Rise retain Men’s Championship
Rise took the Men’s Championship for the second year in a row after holding off a second-half Hustle comeback to win 11-8.
Rise came into the game as defending champions and with a 100% record throughout the 2022 competition; but Hustle had given them their strongest competition in the group stages and proved to be formidable opponents once more.
Rise recorded a comfortable 20-9 semi-final win against Forge while Hustle came through 12-10 versus Swift to make the 2022 Final.
The early stages were fairly typical of a Sixes match-up with both teams trading early goals, Rise moving into a 4-3 lead at the at the quarter-time.
But Rise then got into their stride, showing the dominance they’ve exhibited all throughout the competition; scoring five without reply, including two from both Ryan Hunns and Ben Buchanan, before Dave Groves got one just before half-time for his third in the match for Hustle.
When Rise led 9-4 at the half it looked like victory was assured, but Hustle had other ideas and posted four goals without reply, coupled with some rise indiscipline, shifting the momentum to the underdogs and they trailed by just one.
Hustle Head Coach Alex Carnegie-Brown and her Assistant Andy Downing had ran a well-drilled team all weekend and began to get joy in locking off Rise’s key men, while being more clinical at the other end.
But as champions so often do, Rise ground out the result when it mattered, ‘keeper James Holt repelling the Hustle attacks and Sam Burgess and Hunns adding more goals in final minutes as Rise edged away to win.
Captain Hunns led by example all weekend, scoring three in the final to reach 22 for the competition and finish as top goalscorer.
In the earlier third place play-off, Swift overcame Forge 14-6 to improve on their 4th place finish last year while a depleted Forge squad had to settle for 4th and finished winless for the The Fly 2022.
Men’s Competition Final Standings
Rise
Hustle
Swift
Forge
Top Scorers
22 - Ryan Hunns - Rise
19 - Dan Eckersall - Hustle
17 - Louis Alhage - Swift
16 - Freddie Atkins - Rise
12 - Matt Boyd - Swift