Recap

Tight finishes against Tuggeranong

It wasn’t a win but it was awful bloody close when the Goulburn Dirty Reds fought out a 24-all draw against the Tuggeranong Vikings at Viking Park, Canberra on Saturday.

Leading 24-19 with three minutes remaining, the home side crossed for a late try which, if converted, would have won them the match but the conversion went astray and the Reds clung on for the draw.

Reserve grade had a similarly tight match but weren’t able to snatch a last-minute win.

Goulburn firsts led their game 7-nil at half-time with a substantially reduced error rate and penalty count from the previous week, but the Vikings cracked that early momentum with tries of their own in the 40^th, 48^th and 56^th minute for a 19-7 lead.

In what’s becoming a regular feature of Goulburn away games, several players were backing up and the fresh Tuggeranong side seemed to have claimed the ascendancy. But the determined Goulburn outfit responded.

Tries to Brad Clements and Mik Webber, both converted by Webber, gave Goulburn a slender two-point lead. A subsequent penalty goal from Webber stretched Goulburn’s lead to five points but that turned out to be just shy of a win when Tuggeranong crossed for an unconverted equaliser.

While the Reds very nearly won the match, against competition heavyweights Tuggeranong and on the road, a draw was a pretty good result. Coach Ben Pearson was particularly impressed by Goulburn’s ability to regain their composure and come back into the game after the Vikings wracked up three straight tries.

Best and fairest points for Goulburn went to M Spratley (3), Brad Clements (2) and Brad Muddiman (1). Spratley also picked up first grade players player.

Another significant milestone from the match was Ben Todkill’s 100^th first grade game, which he brought up after scoring two tries and two conversions captaining reserve grade

FIRST GRADE: Goulburn 24 (Brad Clements, Jackson Reardon, Mik Webber tries, Webber 3 conversions and one penalty goal) drew with Tuggeranong 24.