Round 14 of the Group 7 South Coast Rugby League was a high-scoring affair for local teams, but unfortunately for Jamberoo, it wasn’t quite enough.

Sitting five points outside the top five heading into the match, the Superoos were desperate for a win against the last-placed Berry Magpies at home.

But it was a horror start for the Superoos, with Berry crossing for three tries in the opening 10 minutes.

It wasn’t until the 13th minute that five-eighth James Asquith scored off a scrum to put Jamberoo on the board, making it 16-06. 

Five minutes later, winger Nathan Gallastegui finished off a backline play in the corner to narrow the margin.

In the 30th minute, fullback Jack Talbott produced a moment of magic. 

Fielding a midfield kick deep in his half, he beat several defenders, found open space, chipped over the fullback, grubbered ahead when the bounce didn’t favour him, and grounded the ball for a stunning solo try.

That effort gave Jamberoo the lead, but a late penalty goal from Berry levelled the scores at 18-18 heading into halftime.

Early in the second half, both teams scored again, bringing the score to 22–22, where it stayed until the 72nd minute. 

Talbott put up a bomb that was dropped by the Berry fullback, and the ball bounced back into his hands before he offloaded to Cameron Brabender, who scored under the posts.

The Berry Magpies scored a buzzer beater to defeat Jamberoo over the weekend. Photo: @pdavo68

Jamberoo looked to have clinched it, leading 28-22 with just minutes remaining. But a break from the Berry lock in the 77th minute led to a try in the corner. The missed conversion meant Jamberoo still led by two points.

With less than two minutes on the clock, a clever kick forced Jamberoo to bat the ball over the sideline, gifting Berry one final opportunity. 

In the dying seconds, a long ball from dummy half down the short side found winger Charlie Jefferies, who crossed in the corner to steal a dramatic 32-28 win.

At Kiama Showground, the Knights were in dominant form, piling on nine tries against the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs in a 46-6 victory.

Kiama ran in four tries in the opening 30 minutes, including a strong solo effort from captain Kieran Poole.

Milton-Ulladulla managed a try just before the break to bring some hope into the second half, but the Knights ran away with it.

Thistlewaite, Jennings, Andrews, Angel, and Killmore all scored in the second half, with Kiama’s defence holding strong to concede just one try for the game.

Kiama are in a great position leading into the final weeks of the competition. Photo: @SticksPix_

“It was a great win. It was nice to pile on some points,” said Killmore.

“With the top five being so tight, it could come down to for-and-against, so I was happy we not only scored well but also kept our defence solid.”

Gerringong also impressed at home, defeating Albion Park-Oak Flats 28-4. 

The Eagles, fresh off a big win over top-of-the-table Shellharbour, opened the scoring and held a 4-0 lead until the 32nd minute. 

Gerringong captain Nathan Ford crashed over from dummy half to equal the scores, sparking a late first-half surge with two more quick tries, including a chip-and-chase effort just before the buzzer.

The Lions led 16-4 at the break and extended their lead in the 54th minute with a breakaway try to Toby Gumley-Quine off a sharp inside ball. Then, just before full-time, Rixon Russell delivered a mesmerising pass to Jack Quine to seal the win.

“We really wanted to fix up our mistakes after losing to Albion Park back in round one,” said Ford.

“We got off to a bad start, but defended really well in the first 20 minutes, only letting in one try. We worked hard to stay in the arm wrestle and scored three tries late in the first half which gave us a big boost. 

“After the half, we just wanted to keep working hard for each other, and not conceding any points in the second half was a great effort as we build towards the most important part of the season.”

With only four games remaining, Gerringong now move into equal first place with the Stingrays of Shellharbour, while Kiama move to equal third alongside the Shellharbour Sharks.

This Saturday, Kiama will play Gerringong at Michael Cronin Oval in one of the biggest matches of the season, while Jamberoo will face the Stingrays at Flinders Field on Sunday.