Arrows' Late Comeback Bid Falls Just Short in Season Finale

News Jun-19-2023

Arrows’ Late Comeback Bid Falls Just Short in Season Finale

The Arrows’ 2023 season came to a close with a narrow 26-24 defeat to the NOLA Gold on Saturday evening.

Two late tries from James O’Neill and Liam Bowman brought the home side agonizingly close to staging a late comeback, but Toronto fell just short as the referee signalled for full time at York Lions Stadium.

Mitch Richardson also scored a try for the Arrows, with Shane O’Leary rounding out the scoresheet with seven points via the tee.

Toronto wasted little time jumping into action after kickoff. With the game barely three minutes old, Peter Nelson found a gap and slipped the ball to a streaking Richardson. The centre danced around the final defender to score the match-opener, with O’Leary’s extras putting the hosts up by seven.

Playing with the wind at their backs and tails in the air, the Arrows looked to have scored a pair of tries in the subsequent minutes, but a TMO check ruled out the first for a knock-on, and the referee chalked off the second for what was deemed to be a forward pass. The hosts would settle for an O’Leary penalty ahead of the hydration break to bring their lead to double-digits.

Despite being trapped within their own half for large portions of the first frame, NOLA sprang to life in the final moments of the opening 40, driving forward and putting points on the board with a Tom Florence try at the stroke of halftime.

Building on their momentum, the Gold emerged strongest out of the interval, taking the lead in 46th minute through a try from Harley Wheeler before Florence’s double extended it ahead of the hour mark.

NOLA’s second-half purple patch was capped off just after the water break, with Alex Lopeti muscling over for the visitors’ bonus-point tally.

A late rally was sparked by an O’Neill try in the 75th minute, with the flanker barging in from close range to give the Arrows a lifeline as the final whistle approached.

As the clock ticked into the red, the final word went to Bowman; the first-year Arrow intercepted a NOLA pass deep in his own end and outpaced all would-be tacklers, racing 90 metres to score a memorable intercept try under the posts.

Toronto Arrows Stat Leaders:

Ball Carries: Shane O’Leary, Tautalatasi Tasi – 14
Carry Metres: Tautalatasi Tasi – 167
Defenders Beaten: Tautalatasi Tasi – 5
Tackles Made: Jack McRogers – 22
Offloads: Four Players – 2
Attacking Breakdown Arrivals: Connor Grindal – 24
Defending Breakdown Arrivals: James O’Neill – 10

NOLA Gold Stat Leaders:

Ball Carries: Jordan Trainor – 17
Carry Metres: Jordan Trainor – 171
Defenders Beaten: Jordan Trainor – 6
Tackles Made: JP du Plessis – 15
Offloads: Jordan Trainor – 4
Attacking Breakdown Arrivals: Cam Dolan, Maciu Koroi – 24
Defending Breakdown Arrivals: JP du Plessis – 12

Toronto Arrows Score Report:

Tries: Mitch Richardson (3′), James O’Neill (74′), Liam Bowman (80’+2′*)
Conversions: Shane O’Leary 2 (4′, 75′)
Penalty Goals: Shane O’Leary (15’)
* = seven-point try