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The Ironworkers celebrated their first match at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon with a one-sided 39-3 result over the Arrows. Toronto were playing without a specialist flyhalf due to injuries suffered in training, and the result was the largest losing margin in club history.
Neither team impressed in the first half, with shaky officiating also contributing to what was a poor spectacle. Mitch Richardson was forced to fill in at No10 for the visitors and his inexperience at the position showed, with the Arrows unable to get out of their end in the early minutes.
Eventually New York would score via Dylan Fawsitt on the end of a driving maul. Soon after a nasty aerial collision between Ciaran Breen and Cole Davis saw the latter bouncing his head off the turf. Davis regained consciousness but was stretchered off during a long delay.
When play resumed Richardson’s kicking woes continued, and then New York won a scrum against the head. Brendon O’Connor went over the line from in close but instead of a try it was a penalty against Nic Mayhew for blocking. Toronto’s lineout gave the ball straight back to the home side and before long Fawsitt was in for a double.
More sloppy play from both teams saw the Arrows handed a penalty in kicking range, but Kobe Faust’s strike was pushed wide right. Jack Heighton then broke from his own end. The ball squirted out of a ruck but the referee determined it was still in, and Travis Larsen was sent to the bin. Sam Windsor slotted a three-pointer as Arrows prop Isaac Salmon left the pitch with a head knock.
There was little respite for Toronto in the second half. Ben Bonasso ran through some heavy traffic and then Nate Brakeley went through a gaping hole to score just a minute after the restart. Faust found his kicking boots next to take away the zero, but that was it in terms of Toronto’s contribution to the scoring.
Kaleb Geiger replaced Fawsitt to throw in at an attacking lineout, and immediately crashed over for a try. New York lost Bonasso with a lower leg injury but with all their forward subs already used up, Fa’asiu Fuatai was forced to play flanker for the final 17 minutes with John Powers coming in on the wing.
Ed Fidow’s rampaging run down the left sideline pinned the Arrows on their goal line and with nobody guarding the ruck, Eamonn Matthews needed no second invitation to slip through for a sixth New York try. A strong run from Ramón Ayarza finally gave Toronto some momentum but Brad Tucker dislodged the ball from the hands of Faust as the winger dove for the corner.
The Arrows thankfully have a bye week to rest and regroup before returning to action against the Hounds in Chicago on Saturday, March 11. New York stay at home to take on Old Glory DC next Sunday.
SCORING
NEW YORK 39
Tries (6) – D. Fawsitt 2 (8′, 28′), N. Brakeley (41′), K. Geiger (54′), F. Fuatai (64′), E. Matthews (68′)
Cons (3) – S. Windsor 3/6 (42′, 55′, 65′)
Pens (1) – S. Windsor 1/1 (39′)
TORONTO 3
Pens (1) – K. Faust 1/2 (44′)
YC (1) – T. Larsen (38′)
TEAMS
NEW YORK IRONWORKERS
1 Chance Wenglewski (17 Tevita Langi 54′), 2 Dylan Fawsitt (16 Kaleb Geiger 54′), 3 Nic Mayhew (18 Sam Davies 44′), 4 Nate Brakeley (capt.), 5 Hamish Dalzell (19 Charlie Hewitt 55′), 6 Benjamín Bonasso (23 John Powers 63′), 7 Brendon O’Connor (20 Brad Tucker 55′), 8 Kara Pryor (5 Hamish Dalzell 75′), 9 Connor Buckley (21 Eamonn Matthews 58′), 10 Sam Windsor, 11 Ed Fidow, 12 Jason Emery (22 Teihorangi Walden 55′), 13 Fa’asiu Fuatai, 14 Andrew Coe, 15 Jack Heighton
TORONTO ARROWS
1 Conan O’Donnell, 2 Gene Syminton (17 Ramón Ayarza 42′), 3 Isaac Salmon (18 Nik Hildebrand 39′), 4 Mason Flesch, 5 Micaiah Torrance-Read (19 Adrian Wadden 54′), 6 Travis Larsen (20 Mike Sheppard 60′), 7 Lucas Rumball (capt.) (23 James O’Neill 60′), 8 Mitch Eadie, 9 Ross Braude (22 Cole Brown 65′), 10 Mitch Richardson, 11 Kobe Faust, 12 Fabian Goodall, 13 Tautalatasi Tasi, 14 Cole Davis (21 Avery Oitomen 13′), 15 Ciaran Breen
Not used: 16 Jack McRogers
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Derek Summers (USA)
Assistants: Miles McIvor (USA) & Marty Steffens (USA)
TMO: Nick Hannon (USA)
