From the Vikings website;
Vikings Hold the Door Open for Minor Premiership
By Keiran Deck
The Vikings have had their biggest test of character under new Coach Tim Sampson, nailing a penalty in the final minutes to defeat Queanbeyan 15-13.
The Vikings had the lead for 75-minutes of the game at Campese Oval, before a relentless Whites attack edged ahead. An unconverted try handed the home side a one-point lead with less than five minutes to go.
The Vikings wrestled possession after the restart, and placed pressure on the clearance kicker three times, before the referee awarded a penalty at the breakdown in front of the posts.
Isaac Thompson, on return from injury, nailed the penalty attempt and scrumhalf Joe Powell directed traffic to play out extra time in their own half, ensuring a gritty win.
Sampson was full of praise for his men after the impressive defensive effort. “It’s the sort of blokes they are,” he said. “It’s something that I haven’t had to coach into them – that’s a massive strength of this squad, it’s how tight they are and they’ve got each other’s back.”
The game started several hours after consistent rain cleared, leaving muddy patches and plenty of surface water. It would be a game won by the best forward pack.
Breakdown pressure and quick ball from Powell created an overlap on the left wing, where Sam Gilltrap used quick hands to put Jake Knight over the line.
Andrew Robinson missed the conversion attempt and the Vikings had an early 5-0 lead.
Vikings continued to place a lot of pressure at the breakdown but Queanbeyan dominated the scrum. The first quarter of the match was played largely in the centre of the park.
The home side would have come into the game with a plan to shut down Vikings backrower Ben Hyne, who is one of the competition’s leading try scorers. The majority of his tries this season have come from hard running close to the line.
The next five points arrived in the 25
th minute, when Hyne ran a direct line metres from the try line. He was taken down, but the momentum helped him barrel roll over the chalk. Robinson added the extras and the Vikings led 12-0.
If Queanbeyan had planned to nullify the impact of Hyne, Tuggeranong would have thought about how they were going to stop Sokai Tai.
Tai came on in as a temporary replacement for Dan Penca who was sent to the blood bin in the first half. He made several line breaks straight away.
The third of his significant breaks ended in Chris Barbaro falling over the chalk to the right side of the ruck which had formed just short of the try line.
At half time, Vikings held a seven point lead, 12-5.
Whites fans celebrated Old Boys day by unveiling a plaque on the famous Campese Oval balcony, renaming it the ‘Col Maxell Balcony’. Club members remembered the late club legend, who coached the club to three Premierships in the ‘80s, among a raft of other achievements.
The sun poked through the clouds early in the second half. Dan Matthews kicked a penalty goal in the first 10-minutes that would allow the home side back into the game, in the dying minutes.
The Whites camped in the Vikings’ left defensive corner for eight minutes before they finally found a way through, off the back of another dominant scrum.
Matthews missed the conversion attempt, leaving the margin at one point, 13-12.
Pressure on Mitch Douch forced him to use his clearing kick poorly, straight into Vikings hands. Last year’s runners up benefitted from the good field position when the referee blew a penalty in the final minute, and Thompson claimed the three points on offer.
Next week, the Vikings are back home to take on the in-form Gungahlin Eagles. Both sides will be hoping for dry conditions, to make the use of their fast outside backs.
The next time the two sides meet is likely to be in the major semi-final in August. Sampson says he’s not looking that far ahead. “It might be different conditions then and might be a totally different game next time out.”