Excelsior dominate Athletic Marist despite messy start in heavy rain
Part two of the Battle of the Carpark featured Excelsior beating Athletic Marist 27-5.
The opening 20 minutes were messy from both sides as heavy rain made handling the ball tough.
Once it started to clear up, Blues were able to string some phases together in Athletic's territory.
Quick recycled ball allowed Tasilisili Ika to crash over in the corner.
Excelsior were hot on attack a few minutes later when Josh Phipps calmly dropped back in to the pocket and slotted a drop goal to give his side a double-digit lead.
They continued to dominate possession and territory but could not crack the strong Athies defence.
However, Phipps was able to keep adding points off the tee as he nailed four penalty kicks at goal to give Blues a 22-0 lead with 15 minutes to play.
A sliver of hope was offered to Athies when a messy exit from Blues was hacked through by Athies, who won a penalty, giving them a great attacking opportunity.
They tapped it quickly and their forwards went to work.
Alifereti Matirewa scored to keep their hopes alive.
However, Alfie Coop did not get the chance to kick the conversion as the referee ruled he had taken a step forward, allowing Blues to rush up and knock it off the tee before he got there.
It did not matter in the end as hooker Hozayah Taylor scored off the back of a driving maul to clinch the win for Excelsior.
It was a gutsy effort from Blues in the wet, and they were led by Phipps and halfback Tyron Davies.
The pair drove their team around the park and made good decisions all day.
Fullback Liam Direen has also quietly strung together an impressive season in the back three.
Valley have now won six in a row and find themselves on top of the table after beating Old Boys 22-19.
It was not all smooth sailing as they trailed 19-7 at halftime.
They really kicked into gear in the second 40, scoring three unanswered tries and keeping Old Boys scoreless.
Maheno beat Kurow 27-17 for their first win of the year.
It has been a tough season for the green machine, but they have continued to front up and finally got the rewards on Saturday.
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