From the Vikings Website;
Premier Division First Grade
By Keiran Deck
For the second week in a row the first grade result was decided with a penalty kick in the final minute, but this time the result went against the Vikings.
Gungahlin announced themselves as Premiership underdogs with a hard fought 24-23 victory on a sunny but cold Round 13 at Viking Park.
Isaac Thompson had a penalty kick from around the 30-metre line, just inside the grandstand touchline, to win the game. The ball bent in towards the goals off Thompson’s boot, but swung late to shave the right upright on the outside.
The first of the game’s eight tries came in the opening two-minutes, when Eagles number eight Ratikha Ilolahia (better known as Rocky) crashed over under the posts off the back of a dominant scrum. The conversion was missed but the Vikings crowd were stunned.
The Vikings entered the game short two Brumbies contracted players. Joe Powell was wrapped in Brumbies cotton wool, as was Ben Hyne who is on standby to plug a depleted back row.
Callum Smith replaced Hyne and he scored the Vikings’ first try of the game, but not before the Eagles created a buffer.
The competition’s leading try scorer Jaime Kotz was too fast for the Vikings’ sliding defence and he crashed over on the left wing. The score 10-3 after Andrew Robinson slotted a penalty early in the game.
The Eagles continued to dominate the scrum and Vikings had trouble in defence, unable to maintain their structure when Jake Helgesen made a break in the 30
th minute. He spectacularly popped it up for Ben McGee as he was tackled just short of the line, and McGee helped set-up a 17-3 lead.
That wouldn’t be the end of the scoring for the first half, though. Vikings wrestled moment for the final eight minutes and were rewarded when Smith crossed from a pick and go formation.
At 17-10, the Eagles carried the advantage into the second half but Vikings had an opportunity to put points on the board early when Andrew Robinson had a penalty kick almost in front of the sticks. On a bad day for kickers from both sides, Robinson missed what would have turned out to be a crucial three points.
The visitors lost try scorer McGee for ten minutes after a penalty at the breakdown and Vikings capitalised at the 60-minute mark, when a Frankie Fainifo offload to Jake Rakic saw the no. 12 make a characteristically long run, beating three defenders to the try line. The try and conversion tied the scores at 17-all.
Vikings realised they were in an arm wrestle and chose to take the three points off another penalty.
Ernest Suavai, playing in fullback, was given a yellow card with 17-minutes to go as Gungahlin launched a prolonged attack on the Vikings’ line. Ilolahia had his second try soon after when the Eagles overwhelmed Tuggeranong in the scrum again.
At 24-20, Thompson slotted another penalty to make it a one point game.
The lights started to take effect as the clock ticked down. With a minute to go, Thompson lined up his kick and narrowly missed to the right of the posts.
The win means the Eagles can mathematically take the minor Premiership but with three games and a bye left, Vikings remain the favourites.
Vikings head to Jamison Enclosed Oval again this weekend to take on Wests. With only one field in action 1st Div 2nd Grade kicks off at 9.45am for the first game of the day. 1st Div 1st Grade at 11.05am, Colts at 12.25pm, Prem 2nd Grade at 1.50pm and the Prem 1st Grade game finishes up the day with a start time of 3.15pm.