Charles "Chicka" Cahill
Premiership winning Newtown forward in the 1940s and actively involved with the Bluebags for the next forty years.

Match details

3.00 pm, Saturday, 16 August

Henson Park
The teams last met in Round 10 with a victory to the Jets, 28-12.

The Newtown Jets are still in the hunt for a top four finish in the VB NSW Cup competition despite their 26-12 loss to Wentworthville at Henson Park on Saturday.

Wentworthville - Parramatta's feeder club in this second-tier competition - led 10-0 at halftime and scored a converted try in the 80th minute that blew out the final winning margin in what had been a closely-contested encounter.

Newtown's tenuous fourth place on the premiership table was maintained following North Sydney's extraordinary come-from-behind 40-38 win against Windsor.

Valiant performances and player commitment

The Jets took a very much restructured team into this match and incurred injuries in the course of the game that left them with only two bench players for most of the second half.

Roosters Toyota Cup forward, Martin Kennedy, had been drafted into the Newtown line-up after playing against the Storm in Melbourne on Friday night and deserves commendation for his willingness to play.

Front-rower, Ray Moujalli, damaged an ankle in the first half and took no further part in the match while utility player Riley Brown suffered what was feared to be a serious neck injury after a ferocious on-field collision early in the second half.

Brown was taken immediately to RPA and fortunately was allowed to go home following precautionary X-rays.

The team's mounting injury toll will add to coach Greg Matterson's selection problems as the battle for favourable semi-final slots intensifies.

Score does not reflect the contest

This was a brave team effort against the current VB NSW Cup competition leaders but ultimately Newtown's limitations in attack and structural defensive weaknesses brought the Jets undone.

Newtown fought back to grab a 12-10 lead midway through the second half but Wentworthville responded with a converted try and two penalty goals that took the game beyond the Jets' reach. The visitors' last minute converted try and extended winning margin did little justice to how hard the Jets had tried in this match.

Player performances

Newtown's best forwards were back-rowers Daniel Green and Hep Cahill, one of this season's most improved players, Sean Rudder, Martin Kennedy and team captain, Steve Meredith.

Riley Brown had looked impressive with the ball and from dummy-half, and his enforced departure was a huge blow to Newtown's fortunes.

Danny Howard and Don Thompson were Newtown's best backs and the versatile Rory Kostjasyn bravely absorbed terrible punishment before being forced from the field late in the match.

Next game

The Jets travel away to Newcastle next Saturday, 23 August, to take on the Central Newcastle Knights. This match is to be played at the Energy Australia Stadium and will kick off at 3.25pm.

Match summary

Newtown: 12
2 tries, 2 goals
Wentworthville: 26
4 tries, 5 goals

Weather: Cloudy, fine, cool.
Playing surface: Excellent.
Referee: Phil Haines
Touch Judges: Hayden Price, Peter Sciberras

NSW Cup ladder
[end of last round]

Who played?

Coach: Greg Matterson