Macquarie miracle: Scorps snatch last-minute win from NEWRL leaders after looking all but beat

The Advertiser

18-05-2025

Macquarie Scorpions coach Jye Bayley had to watch his side's match-winning try on video replay.
"I'd stormed out of the box," Bayley said.
In two minutes of "madness" at Lyall Peacock Field on Saturday, Macquarie looked to have lost, and then somehow won, their Newcastle Rugby League clash with competition leaders Wests Suburbs Rosellas.
Trailing 6-2 for the majority of the second half, Wests finally broke Macquarie's resilient defence with just a few minutes left to play.
Former NRL player and Wests centre Kevin Naiqama finished off a 70-metre break down the right edge, scoring behind the goalposts to set up what almost everyone - including Bayley - expected to be a match-winning conversion.
After taking his time, another ex-NRL player in Wests fullback Will Smith kicked the ball between the sticks to give his side an 8-6 lead.
But with barely 30 seconds left on the clock, Macquarie went for a short kick off, regathered and in the next play, put the ball through seven sets of hands before scoring a try for the ages down the right flank.
Winger Kodi Crowther kicked ahead from 10 metres out and centre Kendyll Fahey somehow beat multiple Wests players to the ball just a metre inside the dead-ball line.
After a short discussion between the match officials, the referee awarded the try to send Macquarie players and their supporters into raptures, the collective sound of car horns beeping around the ground.
"It was madness," Bayley said.
"6-2 for most of the game, and I felt like we needed another try to seal it.
"I could sense it coming, due the amount of defence we did ... I actually went to the sheds [after the Wests try].
"I heard a little bit of a ruckus and went out to have a look, and noticed we had scored. I'd packed up shop. I think there was about 28 seconds [left] when we got the ball back from the kick-off.
"Credit to the boys, there were a lot of Scorps jerseys in that vision at the end with that try, it shows how much it meant to them."
Bayley, who labelled it the "most eventful win" of his coaching career, praised Crowther and fellow winger Dean Morris, who scored Macquarie's first-half try. "The amount of work they did ... and in both our wins, they've been outstanding."
The 12-8 triumph was Macquarie's second win in five games, and came after a similarly late 22-20 victory over Lakes the week prior. It moved them into eighth position, while Wests, who now have a 3-1 record for the year, dropped to second.
South Newcastle have taken the lead on the NEWRL ladder after downing Kurri Kurri 34-18 on Saturday.
Andrew Ryan's side always looked likely at Kurri Kurri Sports Ground, leading 22-12 at half-time.
Souths winger Mapu Uasi bagged a double to take his individual haul for the season to seven, two ahead of anyone else on the competition's 2025 try-scorers' list.
The Lions, who are now 4-1, and Macquarie are the only teams to have played five games this season.
Several others have washed-out matches to catch up on.
The Entrance were due to host Cessnock on Sunday at 3pm.
POINTS TABLE: Souths, Wests, Maitland (8), Cessnock, Kurri (6), Lakes, The Entrance, Macquarie (4), Wyong (2), Central, Northern (0).
Macquarie Scorpions coach Jye Bayley had to watch his side's match-winning try on video replay.
"I'd stormed out of the box," Bayley said.
In two minutes of "madness" at Lyall Peacock Field on Saturday, Macquarie looked to have lost, and then somehow won, their Newcastle Rugby League clash with competition leaders Wests Suburbs Rosellas.
Trailing 6-2 for the majority of the second half, Wests finally broke Macquarie's resilient defence with just a few minutes left to play.
Former NRL player and Wests centre Kevin Naiqama finished off a 70-metre break down the right edge, scoring behind the goalposts to set up what almost everyone - including Bayley - expected to be a match-winning conversion.
After taking his time, another ex-NRL player in Wests fullback Will Smith kicked the ball between the sticks to give his side an 8-6 lead.
But with barely 30 seconds left on the clock, Macquarie went for a short kick off, regathered and in the next play, put the ball through seven sets of hands before scoring a try for the ages down the right flank.
