It was a case of so near and yet so far for Farrer in the University Shield rugby league competition as the Agricultural High School suffered a 23-22 loss to Hills Sports High in Tuesday’s semi-final.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Farrer came from behind to level at 22-all when full-time sounded, only for Hills to come up with the winning play in golden point extra-time.
It was an unfortunate way for Farrer to exit the competition after the Elite Tier competition was introduced, and the complexion of the match was different from Farrer’s 36-30 home win against Westfield Sports High.
After nearly throwing away a 12-point lead against Westfield, Farrer fell behind 16-4 at half-time and 22-4 in the second half against Hills before Farrer gave itself every chance of snatching victory.
The Farrer players not only faced physically bigger opponents yet again, but also found that Hills players were good at offloads.
Farrer paid dearly for turning over possession in its own territory, as Hills converted pressure into points.
Farrer coach Chris Oxford remarked that it was hard to stop a big and powerful opposing team “if you allow them to attack your line”.
Oxford’s team nonetheless clawed back, with Jack Cameron, Connor Size and Ben Price having scored a try each as the margin lowered to six points.
Needing a converted try in the last two minutes, Farrer shifted the ball wide to the right where Jack Rumsby reached to score as two defenders couldn’t contain him.
Connor Size handled the pressure superbly as he converted from the sideline to force the game into extra-time, before Farrer faltered in its first set during extra-time.
Hills subsequently worked its way into enemy territory before setting up for a field goal which ultimately decided the result.
Oxford said it was a credit to the Farrer players for progressing as far as they did, considering other schools had rugby league as a subject and contained numerous National Rugby League-contracted players.
“They’ve probably exceeded expectations,” Oxford said of the Farrer players.