The Magpies travelled to Hinton on Sunday to take on competition leaders, Hinton Hornets, a gritty side that find an extra gear in the second half and have beaten Gloucester over the last three seasons, coming from behind and wearing down the opposition.
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The Magpies started off with some constructive attack, completing their sets and defending well. First break came when James Yates made a long run down the right wing, threw a speculative pass and kicked through for Simon Hitchcock to score. Hinton hit back with a well weighted kick for their winger to score in the corner. Gloucester were controlling possession and continued to pressure the Hinton defence. Good lead up work by Mitch Turnball and Scott Wratten saw Corbin Predebon put in the clear, to score wide out. Gloucester had two tries disallowed before halftime and were thwarted by offside defence when it seemed certain they would score again.
Hinton scored first in the second half when they received a penalty inside the Magpies 20 metres. A kick into the corner saw Hinton winger win a race for the ball that came off his legs into the ingoal. Gloucester hit back finding themselves in good field position, when Hinton kicked the ball out on the full. Nothing subtle about this try; a series of strong runs up the middle saw Mitch McDonald crash over for Magpies third try.
Jonathon Cornelius was next to score after the Magpie attack was held up over the line early in the tackle count, giving Gloucester a seemingly comfortable 18–8 lead. However Hinton attack started to bend Gloucester’s defensive line. Strong work from their forward pack rewarded them with two tries, the first after forcing a line drop-out. Hinton took the lead when they scored again from a kick and chase putting Magpies behind 18–20. A penalty goal by Corbin Predebon levelled the scored 20 all; a result Magpie coaches considered a creditable outcome.
Congratulations Maddison and Hayden, it’s a girl, Remi Lee.
3 points Simon Hitchcock, 2 points Mitch Turnball, 1 point Hyden Tull, Matt Wise.
Players’ player: Mitch Turnball.