Gala;
Tries; Speirs 40, Palepoi 44, Young 75
Con; C Dods 75
Pen; C Dods 14, 30, 54, 61
Hawks
Tries: MacFarlane 12, Gillies 26
Hawks slumped to a heavy defeat at Netherdale as they failed to score in the second half of a match which saw the sides separated by a point at the half-way mark.
The early play saw Hawks in the ascendancy as their strong pack put the hosts under pressure in the set piece. Early pressure created a three man overlap in the first five minutes but a misjudged cross-kick ended any threat.
The visitors were still first in thon the scoreboard as they rummeled up a forwards try in 12 minutes which had hooker Jack MacFarlane emerge as the scorer. The conversion was missed by Hawks had a deserved lead. (0-5)
Immediately following the kick-off Hawks conceded a penalty as they held onto the ball. Conceding kickable penalties was to be a problem throughout the match. Craig Dods stepped up for Gala and narrowed the gap to 2 points. (3-5)
The momentum was with Hawks as Gala hooker, Russell Anderson, headed to the bench following a yellow card.
At this point, there was no cause for alarm as the side continued to dominate in the front 8, taking the game to Gala with a strong mauling game. When the second try came, in 26 minutes courtesy of Finlay Gillies, the Glasgow side seemed very much in control, but without the conversion Gala remained within a score. (3-10)
Sloppy work in their own half saw Hawks concede a penalty, on the half hour, which Craig Dods slotted over, despite their playing handicap. (6-10)
Numbers were restored and there was little cause for alarm, the lack of ruthlessness in taking advantage of gala’s 14 men was soon to become apparent.
As the clock worked down to half-time, Hawks’ skipper, Steven Findlay, received a fairly harsh yellow. Ruari Howarth kicked a long penalty from about his own 10 metre well into the Hawks 22. The Maroons won the resultant lineout and put the ball wide for Gala’s wing Graham Speirs to go over for the try, the conversion was missed right on the stroke of half-time. Somewhat surprisingly, Gala headed in with a single point lead. (11-10)
There are clichés and there are sporting clichés, one of which is the “game of two Halves”. Hawks didn’t trouble the scorer for the following 40 minutes. Gala, stopped the Hawks forwards in a way that had been beyond them in the first 40 minutes. With veteran lock Palepoi, putting Gala further ahead in 44 minutes, only a second conversion miss by Craig Dods kept Hawks within touch of a score. (16-10)
The game was drifting from Hawks and a continual failure to field the ball in contact, sloppy knock-ons and uncharacteristic penalties saw Dods extend the lead with penalties in the 54th and 61st minutes (22-10)
There were few positives in this half and the coup de grace came through another wastefully conceded scrum on tin the visitors 22. From the scrum the balls was picked up and run down the blindside for wing Gavin Young to score they try which this time Craig Dods converted. (29-10)
As the game crawled to a halt there was an air of despondency surrounding the small group of travelling support.
However, Gala were well worth their win.