Recovery from leaguetaggers falls short

An improved display from the Gunnedah Bulldogs leaguetaggers wasn’t quite enough at Kitchener Park last Sunday, as the Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters recorded a 14-8 victory.

The respectable result came one week after a 34-10 loss to front-runner North Tamworth, and a 14-0 defeat against the Roosters back on April 27.

Another positive for the Bulldogs was that they weren’t penalised for dissent, after this had been an eyesore in previous fixtures.

In any case, Gunnedah’s finals hopes were dented further as the team remained fifth on the seven-team ladder and fell three wins outside the top four.

Had the Bulldogs won, they would have been only one win behind the fourth-placed Roosters.

Gunnedah was still below full strength although Jacey Ross returned to the playing field following an injury layoff.

Several passes from the Bulldogs went to ground in the opening set of the game, and this became a regular issue for the home side while the visitors were also erratic with their ball control.

The first points came in the 11th minute as the Bulldogs fumbled a Kootingal-Moonbi kick, with Lauren Daye pouncing for a try beneath the crossbar.

Gunnedah failed to profit from a penalty before Kootingal-Moonbi took advantage of a penalty, with Daye crossing for her second four-pointer.

Monique Corbett’s conversion made the score 10-0 after the previous attempt went awry from the simplest position.

The Bulldogs regained possession after being forced to drop-kick from their uprights, and then Tarryn Heinrich made a break before possession was squandered in the red zone.

Gunnedah raided two minutes from half-time with Marlee Urquhart, Heinrich and Zoe Fleming involved before Fleming was foiled. Moments later, the ball was sent to the left where Dakota Durrant touched down.

Neither side gained control in the second half, before the Roosters were penalised. Gunnedah’s Maddy Finlay darted over for a try soon afterwards, with the unsuccessful wide-angled conversion enabling Kootingal-Moonbi to maintain a skinny 10-8 lead with eight minutes left.

The Roosters turned over possession before the Bulldogs gained a vital repeat set with the tryline under threat, but then a premature chip-kick came unstuck and released the pressure.

Two forward passes from Gunnedah were pulled up in the ensuing sets, and then Kootingal-Moonbi’s Nikki Berryman hit a gap and touched down for a four-pointer.

The conversion attempt hit the right goalpost in the final minute, but it mattered little as the visitors hung onto their lead without difficulty.

This weekend the Bulldogs have a bye due to the absence of a Moree leaguetag team.