Taralga proved too good for the Batemans Bay Boars in the opening round of the South Coast Monaro competition, winning 37-21 in a see-sawing encounter at Hanging Rock on Saturday.
It wasn’t all bad for the Boars, who managed to get within two points of the visitors with five minutes to go, before a yellow card and two converted tries sealed their fate.
Coach Matt Ryan said it was a gritty first-up effort from his side.
“The guys were defending for most of the first half, and managed to keep them out pretty well,” he said.
“We were a bit unsure of ourselves when we were on the attack, but I think that will come with more game time.”
The Boars were on the back foot early, as they conceded 13 points in the first half while remaining scoreless.
It was a different story in the second, with Boars striking the first blow, before going tit for tat with their opponents.
While some attacking dominance at the death meant the final margin blew out to 16 points, Ryan said his team should be proud of the way they played.
"To hold our own against what will probably end up being a top two side was a good start for us,” he said.
“We had a few guys away, so it was nice knowing we have more in our arsenal for the coming weeks.
"I thought our captain, Andrew Fleming, did really well in defence, and Mitch Carter ran well when he had the ball."
The Boars will take on Yass at Hanging Rock this Saturday.
Sean Slatter
Journalist at Fairfax Media based at Launceston.
Journalist at Fairfax Media based at Launceston.
