Woonoona Shamrocks 1st Grade endured another challenging afternoon at home, going down 31-14 to Campbelltown in Round 14 of the Illawarra District Rugby Union competition. While the scoreline suggests a comfortable victory for the visitors, this performance marked a courageous effort to recover from last week’s 67-12 hammering against Kiama, showing exemplary signs of fight and structure.

The match showcased two distinctly different halves of rugby. Shamrocks burst out of the blocks with early tries from Harry Linden and Thomas Ah Tong, both expertly converted by Ryan Schoupp, to establish a promising 14-0 lead that had the home crowd believing this could be the turnaround performance they’d been desperately seeking.

First Half Promise

The opening exchanges saw Shamrocks play with the kind of intensity and cohesion the Coaches had been working hard to achieve. There have been glimpses of this play throughout this side’s challenging 2025 campaign. Linden’s try came from sustained pressure in the opening minutes, with the winger showing good pace and positioning to cross in the corner. Schoupp’s conversion from the touchline demonstrated the composure under pressure that has been one of the consistent bright spots in Shamrocks’ season.

Tommy Ah Tong’s effort shortly after doubled the advantage, with the forwards powering over from close range after some excellent set-piece work. Again, Schoupp was on target with the boot, giving Shamrocks their best start to a match in weeks and suggesting the heavy defeats to Bowral (43-5) and Kiama might have been the catalyst for a different result.

The standout performance in the entire game had to be the forward pack’s determination to match it with the much heavier opposition in all facets of the game. Dave Smith and Manu Ranitu each earned Best and Fairest Points, while Thomas Ah Tong displayed outstanding skills to secure the 3 points on the day

Campbelltown’s Clinical Response

However, Campbelltown showed exactly why they’re positioned higher on the ladder with a clinical second-half performance that saw them reel off five unanswered tries as the visitors found their rhythm and exposed Shamrocks’ exhausted defence.

Campbelltown’s Faiva Faiva proved instrumental with the boot, converting three of the five tries to add the crucial extras that transformed tries into match-winning points. The goal-kicking battle became a telling factor, with Campbelltown getting the lollies on this occasion.

Tactical Adjustments and Season Context

The numerous tactical substitutions reflected both teams’ commitment to finding the right combinations.

The simple fact of the matter is that you can’t expect so many players to play two games and still be able to stem that tide of attacking rugby put on by the visitors in the second half. The game was even at halftime, but a very tired Shamrock team battled courageously into the last 20 minutes before fatigue overcame courage. Shamrocks showed they could compete for extended periods against quality opposition.

Silver Linings and Season Outlook

Ryan Schoupp’s perfect record with the boot (2/2 conversions) continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise challenging campaign. His reliability in pressure situations provides a foundation for the team to build upon, while the early attacking intent shown by Linden and Ah Tong suggests the squad hasn’t lost belief despite their recent struggles.

With the season in its crucial final stages, performances like this first half against Campbelltown offer hope that Shamrocks can finish their campaign on a positive note, using these experiences as building blocks for a stronger 2026 season.