Winger Kodi Crowther kicked ahead from 10 metres out and centre Kendyll Fahey somehow beat multiple Wests players to the ball just a metre inside the dead-ball line.
After a short discussion between the match officials, the referee awarded the try to send Macquarie players and their supporters into raptures, the collective sound of car horns beeping around the ground.
"It was madness," Bayley said.
"6-2 for most of the game, and I felt like we needed another try to seal it.
"I could sense it coming, due the amount of defence we did ... I actually went to the sheds [after the Wests try].
"I heard a little bit of a ruckus and went out to have a look, and noticed we had scored. I'd packed up shop. I think there was about 28 seconds [left] when we got the ball back from the kick-off.
"Credit to the boys, there were a lot of Scorps jerseys in that vision at the end with that try, it shows how much it meant to them."
Bayley, who labelled it the "most eventful win" of his coaching career, praised Crowther and fellow winger Dean Morris, who scored Macquarie's first-half try. "The amount of work they did ... and in both our wins, they've been outstanding."
The 12-8 triumph was Macquarie's second win in five games, and came after a similarly late 22-20 victory over Lakes the week prior. It moved them into eighth position, while Wests, who now have a 3-1 record for the year, dropped to second.
South Newcastle have taken the lead on the NEWRL ladder after downing Kurri Kurri 34-18 on Saturday.
Andrew Ryan's side always looked likely at Kurri Kurri Sports Ground, leading 22-12 at half-time.
Souths winger Mapu Uasi bagged a double to take his individual haul for the season to seven, two ahead of anyone else on the competition's 2025 try-scorers' list.
The Lions, who are now 4-1, and Macquarie are the only teams to have played five games this season.
Several others have washed-out matches to catch up on.
The Entrance were due to host Cessnock on Sunday at 3pm.
POINTS TABLE: Souths, Wests, Maitland (8), Cessnock, Kurri (6), Lakes, The Entrance, Macquarie (4), Wyong (2), Central, Northern (0).
Macquarie Scorpions coach Jye Bayley had to watch his side's match-winning try on video replay.
"I'd stormed out of the box," Bayley said.
In two minutes of "madness" at Lyall Peacock Field on Saturday, Macquarie looked to have lost, and then somehow won, their Newcastle Rugby League clash with competition leaders Wests Suburbs Rosellas.
Trailing 6-2 for the majority of the second half, Wests finally broke Macquarie's resilient defence with just a few minutes left to play.
Former NRL player and Wests centre Kevin Naiqama finished off a 70-metre break down the right edge, scoring behind the goalposts to set up what almost everyone - including Bayley - expected to be a match-winning conversion.
After taking his time, another ex-NRL player in Wests fullback Will Smith kicked the ball between the sticks to give his side an 8-6 lead.
But with barely 30 seconds left on the clock, Macquarie went for a short kick off, regathered and in the next play, put the ball through seven sets of hands before scoring a try for the ages down the right flank.
Winger Kodi Crowther kicked ahead from 10 metres out and centre Kendyll Fahey somehow beat multiple Wests players to the ball just a metre inside the dead-ball line.
After a short discussion between the match officials, the referee awarded the try to send Macquarie players and their supporters into raptures, the collective sound of car horns beeping around the ground.
"It was madness," Bayley said.
"6-2 for most of the game, and I felt like we needed another try to seal it.
"I could sense it coming, due the amount of defence we did ... I actually went to the sheds [after the Wests try].
"I heard a little bit of a ruckus and went out to have a look, and noticed we had scored. I'd packed up shop. I think there was about 28 seconds [left] when we got the ball back from the kick-off.
"Credit to the boys, there were a lot of Scorps jerseys in that vision at the end with that try, it shows how much it meant to them."
Bayley, who labelled it the "most eventful win" of his coaching career, praised Crowther and fellow winger Dean Morris, who scored Macquarie's first-half try. "The amount of work they did ... and in both our wins, they've been outstanding."
