Under-siege Wollongong Wolves show resilience to hold on for draw with Rockdale

In a game of defence versus attack, Luke Wilkshire's men had 20 less shots than their opponents at Albert Butler Park. However, they were able to make their limited chances count, with captain Lachlan Scott's second half goal proving vital in the wash-up.

The result means the Wolves remain undefeated in the past three rounds, and remain in the hunt to play finals.

"They're a good side and we were obviously missing several players, so I thought it was a good defensive display after leaking some poor goals last week," Wilkshire said.

"We had young Dax Kelly making his debut at centre back, who I thought was fantastic. I was proud of our resilience, I think a good 12 of their shots were from about 40 (metres) out, so it took a good goal to break us down.

"(Goalkeeper) Hayden (Durose) made a couple of important saves at the end, and that's what he's there for. He's really playing well, 'Hados'."

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The Wolves had limited scoring opportunities in the first half, with Rockdale looking more aggressive from the outset. However, the visitors - who are among the league's top teams in 2021 - couldn't capitalise on the scoreboard.

Brayden Sorge had one of the best chances in the opening 30 minutes, however, he couldn't find the back of the net.

In the dying minutes of the half, Rockdale's Bai Antoniou lined up from long range, but his shot swayed well wide. That was was the last big moment, with the teams locked at 0-0 at the break.

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However, it was the Wolves who created the first opportunity in the second half. An errant Rockdale pass opened the door for Liam Wille to work the ball forward and, after a couple of passes, the ball was put into the box for a flying Leroy Jennings, who was taken down by goalkeeper David Bradasevic.

The referee pointed to the penalty spot, with Scott stepping up to drill home the opening goal in the 51^st minute.

Despite the setback, Rockdale continued to press hard, piling the pressure on Wollongong. Tomoki Wada, Alec Urosevski and Marie Gauthier all missed great chances to score while, at the other end, Nav Djarni looked dangerous for the Wolves.

But the visitors couldn't be denied soon after. A defensive header fell to the feet of Patrick Savor, and he thumped the ball into the back of the net past a lunging Durose to draw level at 1-1.

Heading into the final 10 minutes, both teams became more desperate, booting the ball long down field.

Urosevski continued to look dangerous for the visitors, but it was teammate Petkovski who had a golden opportunity to score from point blank in the 88^th minute, forcing Durose to make a great, low diving save. In injury time, Urosevski put in a dangerous header, with Durose again making a crucial save to deny Rockdale.

It would prove to be the final chance of the game, with the teams sharing the points after a 1-1 stalemate.

"We're building some confidence. We had two good wins and then playing against a quality side like Rockdale, I thought it was a good effort again," Wilkshire said.