Group 20 rugby league
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
IT WASN'T one of the great games of rugby league, but the battle between the Bidgee Hurricanes and Griffith Black & Whites Panthers at Yanco Sportsground on Sunday did go down to the wire.
Having given up the lead early, Hurricanes clawed their way back and got the lead, but handling errors and penalties cost the home side as Griffith stormed back to win 26-22.
With the clock ticking down the home side had a chance to push its way up-field and into attack, before another fumble meant it all came to nothing.
Coach Simon Watson said the result came down to conceding too many penalties.
"(The players) all took a vow after the game. I commented on it straight away when we got in the sheds, that's what cost us - discipline. They all said that's the area they've got to improve."
Griffith scored two unconverted tries to open proceedings before Hurricanes got on the board. The score stayed 8-6 until half-time, when the home side started to pull away as Damian Johnson and Taina Heke started to exert an influence.
However, after getting to an 18-8 lead, B&W made the most of a string of penalties - including four in a row at one point to take them the length of the field - score twice and retake the lead by two points.
Hurricanes regained the lead 22-20 in the 25th minute, before penalties again counted against them and new Griffith coach David Milne sliced through the last line of defence to score his second and give his side the match-winning 26-22 lead.
It was Milne who proved the difference in the end.
"With the weight of possession against us on our own line, he was good enough to slice through us," Watson said.
"When teams get into our 30 we can't keep them out, but the defence wasn't bad (at the other end).
"Our completion rate was not too bad and they showed a fair bit of grit.
"They had been down all game, then got in front. They didn't give up."
Heke at hooker was a standout, while Jordan Burley and Billy Ingram in their first grade debuts also put in strong performances.
Two missed two tries in the first half and three disallowed attempts came back to haunt the Hurricanes, while its notoriously poor defence was admirable.
Watson said his side still had a lot of improvement to do.
"We've been working with the ball for eight weeks, (but) I'm not sure they know the structure down pat," he said.
"I'm disappointed because, one, I don't like losing and, two, we lost when we should have won."
Results
Black and Whites 26 (tries - David Milne 2, Troy Johnstone, Todd Granger, Maika Lawela; goals - Todd Granger 3) d Bidgee Hurricanes 22 (tries - Daniel Johnson 2, Jordan Burley, Ronnie Bamblett; goals - Taina Heke 3)
Reserve grade
Griffith Black and Whites 26 (tries - Pete Porter, Tom Turner, Leon Tiere, Alex Brown 2; goals - Tom Turner, Brad Turner 2) d Bidgee Hurricanes 24 (tries - Troy Prior, Daniel Sanderson, Matt Coelli, Shaun Lyons; goals - Glen Borg 4)