Season 2 · Round 5

Wedgetails soar past Bulls 38 to 28 in Sydney shootout

Sydney completed 28 of 30 sets, made only two errors and scored six tries to overturn Western Sydney in the highest-scoring game of Round 5.

Western Sydney Bulls

28:38

Sydney Wedgetails

22 SepFull timeCommBank Stadium, Sydney, AustraliaRound 5

Sydney Wedgetails defeated Western Sydney Bulls 38 to 28 at CommBank Stadium in a fast, high-scoring contest that produced eleven tries. Calare Burton opened the scoring in the sixth minute and the Wedgetails kept finding answers as the Bulls threatened through the middle of the match.

Western Sydney scored twice through Chad Johnson and Chaz Dingo, with Kayne Chapman-Kenny adding another try. Sydney spread its six tries across Burton, Lokeni Letufuga, Deano Fa'asillytoallowhim, Lawrence Kiwaal, Sonny Taia Jr and Aaron White.

The Wedgetails controlled 56 percent possession, completed 28 of 30 sets and made only two errors. They gained 1,218 metres and created 25 line breaks, giving Aaron White enough scoring opportunities to add six conversions and a penalty goal.

Burton earned player of the match after recording 164 metres, 67 passes, 19 tackles, five tackle breaks, five line breaks and a try. Lawrence Kiwaal led all Wedgetails runners with 310 metres, while Chaz Dingo produced a remarkable 342 metres and two tries for the Bulls.

Sydney moves into the six-point cluster with three wins from five. Western Sydney remains second on points difference, but the loss tightens an already crowded finals race.

The numbers

Key stats

28 from 30

Sydney completed 93 percent of its sets and made only two errors.

1,218 metres

The Wedgetails gained 262 more metres, led by Lawrence Kiwaal at 310.

38 points

Sydney produced the round's highest team score and the match delivered a round-high 66 combined points.

342 metres

Chaz Dingo recorded the biggest individual running total in the supplied Round 5 screens despite the Bulls defeat.

How it turned

Pivotal statistics

The Wedgetails completed eight more sets and made seven fewer errors, denying Western Sydney enough possession to sustain its mid-game surge.
Sydney led the running battle by 262 metres while making 34 fewer tackles.
Aaron White converted all six Sydney tries and added a penalty goal, turning six tries into the full 38-point return.
The Bulls crossed five times but completed only 20 of 27 sets, leaving too many attacking chances unfinished.

Decisive players

Game breakers

Calare Burton

164 metres, 67 passes, 19 tackles, five tackle breaks, five line breaks and a try earned player of the match.

Lawrence Kiwaal

A team-high 310 metres, four line breaks and a try powered Sydney's left edge.

Aaron White

166 metres, 137 kick metres, a try, six conversions and a penalty goal for an 18-point haul.

Deano Fa'asillytoallowhim

225 metres, 19 tackles, three line breaks and a try.

Chaz Dingo

A match-high 342 metres, eight line breaks and two tries in a huge performance for Western Sydney.

Rayban Mops

Sixty-eight passes, 28 tackles and two try assists kept the Bulls attack moving.

Team comparison

Full team stats

Team statistic	Bulls	Wedgetails
Tries	5	6
Field goals	0	0
Possession	44%	56%
Completions	20 / 27	28 / 30
Errors	9	2
Penalties conceded	1	0
Tackles	176	142
Missed tackles	52	43
Line breaks	21	25
Metres gained	956	1,218

Complete match data

Player stats

Scroll horizontally to see every category

Stat key: MR metres run, T tackles, MT missed tackles, TB tackle breaks, LB line breaks, K kicks, KMG kick metres gained, TA try assists, C conversions.

Western Sydney Bulls

Player	Pos	Min	MR	Pass	T	MT	TB	LB	K	KMG	TA	Err	Pen	Tries	C
Barry Beefslab	FB	80	53	1	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ned Houkamau	LK	80	114	7	29	9	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Bec Pengelly	LK	80	90	3	14	2	2	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
Killa Boom	LK	80	100	4	10	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rapydh Rivaz	FB	80	63	7	9	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chaz Dingo	FB	80	342	4	11	1	0	8	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Daniel Punch	5/8	80	115	5	21	8	3	2	5	155	1	0	1	0	0
Rayban Mops	5/8	80	80	68	28	8	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
Kayne Chapman-Kenny	LK	80	213	7	18	9	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Chad Johnson	5/8	80	150	9	7	3	2	1	2	40	0	1	0	2	0
Ethan Pengelly	FB	80	22	8	4	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Matthew Harris	5/8	80	158	14	11	3	1	2	6	161	0	2	0	0	4
Treylan Bula-Ka'ili	FB	80	7	15	12	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Sydney Wedgetails

Player	Pos	Min	MR	Pass	T	MT	TB	LB	K	KMG	TA	Err	Tries	C	PG
Tevita Vaenuku	FB	80	11	22	5	2	0	0	1	23	0	0	0	0	0
Lokeni Letufuga	FB	80	176	1	0	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Calare Burton	5/8	80	164	67	19	2	5	5	0	0	1	0	1	0	0
King Hindmarsh	FB	80	35	10	3	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lawrence Kiwaal	LK	80	310	6	16	5	3	4	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
Hamish Flint	LK	80	138	1	17	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Caleb Jeff	LK	80	177	7	15	8	3	5	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
Nicholas Eather	LK	80	130	7	20	0	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kern OntheCobbo	FB	80	46	9	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Aaron White	5/8	80	166	26	6	4	1	2	6	137	1	0	1	6	1
Deano Fa'asillytoallowhim	LK	80	225	2	19	5	2	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Sonny Taia Jr	FB	80	127	6	6	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Jim Bourbon	5/8	80	90	15	9	2	0	0	7	201	1	0	0	0	0

Round 5 figures transcribed from the official VPRL postgame screens supplied to The Ruck Report.