Sam Savage Snr, Sam Martin-Savage, Dorothy Savage and Hayden Saltner.  Photo Blackhawks Media

AMELIA PATTEL

BLACKHAWKS MEDIA

The Townsville Mendi Blackhawks have been rewarded with back-to-back wins after having a dominant win over the CQ Capras.

The game was very back and forth for the first 10 minutes with both teams trying to assert their dominance.

Mendi Blackhawks were first to cross the white stripe, with Corey Jensen crashing over in the 16th minute and Shaun Nona adding on the extra points.

An illegal tackle put Kyle Laybutt in the sin bin which left the Mendi Blackhawks unable to keep Nathan Bassani out with a strike in the 23rd minute, with Trey Browne to level the scores.

Not all momentum pushed the Capras way after a sin bin to Jack Gibbons leaving both sides a man down, Michael Carroll scored a try in the 18th minute to push the Mendi Blackhawks back out to the lead.

After an effort to split open the middle, Corey Jensen was rewarded with a first half double, extending the Mendi Blackhawks lead.

To close out the first half, the CQ Capras were able to tighten the margin with a try from Jake Maizen, leaving the break at 16-12 in favour of the Blackhawks.

As soon as the second half kicked off, Patrick Kaufusi opened the try scoring with Nona converting.

Joining the frenzy in the 44th minute, Kalifa Faifai-Loa scored of a dropout to put his name down on the score sheet.

Sam Martin-Savage scored in the 54th minute after a prior effort by Moses Meninga to force an error upon the CQ Capras.

Another error from the CQ Capras kept the momentum going for Patrick Kaufusi to receive his second for the afternoon.

The CQ Capras luck didn’t change in the 60th minute with a sin bin to Blake Moore, however Blackhawks Moses Meninga quickly followed after putting his opponent in a dangerous position.

The Mendi Blackhawks were unable to keep the CQ Capras out as Caleb Tull was the man to put the first points on the board for the second half after receiving a long-awaited penalty, but the conversion was unsuccessful.

After a high shot on the Mendi Blackhawks, CQ Capras received another sin bin, making it the fourth of the afternoon.

With both teams down to 12, Patrick Kaufusi was able to score another try, giving the second rower a hat-trick and also received the player of the match award for his efforts.

Mendi Blackhawks cemented their dominance with a second try from Michael Carroll and a successful conversion from Nona, making the final score of the game 48-16.

Despite a comfortable win over the Capras, it was bittersweet for the Mendi Blackhawks Meninga who spent the final minutes of the game in the sin bin, making it his second of the night.

Coach Aaron Payne was proud of the performance his team put out for their home crowd.

“I thought we played really well, a lot of what we were trying to do we executed, and I thought as a whole were making some real steps forward as a group and building some confidence.” Payne said.

Sam Martin-Savage was particularly grateful for his chance to play today and to celebrate Indigenous round with his family watching.

“It meant a lot, playing for my family, playing for the boys here it’s been really good.” Martin-Savage said.

The Mendi Blackhawks Indigenous round jerseys were presented by Martin-Savage’s grandma, Dorothy and father, Sam Savage, who are local tribal members of the Wulgurukaba and Bindal people.

The Mendi Blackhawks also paid tribute for the 25th anniversary of the Black Hawks disaster that left 12 soldiers injured and to another 18 who lost their lives.

The Townville Mendi Blackhawks are set to match up against the Falcons next Saturday on the Sunshine Coast.

Earlier Results:
The Mendi Blackhawks Hastings Deering Colts U21s had a convincing 52 – 12 win against the CQ Capras.