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Old Glory DC finished their season on a high. Their 29-25 win over the Austin Gilgronis gives them 8th place in the overall seasons for the 2021 season. Their win means they end their campaign with a solitary point above that of the San Diego Legion.
Neither Old Glory DC nor the Austin Gilgronis were in the playoff picture; notwithstanding, this was not a dead-rubber. There was a trophy on the line. The two sides battled it out in the second running of the Cuisine Solutions Cup. DC claimed bragging rights in San Antonio, Texas last year and the Gilgronis were in no mood to let DC Glory hold on to it.
The opening minutes were tremendous. Both teams found their way into the try zone with just five minutes gone on the game clock. Dominic Akina ran from half way for Austin while Jason Robertson responded with a coast-to-coast try for Old Glory.
Words cannot begin to describe how awesome this was. Which is why I am just uploading the footage. 280 characters is not enough, I could write a medium blog on this try. I could start a substack newsletter about this try. Gorgeous stuff pic.twitter.com/CrjqcSnKBc
— Old Glory DC (@OldGloryDC) July 17, 2021
The action continued. Fourteen minutes in and the game had its third try. Mack Mason scored for Austin. The Gilgronis had to settle for five points as the attempted conversion collided with the uprights. Meanwhile, Robertson was on target for Old Glory DC. His penalty effort made it a 12-10 ballgame late in the opening quarter.
Old Glory DC gained an edge with David Still yellow carded. Austin were down to 14-men and paid the price. D’Montae Noble finished off a team effort which Robertson converted to give the home side a five point lead on the 30th minute mark. Austin responded with a penalty two minutes later.
The final say of the opening half went to Old Glory DC. They were awarded a penalty try two minutes from half-time. It gave them a 24-15 lead.
The second half started like the first ended. This time Old Glory DC looked to their captain. Mungo Mason scored to give the home side a commanding 29-15 lead. The rest of the match was about seeing out the clock. For Canadian Ciaran Hearn the shift was done. He was replaced by Thretton Palamo to officially retire.
Austin took their time before finding their groove. A neat combination saw fullback Will Magie linking with winger Rodrick Waters. The try made it a seven point deficit with plenty of time remaining. Austin, though, could only manage three further points. The late penalty gave them a bonus point but not a win.
The 2021 MLR season is now over for Old Glory DC and the Austin Gilgronis. They finish in 5th and 3rd positions in the Eastern and Western Conferences respectively.
SCORING
DC 29
Tries – J. Robertson (5’), D. Noble (29’), Penalty try (38’), M. Mason (45’)
Cons – J. Robertson 2/3 (6’, 30’), No kick (38’)
Pens – J. Robertson 1/2 (15’)
AUSTIN 25
Tries – D. Akina (3’), M. Mason (12’), R. Waters (57’)
Cons – M. Mason 2/3 (4’, 58’)
Pens – M. Mason 2/2 (33’, 78’)
Yellow cards – D. Still (24’), M. de Waal (37’)
TEAMS
OLD GLORY DC
1 Jack Iscaro (17 Hannibal Vaivao 79’), 2 Mike Sosene-Feagai (16 James King 69’), 3 Steven Longwell (18 Dante Lopresti 62’), 4 Tevita Naqali, 5 Apisai Naikatini (19 Casey Renaud 66’), 6 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, 7 Mungo Mason (capt.), 8 Josh Brown (20 Dacoda Worth 69’), 9 Danny Tusitala (21 Danny Thomas 72’), 10 Jason Robertson, 11 Mike Dabulas, 12 Ciaran Hearn (22 Thretton Palamo 48’), 13 Renata Roberts-Te Nana, 14 D’Montae Noble (23 Owen Sheehy 62’), 15 Dylan Taikato-Simpson
AUSTIN GILGRONIS
1 Jake Turnbull (17 LaRome White HT-69’), 2 Hugh Roach (16 Brendan Rams 75’), 3 Mason Pedersen (18 Paddy Ryan 48’), 4 Isaac Ross, 5 Sebastian de Chaves (19 Cam Dodson 50’), 6 Dominic Akina, 7 Michael de Waal, 8 Locky McCaffrey (20 Dom Bailey 30’), 9 Pele Cowley (21 Sidney Shoop 69’), 10 Mack Mason, 11 Rodrick Waters, 12 Bryce Campbell (capt.), 13 David Still (22 Ned Hodson HT), 14 Nick Johnson (23 Zinzan Elan-Puttick 53’), 15 Will Magie
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Scott Green (USA)
Assistants: Mike O’Brien (USA) & Gavin McCandless (USA)
