Port 50 def. Corrimal 16

Port Kembla were still without Craig Simon, his back injury making it difficult to predict a return date for the Captain-Coach. Grant Bobbin and Nathan Heffernan were still sidelined with injury as was Clinton Schrader. Corrimal were without Pete Tweddle, tryscoring centre Damian Willis and forward Trent Jansen (on rep duties).

Corrimal opened the game full of running, seemingly making easy metres and punishing the Blacks with some bruising defence. Their good yardage gains in the first set of six was halted when the ball was lost on the fourth tackle. Three minutes into the game, Mark Simon got a clever ball away to Jason Sullivan who in turn off loaded to Paul Lokys. With Simon seemingly clear inside, Lokys kicked, allowing Corrimal to gather the ball and diffuse the situation.

Although the Cougars looked to have the better of the play in the opening five minutes, it was Port who scored first when a huge Mark Simon bomb deflected off the Cougars goal posts and bounced high and true. Lulia Lulia was on the spot to catch the ball under little pressure from Corrimal and dive over for the first try of the match. Simon converted and Port led by six early on.

The Cougars hit back seven minutes later when they pressured the Port line and were rewarded with first a Port dropped ball, and then a penalty for off-side play. Luke Stafford received an inside ball from Adam Kerr and muscled his way over for the try. Kerr converted and the scores were locked after 12 minutes of play.

Nick Nikitaras had possibly his strongest game of the year with some incisive runs into the Corrimal defence. One such run in the fifteenth minute followed by an Andrew Bobbin break led to a quick play the ball where Clint Hill passed to winger Juita Suka to score Port's second try. Simon could not convert from the wide angle, but Port had a four point buffer.

Johno Johnson threatened to extend Port's lead with a scoot from dummy half and a great break, getting a ball away to Nikitaras who ran out of support close to the Cougars line. With the tackle count on the fifth, the ball was rolled into the in-goal and Corrimal were forced to drop out. From the following play, Greg Hooper used a perfect second man play to send Jason Sullivan in for another Port try, Simon's conversion making it 16-6 to The Blacks.

Corrimal almost hit back when halfback Ben Smede sent a towering, spiralling bomb into the Port in goal area. Fullback Glenn McPhee could not handle the ball initially, but regathered, only to be trapped in goal, giving Corrimal another chance to attack. The Cougar side couldn't capitalise on the repeat opportunity, and it was Port who made their way into Corrimal territory. With 25 minutes gone, quick hands from Jason Sullivan and Luke Roberts saw Paul Lokys sprint twenty metres to cross out wide. Simon kicked straight and Port led by 16 points with fifteen to go in the first half.

Junior Phillip came off the bench in his first top grade turn out for Port and immediately made his presence felt with a strong run from the kick off. It was the 28th minute when Mark Simon was taken high by the Corrimal defence, Port awarded the penalty. From the second tackle, Simon took on the Corrimal defence, getting a magic pass away to Greg Hooper who dived over adjacent to the posts to allow Port to get out to a 28-6 lead.

With less than three minutes on the clock, another spiralling bomb was not handled by Port, the ensuing scrum seeing Corrimal awarded a penalty. From the quick tap, Cougar Captain Don Tweddle barged his way across the Port tryline to bring the score back to 28-12 at the break.

The second half didn't start well for Port, dropping the ball on the third tackle of the opening set. Three minutes later, with Port in possession, Nikitaras took the ball up strong, busting the defence wide open, ending five metres out from Corrimal's line. Hooper tried to burrow his way over on the next tackle. Then, with the Corrimal defence seemingly in tatters, time out was called, an inopportune time for the Black's attack as two Cougars players had clashed heads in the Hooper tackle.

Seven minutes into the half and Tweddle went on a thirty metre gallop into Port territory. The Corrimal attack looked to score soon after, but Black's winger Juita Suka managed to take Corrimal centre Matt Kearns into touch in goal. Paul Lokys continued his good form with a fifty metre burst up the left wing. The play that followed saw Mark Simon turn the ball inside to replacement utility Daniel Jiminez who swivelled his way over the line to score the opening try of the second half. Port led Corrimal by 34-12.

Sixteen minutes had elapsed when Glen McPhee fielded a Corrimal kick on his ten metre line. McPhee beat four players on a sixty metre jinking run up field before linking up with Sullivan who threw a final pass to Lokys. The fair-haired winger took off from a standing start to run thirty metres diagonally across field for his second try of the match. Simon kicked the goal and Port had taken the score out to 40-12.

Johnson made another break midway through the half, passing to Lokys, then to Simon who half got through a small gap. Simon passed, but the ball was ruled to have gone forward.

Johnson decided to try his luck again, splitting the Corrimal defence from dummy-half, then offloading a spectacular ball while on his way to the turf to Junior Phillip. Phillip showed strength to brush off two defenders and run the short 20 metres to score under the posts, Port led by 34 points with eighteen to go.

The next ten minutes saw both teams trying to outdo each other. Johnson continued to work tirelessly from acting half, Simon directed the Blacks around the park, and Clint Hill made some strong runs into the heart of the Corrimal forward pack. With eight on the clock, Corrimal attacked the Port line and looked to have scored, but referee Todd Yarrow pulled up the play, ruling the Cougar player had dropped the ball over the line.

Johnson was at it again with six left on the clock, getting another miraculous ball away to Lulia Lulia while on his way down in a tackle. Lulia got the ball in to Greg Hooper who in turn threw it out wide to Suka. Suka evaded one defender to run in for his second four pointer of the afternoon, ending the sixty metre play. Port had hit the fifty in scoring their ninth try of the game. Matt Kearns ended the scoring with three on the clock when a kick on the fifth went through two pairs of Port hands, allowing the Corrimal centre to score an unconverted try. The final score of 50-16 was a good indication of Port's dominance in the match, particularly the second half of play.

For Port, Johno Johnson had an outstanding game, always in the thick of the action. Mark Simon had a rare game where he failed to cross for a try, yet still racked up fourteen points through some accurate kicking, while dictating play around the edges of the ruck. Nikitaras and Hill were solid in the forwards, while replacement forwards Jiminez, Phillip and Matt Skora all impressed off the bench. Paul Lokys was a handful out wide whenever he touched the ball, and Lulia's defence in the centres was a feature of some stern backline backbone.

The only blemish on the night for Port was the loss of Grant Roberts early in the first half. Roberts has been one of Port's best in the first half of the season, his absence making Port's victory even more impressive.

Port now face a tough test against fourth placed Wests at Noel Mulligan Oval on Sunday. The game will see local favourite Paul Lokys playing his 50th first grade game for Port. This comes after Wayne Harvey registered his 50th Grade Game for the club in Reserve Grade's win over Berkeley in round 12. A win by Port in first grade will see them put some space on fourth place, allowing a bit of breathing room running into the semis.

In Reserve Grade, a win over Wests and some other anticipated results could possibly see four teams level on 18 points and another two on 17. The Reserve Grade competition is really hotting up with six teams not wanting to drop any games in case they lose touch with the front runners. Mathematically, any one of six teams could be competition leader after round 13 ends.

In 18's, Port face the only team they have not beaten this season. The Devils came from 12 points down at half time to defeat Port by the same margin at Parrish Park. A win by Port this weekend will go a long way to boosting the already high confidence of the the talented team.

Under 18's kick off proceedings at 12pm, Reserve Grade following at 1.30pm. First Grade are scheduled to take to the field at 3pm.