Parkes Boars failed to fire against Blowes Clothing Cup heavyweights Orange City after a blistering final 20 minutes including a four-try performance from winger Sione Amone, gave the Lions a dominant 50 point victory at Northparkes Oval on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Lions ran in five unanswered tries, three of which Amone scored, in the final period of Saturday's clash to claim the 57-7 victory and extend their lead at the top of the table, further cementing their premiership favouritism at the same time.
The Boars ran with the Lions for the opening 60 minutes, and looked the better side in patches, but were unable to maintain their intensity in the final quarter.
"Orange City are so good at hurting you when it counts,” Boars co-coach Trevor Whitaker said.
“They suck you in, spread it wide and score tries.
"They did it to us in Round 1, we knew we needed to match it with them out wide.
“We let ourselves down there, and their fitness prevailed.
"Well done to them," he said.
It only took two minutes for Orange City to assert its dominance when No 8 Tatafu Na'anuimotu barged his way over, only for the try to be disallowed thanks to a crooked lineout throw.
However, sharpshooting centre Mesui Lemoto got the Lions on the board three minutes later with a penalty goal.
With Parkes' scrum dominating, and defensive line holding strong, Lemoto caught the Boars unaware with a quick lineout throw to fullback Joe Lasagavibau, who put Amone over in the corner.
Lemoto's conversion made it 10-nil, and when Lasagavibau crossed five minutes later to extend the lead to 15 the floodgates looked set to open.
But the Boars held strong even though Orange City continued to batter their line, until prop Logan Brockmann burrowed his way over in the 38th minute.
Although Lemoto's conversion gave the Lions a 22-nil lead at half-time, the deficit would have only been 16 had Parkes five-eighth Warren Lowe not pushed two attempted penalty goals wide.
Parkes scored the first points of the second period through flanker James Peters after the two sides arm-wrestled for the upper hand for 18 minutes, but it was all green and orange from then on.
Amone's second half hat-trick, along with tries to Na'aniumoto and Alifetei Wolfgramm in the final stages, sealed a convincing win for Orange City, which, with Orange mus defeating Bathurst Bulldogs, pushes the Lions further in front leading into the back end of the season.
ORANGE CITY LIONS 57 (Sione Amone 4, Joe Lasagavibau, Logan Brockmann, Tatafu Na'aniumotu, Alifeleti Wolfgramm tries; Mesui Lemoto 5, Lasagavibau, Jake Davis goals, Lemoto pen goal) def PARKES BOARS 7 (James Peter try; Warren Lowe goal)
