A hat-trick from young winger Jay Kirk on his NSW Cup debut has helped Western Suburbs Magpies end their season on a winning note, scoring a 38-22 win over St George Illawarra on Sunday night.
Match: Magpies v Dragons
Round 24 -
home Team
Magpies
11th Position
away Team
Dragons
8th Position
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
The away side got off to a fast start at Leichhardt Oval with back-rower Duke Grant and recent NRL debutant Jonathon Reuben crossing for the Dragons, pushing them out to a 10-0 lead after just 10 minutes.
However, a quick-fire double from Magpies debutant Jay Kirk established a 2-point lead for Western Suburbs.
Utility forward Ray Jankovic extended Wests’ advantage to eight points, with the Magpies leading 18-10 at the break.
After Aaron Johnson scored for the Dragons to begin the second stanza, Kirk completed his clinical hat-trick, his three tries to go with the seven Jersey Flegg Cup four-pointers he has scored in 2022.
Just 20 years old, Kirk is a Western Suburbs junior who attended St Gregory’s College Campbelltown.
Callum Perryman was sin-binned shortly after Connor Muhleisen scored for St George Illawarra, and from there, the floodgates opened for the Magpies.
Another NSW Cup debut try, this time to Papua New Guinean winger Jimmy Ngutlik, was quickly followed by scores to Tyrone Peachey and teenage back-rower Brandon Tumeth in the space of just five minutes.
The late flurry by Wests brought the final score to 38-22, the Magpies coming away their fifth win of the NSW Cup season.
