Margaret River Gropers face Bunbury in at-home thriller.

It was a tight knit affair from the outset, with both sides showing hard running in the centres and powerful forward play.  It was tit for tat in the first half with both sides probing the other’s weaknesses. Gropers opened up the account with Sam Henry over the line from a short ball from the first 5/8. Gropers squandered a few opportunities allowing Bunbury to stay in the game but the home side were able to stamp out those chances and headed into the second half 5-0. 

The second was just as intense with the game on a knife edge. Led by Kevin Finnegan in his first game as captain, forwards were told to up the intensity, and duly responded. Glenn Giles had several barn-storming runs and got the Gropers on the front foot. Gropers' fly half took a cheeky ‘quick tap’ deep in their own defensive zone and managed to join with Kaho Sina, who raced down the sidelines to score their second try. Dominic Carlsen converted and put the score out to 12-0. Bunbury weren’t about to lie down and continued with forward pressure and hard running in the backs, resulting in a try from a crash ball 5m out from the line. They converted to make it 12-7. 

Gropers continued to make breaks in the centres, relinquishing opportunities with some poor passing. Some chances did stick, with Henry finishing off a well worked play to give the Gropers breathing space. Emile-Kaze Takahashi-Curti impressed on debut; with only four training sessions under his belt the youngster proved he has a promising career ahead. Despite mounting pressure the Gropers held their line against the onslaught to finish with a 17-7 victory. They head to the next round in Collie in two weeks, with a game and two bonus points clear of their nearest rivals.