A three-try blitz early in the second half ensured the Lions downed the Knights 34-16 amid inclement conditions at Centenary Field.

Gerringong led the elimination semi-final 16-6 at the break, eventually nabbing six tries to three and scoring 34 unanswered points.

The Knights, buoyed by the late inclusions of returning stars Tom Atkins and Jack Alexander opened their account after ten minutes.

Following a Lion’s error inside their own half, Kieran Poole sliced through sub-par defence and it was the only time Kiama would enjoy the lead.

Gerringong then punished their opponents for a mistake of their own when halfback Rixon Russell wrong-footed the defence, stepping and weaving his way in heavy traffic to get across the stripe. 

Joel Roberts’ conversion squared the ledger.

A penalty afforded the Lions some momentum and a Peter Cronin four-pointer the scoreboard advantage.

The Knights spent several minutes camped at the money end of the field, but were left to rue numerous missed opportunities due to errors and mistimed passes.

Gerringong made no such mistake, a dummy half ball finding Lloyd Bowen, who crashed over for a simple try from close range. 

The match-up was effectively finished as a contest by the 50th minute, clinical Lions attack laying on three rapid-fire tries upon the resumption.

A slick shift to the left edge was finished off by skipper Brad Davidson.

This was soon followed by pivot Pat Cronin waltzing through a yawning gap and putting Simon Hoare over, as well as Bowen’s second of the afternoon.

The game rarely reached any great heights for the remainder, often degenerating into a scrappy affair.

Late tries to Alexander and Daniel Martin added some respectability to the final score-line.

It was a disappointing finish to what appeared a promising season for Kiama, while Gerringong will have another sudden-death encounter next weekend.

Davidson, Nathan Ford, Tim Moore and Roberts were Gerringong’s standouts, while Kieran Poole, Cameron Whittaker, Matt Gladman and Brent Wake worked hard for Kiama.