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, 2 May

Leichhardtn Oval, Balmain

Meet the players

Photographic highlights

The going only gets tougher for the 2009 Newtown Jets

The Newtown Jets continue to occupy the nether regions of the 2009 NSW Cup competition table following their 32-12 loss to the Balmain Tigers at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday.

Jets take early lead in first half

Newtown led 8-0 after twenty minutes of the first half but the Tigers regrouped and took advantage of Newtown's errors to post two converted tries.

Balmain went into the halftime break with that 12-8 lead, knowing that they would be running with a strong southerly breeze behind them in the second half.

Tigers pile on points with wind at their back in second half

The Tigers dominated the second forty minutes with Newtown's only try being scored three minutes out from fulltime.

The Tigers registered better completion rates than Newtown in both halves and the Jets' lack of discipline conceded several territory-gaining penalties to Balmain in the second half.

The Tigers had the result parcelled up after running in four tries within a fifteen minute spell midway through the second session.

Player performances

Sean Rudder passes to a hard running Jimmy Andersen

The experienced Jets five-eighth, Sean Rudder, playing his first game since the 2008 Grand Final, was involved in all three of Newtown's tries. Rudder, previously with the Newcastle Knights and the Catalans Dragons, has just completed a successful stint as Newtown's SG Ball Cup assistant-coach and will clearly be an asset for the Jets in what is shaping up as a tough winter for the oldest club in Rugby League.

Samoan World Cup representative, Smith Samau, had his best game since signing with the Jets and looks to have found his niche at fullback while lock, Jimmy Andersen, did a power of tackling in the forwards.

Winger, Iwi Hauraki, had a strong first half but sustained a shoulder injury and didn't take the field again after half-time.

Saturday's game was the first round of the Trevor Ryan-Neil Pringle Shield.

Match summary

Newtown 12 [Luke Letele, Iwi Hauraki, Kyle Lodge tries]
Balmain 32 [6 tries; 4 goals]

Half-Time: Balmain led 12-8.

Next game

The Jets are back at Henson Park next Saturday, 9 May, at 3pm when they take on the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

NSW Cup ladder
[end of last round]

Who played?

Interchange

Coach: Greg Matterson