Of greater competition relevance, up in the Buckets Ranges, the Gloucester Cockies enjoyed the boilover of the year by trouncing the second-placed Manning River Ratz, 42-10, gaining a bonus point win to reinforce their position in the top three before the semi-finals and leaving the Dolphins well positioned to capture the minor premiership.

Likewise, last year’s finalists, the Wallamba Bulls, felt the sting of travelling to Tea Gardens, dropping an important bonus point decision to the Myall Coast Mudcrabs, 20-27.  Five rounds before the play-offs in August, the Brokenwood Wines-sponsored premiership is warming up beautifully.   

With Old Bar’s ground at Trad Field still unplayable, the Clams’ game against the Dolphins was transferred to Taree Rugby Park, a game which found the Clams seriously understaffed.

So down on numbers were they that the Clams recruited heavyweight Dolphins winger Matt McKay before the game and added another two rival players at half-time in fullback Jonathon Paff and lock Rob McCabe. Without them, the score would really have been ugly.

The 27-year-old Hagarty’s performance stemmed from coach Ron McCarthy’s sixth sense of a player possessing more skill than on display at fullback and moving him to inside-centre this season while Hagarty strengthened with skipper Matt Nuku in gymnasium workouts. 

With the scrums depowered from the start, halfback Liam Brady and play-making five-eighth Nuku focussed on clearing the ball from the tangled forward melees, allowing their outside backs room and time to penetrate, sending centres Hagarty and Tom Harris surging through the Clams’ defence.  Usually, inside-centre is a midfield traffic jam of hard-tackling defenders, the most onerous position in the back line, but with his speed and strength Hagarty made it a breeze in the Dolphins’ eighth successive win.

 Referee Stephen Cather, called up in the emergency, applied the advantage law to its proper extent, awarding a mere penalty count of 4-all, allowing the game to flow.

Even without specialist Jack Woods (shoulder), Brad Murray and Rob Avard won lineout possession while Chris Simon, Colin Harris, Dylan Barrett and Kev Watt all made valuable contributions off the bench. ­

Of the Clams’ “recruits”, lock McCabe returned some bruises to his club colleagues, fullback Paff saved tries and winger McKay was a strong as ever while Toutai Puliuvea proved a tireless flanker for the home team.

Wrap up:

Forster Tuncurry 94 (M Hagarty 7 J Nicholson 2 T Harris 2 M Nuku R Avard C Harris C Simon D Barrett tries; L Crozier 7 goals) beat Old Bar 0; Gloucester 42 beat Manning River 10; Myall Coast 27 beat Wallamba 20; Bye: Wauchope.

Next Saturday’s Round 10 draw: Forster Tuncurry v Gloucester at Tuncurry; Wauchope v Old Bar at Wauchope; Manning River v Myall Coast. Bye: Wallamba. 

Phil Wilkins