Shaun Flynn Kicks Winning Goal for Star...1983

Star pulled off a surprise 6-4 win over Bluff in the curtain raiser at Rugby Park in1983.
Flynn's effort, from the 22 mete line and 15 metres in from touch, never looked like missing and in the heavy and slippery conditions Bluff had no chance of making up the leeway once Star had the bit between its teeth.
Bluff had by far the better possession in the game but failed to make good use of it.
Half-back Chris Hiini started the game at second five-eight but  injuries necessitated a change in the backline and Hiini moved into half-back.  From that stage there was a clearer plan of attack from Bluff as Hiini chipped the ball over the forwards to try and get his team rolling on to it.
However, the Star team applied itself well and stuck to its guns.  In the second half in particular, it worked and kept itself in a position to secure a win.
It went into the game without the services of usual kicker Brian McKechnie and it was winger Robbie Hill who landed the first penalty goal, seven minutes into the game.
After 11 minutes, a high kick ahead was dropped by a Star player in his own in-goal area and Bluff first five-eight Tony Neilson was on hand to drop on the ball and score a try.
However, that was all the scoring until Flynn's penalty goal with 10 minutes remaining.
Rain fell throughout the first half and made the conditions wet and slippery.  The stop-start nature of the play relfected this.
Neither team was able to gain an ascendancy and most beneficial ground was gained by plugging the touchlines with deft kicks from the respective half-backs - although there was some very untidy kicking exchanges throughout the game.
Flynn thoroughly deserved to kick the winning points for his team after a non-stop effort in all facets of play.
Bluff packed a strong scrum and several times had Star on the backfoot.  However in spite of some good work by lock Kauvai Mitiau and flankers Jeff Mead and Mark Perkins, Bluff was unable to set itself up to score more points and its downward trend continues.
STAR:
Robbie Hill (1)  Shaun Flynn  (1) PG
BLUFF:
Tony Neilson (1) Try
REFEREE
Neil Buchanan