Hard Day at the Office, but still a well contested encounter

In dry, autumnal conditions at West Vale, Heath U15s welcomed Old Brods for a fiercely contested derby. With both squads hit by injuries and absences, the teams agreed to a 14-a-side format—setting the stage for a gritty showdown.

Brods came out firing, their slick and structured backline dominating the early exchanges. Heath’s defence held firm, forcing handling errors and showing muscle in the scrum, but relentless pressure saw Brods break through after 12 minutes.

Heath 0 – 5 Brods (12 mins)

A tough blow followed as influential fullback Ethan Murphy was forced off after a heavy tackle, unable to return. Brods capitalised, exploiting space out wide to notch two quick tries.

Heath 0 – 19 Brods (19 mins)

Despite the scoreline, Heath’s forwards refused to back down. Jasper Haigh and Charlie Anderson were relentless at the breakdown, winning turnovers and disrupting Brods’ rhythm. Yet Heath’s backline struggled to find fluency, and Brods struck again on the stroke of halftime with a breakaway try.

Heath 0 – 26 Brods (HT)

The message at the break was clear: reset, refocus, and treat the second half like a fresh contest. Heath’s forwards continued to dominate the scrum and compete fiercely at the breakdown.

Ten minutes into the half, Heath earned territory 25 metres out. From a solid scrum, Will Carter fed Sonny Gordon, who launched a pinpoint cross-field kick. Ethan Gill chased hard, pressuring his opposite number into a fumble before scooping up the loose ball and diving over in the corner. Gordon then nailed a superb conversion from the touchline.

Heath 7 – 26 Brods (40 mins)

Momentum was building, but Brods weren’t done. Their backline found space again, releasing their speedster for another try, followed by two more unconverted scores out wide to seal the result.

Heath 7 – 41 Brods (FT)

👏 Credit to Old Brods for a sharp and clinical performance, especially across their backline.

💪 Special mention to Jasper Haigh and Charlie Anderson, who grafted tirelessly in both attack and defence. Their work rate and commitment were outstanding.

🏅 Man of the Match: Charlie Anderson