Strong season for Taralga rugby squad

The relatively new squad, playing in the South Coast Monaro 2^nd division, began with the loss of notable players Jacob Belgrove, Sam Croker, Tom Hand, Justin Smiths and Dan Lewis. 

The larger than usual squad last year allowed the previously younger players to come through and help carry the torch for the notable team. 

This year, there are three sets of brothers on the team.

Josh and Tom Croker – with cousins Joel, George and Charlie Croker – Nicholas and Michael Bennett, and Ben and Lockie Corbett.

Captain Matt Chalker, who will return this June after suffering a shoulder injury, says the team is “improving really well”. 

The Tigers, known for their attacking style of play, opened the season with three strong wins.

In a game against the Braidwood Redbacks, Tom Croker scored four tries from a successful combination of plays and support from his team. 

Croker said it was a bit of a shock and did not expect to score that many tries in a game.

He gave credit to the team’s growth in understanding and communication on the field and, in particular, the support from his brother Josh and cousin Joel. 

Chalker was confident the team would “get better with more time, the more we’re playing and training”. 

Despite the projection in skill, Saturday afternoon’s game against Bungendore was out of character for the Tigers. 

By the end of the first half, they were down 21-5, with the Tigers scoring only one try.

The lacklustre performance began to shine in the second half, but the team was unable to catch up from first-half blunders, and lost the game 28-22. 

Will Hedley (3), Joel Croker (2) and Charlie Croker won best on field. The Tigers are fourth on the ladder and will play Yass on May 20.