The 12-8 triumph was Macquarie's second win in five games, and came after a similarly late 22-20 victory over Lakes the week prior. It moved them into eighth position, while Wests, who now have a 3-1 record for the year, dropped to second.
South Newcastle have taken the lead on the NEWRL ladder after downing Kurri Kurri 34-18 on Saturday.
Andrew Ryan's side always looked likely at Kurri Kurri Sports Ground, leading 22-12 at half-time.
Souths winger Mapu Uasi bagged a double to take his individual haul for the season to seven, two ahead of anyone else on the competition's 2025 try-scorers' list.
The Lions, who are now 4-1, and Macquarie are the only teams to have played five games this season.
Several others have washed-out matches to catch up on.
The Entrance were due to host Cessnock on Sunday at 3pm.
POINTS TABLE: Souths, Wests, Maitland (8), Cessnock, Kurri (6), Lakes, The Entrance, Macquarie (4), Wyong (2), Central, Northern (0).
Macquarie Scorpions coach Jye Bayley had to watch his side's match-winning try on video replay.
"I'd stormed out of the box," Bayley said.
In two minutes of "madness" at Lyall Peacock Field on Saturday, Macquarie looked to have lost, and then somehow won, their Newcastle Rugby League clash with competition leaders Wests Suburbs Rosellas.
Trailing 6-2 for the majority of the second half, Wests finally broke Macquarie's resilient defence with just a few minutes left to play.
Former NRL player and Wests centre Kevin Naiqama finished off a 70-metre break down the right edge, scoring behind the goalposts to set up what almost everyone - including Bayley - expected to be a match-winning conversion.
After taking his time, another ex-NRL player in Wests fullback Will Smith kicked the ball between the sticks to give his side an 8-6 lead.
But with barely 30 seconds left on the clock, Macquarie went for a short kick off, regathered and in the next play, put the ball through seven sets of hands before scoring a try for the ages down the right flank.
Winger Kodi Crowther kicked ahead from 10 metres out and centre Kendyll Fahey somehow beat multiple Wests players to the ball just a metre inside the dead-ball line.
After a short discussion between the match officials, the referee awarded the try to send Macquarie players and their supporters into raptures, the collective sound of car horns beeping around the ground.
"It was madness," Bayley said.
"6-2 for most of the game, and I felt like we needed another try to seal it.
"I could sense it coming, due the amount of defence we did ... I actually went to the sheds [after the Wests try].
"I heard a little bit of a ruckus and went out to have a look, and noticed we had scored. I'd packed up shop. I think there was about 28 seconds [left] when we got the ball back from the kick-off.
"Credit to the boys, there were a lot of Scorps jerseys in that vision at the end with that try, it shows how much it meant to them."
Bayley, who labelled it the "most eventful win" of his coaching career, praised Crowther and fellow winger Dean Morris, who scored Macquarie's first-half try. "The amount of work they did ... and in both our wins, they've been outstanding."
The 12-8 triumph was Macquarie's second win in five games, and came after a similarly late 22-20 victory over Lakes the week prior. It moved them into eighth position, while Wests, who now have a 3-1 record for the year, dropped to second.
South Newcastle have taken the lead on the NEWRL ladder after downing Kurri Kurri 34-18 on Saturday.
Andrew Ryan's side always looked likely at Kurri Kurri Sports Ground, leading 22-12 at half-time.
Souths winger Mapu Uasi bagged a double to take his individual haul for the season to seven, two ahead of anyone else on the competition's 2025 try-scorers' list.
The Lions, who are now 4-1, and Macquarie are the only teams to have played five games this season.
Several others have washed-out matches to catch up on.
The Entrance were due to host Cessnock on Sunday at 3pm.
POINTS TABLE: Souths, Wests, Maitland (8), Cessnock, Kurri (6), Lakes, The Entrance, Macquarie (4), Wyong (2), Central, Northern (0).