Brighouse Rangers Under 12’s 14 v Guiseley Rangers Under 12’s
Continuation Cup Semi-Final
Match Report
Player of the Match: Hooker (Anonymity observed)
Coaches player: Austin Hines
Grafters: Jacob Dewhirst
Daniel Clarke
Dylan Greenwood
Magic moment: Jack Wenzel
Rangers knew this would be a tough game but always held their belief they could win it with hard work.
With a lack of ball-in-hand for the opening quarter, the Rangers found themselves defending continuously, set after set.
Guiseley made good yards down the pitch with the Ranger’s line speed not quite matching that of their opponents.
Guiseley scored first down the Rangers right side, overcoming a usually, solid defensive unit. The coaching team reinforced the team’s confidence with encouragement and heads were held high.
A second Guiseley try came shortly after through a strong, forward burst straight under the posts.
Lackluster tackling techniques were addressed and then it started to pick up.
Commitment to the cause could not have been more evident than in the performance of the Rangers’ hooker (anonymity observed). For a player of slight stature, he put in some colossal, ball-and-all tackles in the centre of the pitch on players twice his size. This earned him a well-deserved Player of the Match award.
Alongside the hooker’s performance second-row pair, Christian Williams and Austin Hines put in a huge stint in the middle. Williams was again solid with the ball in his hands and made some telling attacks, showing that he has the engine for a full game. Pack Leader, Hines led from the front, as always, often covering the centre position in defence. Hines’ solid performance was capped off with a try in the left-hand corner after collecting a wide pass and finding himself in the right place at the right time. The second-rower went over from 15m after outpacing the cover defence.
The team lost influential prop-forward, Lukan Fortunato mid-way through the first half after he was dumped and landed awkwardly. A head injury assessment deemed that he would sit out the rest of the game, unfortunately for Lukan and the team.
Limited changes were made in the first half. The coaches wanted to build continuity with the starting 13 but with the early loss of Fortunato, it was time for the ever-impressive, Kurt Fisher to take to the field.
Fisher got involved straight away and carried the ball with vigor but it was his defence that stood out, yet again. Fisher zones in and hits hard, and this was evident today.
Fullback Joel Thurtle came alive before the break and displayed a characteristic, crabbing run to the left flank where he picked his gap and switched on. A good 40m sprint ended with Thurtle evading the cover defence with a left foot step to finish under the posts.
The second half saw Dexter Alderson leave the field for a well-deserved rest after a massive 30-minute hard graft.
Jack Wenzel took his place in the front row and worked the dummy runs perfectly, drawing 3, 4, 5 defenders away from the attack. Wenzel is popular amongst the players and the supporters, he’s improving weekly and he’s becoming a reliable forward.
Rangers improved further with their big centre (anonymity observed) causing chaos for the Guiseley defenders. Our big centre kept the supporters on their feet as he always does and was a joy to watch as he took down anything that moved.
Changes were made to try and alter the defensive patterns with Connor Gleeson replacing Riley Knapton on the right and Dominic Brook coming onto the left wing.
Wingman Daniel Greenwood moved into Fullback to give the hard-working Thurtle a break and Domas Flynn showed his value as a utility player by covering at the centre and moving into his more familiar, second-row position.
With the heat taking its toll, Vice Captain Dylan Greenwood who’d put in an immense effort on the left, came off for a spell and after some positional changes, Will Young came into the fore at center. Young, usually a strong, back-rower, offers the versatility to cover in the three-quarter line and showed up strong in attack. Young worked hard and carried the ball often until a knock to the leg had him retire earlier than he would have wanted.
Loose-forward, Marcus Booth was busy throughout and his contribution in the centre of the pitch was welcome and noted by the spectators, Booth brings aggression and skill to the Loose-forward role and is really making the shirt his own.
Halfbacks Jacob Dewhirst and Daniel Clarke had the game of their lives. Organisation was strong and the ball was taken to and played at the line. Dewhirst and Clarke had what was their busiest game all season. It tested them and they stood strong.
Sam Lee waited patiently for his chance and was asked to work on the right wing. Lee plays well on the wing and also at hooker but with time ticking away, the utility man had limited game time.
Following the Hines try, the last score would come from Thurtle in the left corner. The try was good and with 3 minutes of game time left the Rangers set up for the next kick-off.
Confidence was high and with time remaining, another try was always on the cards, however, the referee called time 3 minutes early and the game was lost.
The boys played with integrity, discipline and heart with the Rangers hooker showing today that he has the heart of a lion and leading by example.
For this season our Cup runs are over so we head back into the league fixtures where we’ll be looking for improvement and confidence as we hit the halfway mark.
BRIGHOUSE RANGERS RLFC 
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