FIVE words sum up Port City Breakers 24-22 heartstopping win over Wingham on Saturday – they got out of jail.
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As Wingham clung to a 22-20 lead, the Breakers had 90 metres to travel and less than a minute to do it.
They needed some divine intervention; a miracle if you like.
And in what had arguably been a tough week for the club after the tragic death of junior player Jay Reynolds, they received a helping hand from the man with the whistle.
And perhaps the teenager had a little word in the ear of someone else important.
A penalty was awarded, the Breakers marched down field and winger Jacob Fallon crossed in the corner after the siren to clinch a two point win that sent them into the top two.
Second-rower Luke Sinclair’s basketball pass over the top to send Fallon on his way shouldn’t be underestimated either.
Coach Digby Murray would no doubt have breathed a sigh of relief at registering a win in a performance which wasn’t the Breakers’ best.
“We finished in front at the right time, but we were certainly our own worst enemy for a lot of that game,” he said.
The Breakers did it without Adrian Daley for a vital 10-minute period in the second half.
However, they managed to score tries with one less player on the field as they have already done several times this season.
“We were down to 12 players again at one point and, as we have done in the past, we’ve scored tries when we’re down to 12,” he said.
“If we can channel that and have 13 (on the field) I think teams are going to find us difficult in weeks to come.
“When you play against these better sides you’ve got to get into the arm wrestle and do the things that we do well.”
The Breakers trailed 12-0 early after tries to Wingham front-rower Shannon Ellem and second-rower Joel Kliendiest.
By half-time the hosts had climbed back into the contest and trailed 12-10 after Daley had scored a double.
The Tigers extended their lead shortly after the restart through winger Tyler Atkins following a pin-point cross-field kick from halfback Trent Green.
Daley was then sin-binned which proved a catalyst for the Breakers comeback.
With Daley cooling his heels in the sheds, hooker Jake Green burrowed over from dummy half.
When centre Ricky Arnell finished off a length-of-the-field movement from the set of six after the kick-off the home side were in front.
Arnell was then carried off with an ankle injury.
When Wingham centre Matt Bridge dived over under the posts after the defence hung off five-eighth Kurt Lewis, the Tigers thought they would hold on.
But Sinclair and Fallon had other ideas.
Murray felt there was still a lot of room for improvement as the finals approach.
“Definitely our discipline needs to be better,” he said.
“They’re resolute now and know they can keep going and have a crack because we’re winning games 24-22 rather than 48-44.”