Hamilton claim revenge over Belmont in blockbuster rematch

Harry Gibson, Lachlan Craig and Tiffany Thomson all played key roles in the club's two-set win over their grand final rivals.

In one of the early blockbuster clashes of Season 12, the third week of the competition saw grand final rivals Hamilton and Belmont come face-to-face just a handful of competitive games after the Beavers claimed their first championship at the Stags' expense.
This time around, Hamilton were able to claim the honours as a slow and steady battle fell their way, 7-5. It was a second half comeback that swapped the results for the Stags, as they trailed 2-4 at the break against the defending champions.
The six-set first half was a tight affair for both sides, with Belmont climbing into the ascendancy with the final two points to break the early 2-all deadlock.
It was the second half that decided the match however, as the 4-2 lead for the Beavers quickly became a 4-all tie again, and Hamilton kept on the pressure to chalk up three more set wins to stretch their lead to three. While Belmont were able to drag one back in a sudden-death decider for the twelfth round, it wasn't enough to bridge the gap and the champions slipped into the loser's circle for the first time in 2019.
The win was a key one for Hamilton, who had started the season 0-2, but despite collecting three points saw very little movement in the standings - a clog of teams on five points have developed from fourth to seventh.
Part of that came from Waratah's 6-7 defeat at the hands of current league leaders Shortland. The Cobras and the Scotchies found themselves all level at 6-apiece heading into the thirteenth and final set, with Shortland able to come out victorious after four quick-fire eliminations put them on the front foot. Waratah's defeat dropped them to a 1-2 record, putting them in the lead of the developing pack.
Bar Beach also lost on Thursday evening, joining the 1-2 group, after a close contest with Kotara fell against them 6-9. The final team locked in the mid-table clump is Raymond Terrace, who delivered Glendale their third loss of Season 12 in the late game on Thursday.
STANDINGS: Shortland, Kotara (9), Belmont (7), Waratah, Raymond Terrace, Hamilton, Bar Beach (5), Glendale (3).