Thirroul 32 def. Port 26

Port bowed out of the 2004 title race when they were defeated by Thirroul at WIN Stadium tonight (Saturday 28th August). Port held a healthy 20-10 lead at the main break and were first to score in the second half, but The Butchers know what Finals football is all about, and a blistering 25 minutes of controlled league saw the defending premiers come away with an exciting win, sealed on the bell with an intercept try to lock forward Mark Sheppard.

The game started well for Port, forcing The Butchers into an early mistake. Four minutes had elapsed when Johno Johnson, playing with a fractured arm, chipped and chased, the ball sitting up perfectly for Grant Roberts in pursuit. Thirroul managed to get to Roberts though and he was tackled ten metres out from the try line.

Thirroul scored first when a kick on the fifth tackle six minutes into the game was ruled to have been played at by Port. This seemed difficult as the ball sped so quickly from close range that Port would not have had the opportunity to play at it. Never the less, Thirroul gained a repeat set and a ball turned inside on the third tackle found Fuad Suljkanovic who had a clear run to the line. Trent Bryan converted from close range and Thirroul led 6-0 early on.

Port continued to apply the pressure to Thirroul though and forced another error in the ninth minute. The advantage didn't last long though when Nick Nikitaras was crunched in a two man Thirroul tackle, the ball jarring free and Thirroul again in possession. Port regathered the ball soon after and were awarded a penalty for a high shot, Johno Johnson electing to take a quick tap and play on. On the final tackle of the play, Johnson kicked in goal forcing Thirroul to send the ball dead in goal.

Port looked to have scored in the 13th minute to the delight of the Blacks faithful on the hill nearby, however the final pass was ruled forward. The good work Port had done to get close to the Thirroul line was undone when they were penalised for off-side play and then again for back-chatting the referee. Thirroul were let off the hook and were allowed to make their way back into Port territory.

It was 18 minutes into the game when Port opened their account when a clever Andrew Bobbin pass found Lulia Lulia who broke free from a Thirroul defender to cross under the posts. Johnson converted and scores were level. Two minutes elapsed when a Port kick heading for touch was gathered in by Trent Bryan. Bryan got the fumbles and the ball flew into touch off the Thirroul winger. From the scrum, Jeff Hardy ran himself, dummying and crossing for Port to take the lead 12-6 after the Johnson conversion.

Paul Lokys tried to lift his team with some inspirational defence in the 23rd minute, making three consecutive tackles including a rattler on Thirroul fullback Chris Potter. Port gave away a repeat set of six after missing a high kick, but they managed to hold off the Thirroul attack in this instance.

With twelve on the clock, Port launched a raid down the right side of the field. Juita Suka ended with the ball and tried to get it inside to his support, however the ball hit the deck and Thirroul gained possession. Then, with Jason Sullivan on the ground being attended to behind Thirroul play, Bryan found space and ran the best part of seventy metres to cross. He could not convert his own try, but Thirroul were back in the mix just two points adrift of Port.

Johnson kicked on the final tackle for Schrader to chase eight minutes from half time. The chase forced Thirroul to tap the ball dead and Port had earned a repeat set of tackles. In the next set of tackles, Johno Johnson forced his way over in the corner to take Port out to a six point lead just seven minutes from the break. Three minutes later Port extended their lead to ten points when Sullivan grubbered through for replacement Luke Roberts to dive on.

The Blacks had played a good first half, a vast improvement on their display against Collegians a week earlier. Glenn McPhee started in place of Craig Simon who had sustained a knee injury in the Collegians match. During the first half, Grant Bobbin spent a stint on the sideline with a knee ailment, and Johno Johnson spent some time off nursing his broken arm.

Johnson returned in the second half and opened it with a crushing tackle on Jade Air, forcing the Butcher's centre to spend some time on the bench. Five minutes into the half, Port made the perfect start, first throwing a ten metre pass from the ruck to Grant Roberts. Roberts got the ball on to Greg Hooper who got behind the Thirroul defensive line to pass a great ball to Jason Sullivan who scored in the corner. Johnson's sideline conversion was sweet and Port had a healthy 26-10 lead.

The Butchers then mounted their comeback, first applying concerted pressure to Port's attack. Port's woes were compounded when they lost Grant Bobbin early in the second half, succumbing to his knee injury. The Butchers smashed Grant Roberts in a tackle in the 7th minute of the half, forcing a turnover of possession. They then forced Port to drop out in the eight minute, before being held up over the line in the 14th minute and forcing another drop-out soon after.

The half was sixteen minutes old when Thirroul's weight of possession finally turned to points, Jade Air falling over the Port try line with two defenders in tow. Bryan converted and The Butchers had a sniff at 26-16.

From the restart, Nigel Daniels knocked on, momentarily giving Port the ascendancy. Johnson placed a deft kick into the in-goal area eighteen into the half sending Jeff Hardy chasing the try. Hardy just missed the ball, Thirroul forcing their own drop-out. With Port turning over possession early in the tackle count, Thirroul worked their way down field in range to attack the Port line. Halfway through the half, Ben Linde dummied and ran from dummy half, able to dive across the line to score another converted try for The Butchers. Thirroul had bridged the gap to just four points with 20 minutes still left on the clock.

Port's discipline had seemingly left them as they were penalised for a high shot from the restart. Thirroul on the other hand were full of running and were seemingly making metres at will.

At the 23 minute mark, The Butchers kicked high, with a chasing Trent Bryan flying above Juita Suka and Jason Sullivan to mark the ball and drop over the line. The Bryan try had drawn Thirroul level with Port, his conversion sending The Thirroul side into the lead for the first time since early in the first half.

Juita Suka went on a fifty metre foray into Thirroul territory 13 from full time before being tackled. Johnson broke the line and then chipped with ten minutes remaining, but Thirroul were able to clean up and regain control of the ball.

With five remaining on the clock, Port went on a promising run, but the final ball to Suka could not be handled by the big winger and Thirroul were again off the hook. Four minutes before full time, a Thirroul error gave Port possession on The Butcher's twenty metre line.

With three on the clock, Port were awarded a penalty for off-side fifteen metres to the right of the posts and just ten metres out. Rather than go for the goal which would have levelled the scores if successful, Port took a quick tap, earning another penalty, this time wider out, for a similar infringement. Then, with one and a half minutes remaining on the clock, Port kicked in goal, but it was too big and Thirroul had possession on their own twenty.

Thirroul sealed their victory and passage through to the Grand Final when Mark Sheppard scored his intercept try on the bell. The conversion missed, but it was academic as the full-time siren had sounded, in doing so spelling the end for Port's 2004 campaign.

It was a game of two halves for Port. The first was promising with a 100% improvement on last weekend's game against Collegians. The second half however was interspersed with ill-disciplined play and basic errors. Grant Bobbin was sorely missed in the second half. The absence of his high work rate and cornerstone like defence was taken advantage of by Thirroul. Clint Hill was again in the thick of the action, but his gallant efforts to shoulder Bobbins workload on top of his own was in the end in vain. Grant Roberts literally threw himself into the Thirroul attack and defence and gave his all. Lulia Lulia had a good game in the centres and Paul Lokys again played well out wide.

Thirroul had a host of strong workers, led up front by Ben Couchman and Joel Attenborough. Ben Linde was as busy as usual, and the Air brothers were great servants for the team.

Thirroul will no doubt have the majority of the crowd support in next week's Grand Final against Collegians, the bookie's favourites, while Port can start to plan for next season and another shot at the title that has eluded the club since 1965.