It was all about heavy hits and heavy rain at Mackay Park on Sunday, as the Batemans Bay Tigers faced off against Bega in round ten of Group 16.
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With conditions deteriorating steadily throughout the match, back-to-back tries late in the game helped to seal a 30-10 win for the second-placed Roosters.
They were not given any easy points by their opponents, as the home side stood strong in the face of relentless attacking play.
Tigers Captain/Coach, Mason Harrison, said the nature of the clash meant a higher rate of errors.
“I think our ball control let us down a bit, but it was always going to problem in that sort of weather,”
“It was a really tough game for us. I was proud of the way the guys defended in the first half and the way we were able to get on the scoreboard early.”
Indeed, it was the Tigers who struck first in the game, scoring the opening try to stun their high flying opponents.
It didn’t take long for the Roosters to hit back, however, crossing over on the counter attack to level the scores at 4-4.
The impact of the wet ball became more pronounced, as the two sides struggled to gain clean possession.
Despite a solid effort for the majority of the half, the Tigers defence were unable to stop the Roosters crossing over for two more tries to hold a 16-10 advantage at the break.
They extended their lead just after half time before a back injury to Tigers winger, Ronald Brown, forced the players from the field as an ambulance was called.
Brown’s injury were later confirmed to be not serious.
There was no love lost between the two sides when play resumed as a second half melee lead to a player from each team being sin binned.
The Roosters continued to pressure the Tigers line and managed to extend their lead to 20 points late in the game.
It may have been more if not for an inspirational try saving tackle by the Tigers in the final stages of the match.
Harrison said the final score line reflects a much improved performance by his side from when the teams last faced off back in round three, a match the Roosters won by 78 points.
“We are getting stronger every week,” he said.
“If you look at where we are now compared to what we were like at the start of the season, you can see that we are able to be more competitive. Sean Connell, Ron Brown and Tom Curtis were the standouts for us on the day.”
In the other grades, the Bega reserves triumphed 60-22, while the Bega Chicks beat the Batemans Bay League tag team, 40-0.