Recap

Strong second half revival not enough to topple Tuggers

By CHRIS GORDON

Despite a solid second half in which they outpointed the Vikings, the Goulburn reserve grade side went down 22-12 to the undefeated Tuggeranong side at Poidevin Oval.

As with many of the Canberra sides in the ACT First Division Second grade competition, Tuggeranong’s fourth-grade side featured a handy sampling of experienced higher-grade players winding down their careers, including quite a few big boppers.

It looked to be lob-sided assignment but despite that, Goulburn held a sizeable territorial advantage throughout the game. Advantage and potential alone aren’t worth points, however, and Tuggeranong’s tenacious defence continually denied Goulburn from crossing the line.

Repeated attempts by Goulburn were repelled, resulting in a number of penalties against Tuggeranong that were lucky not to produce more cards for repeat infringements.

As it was the Vikings earned a yellow and a red card from the ref, with some of the high shots and no arm shoulder charges seen in the earlier U18 match back on show.

When given the ball, Tuggeranong’s backline looked slick and potent, showing some clever set plays and the confidence of a side that played well off each other. Unfortunately, the game didn’t allow for much of that with most of the game stuck in the meat work upfront.

The undefeated Tuggeranong side had Goulburn down 17-5 at the break but a concerted effort from Goulburn stemmed the scoring in the second half.

Tuggeranong’s sole second-half try came 20 minutes into the second section. For Goulburn, Harry Newby crossed for a try, converted by Justin “Ricky Bobby” Benn, that gave the Dirty Twos a 7-5 second-half lead but Tuggeranong had already done enough for the four tries to two win.

There was quite a bit of feeling in the match which hasn’t typically been the case against Tuggeranong… possibly a sign of respect for Goulburn’s performance.

Best and fairest players were Harry Newby (3), Matt Spratley (2), Seth Smart (1) and Eric Brown (1), with Newby also named Players Player.

Tuggeranong 22 bt Goulburn 12 (Eric Brown, Harry Newby tries, Justin Benn conversion).

These Photos Chris Gordon