Richards’ accurate boot not enough for Baldies
Keen to find themselves back in the winner’s circle, the Baldies played host the Bushpigs from Jindabyne, great mate off the field, and even better rivals on the field. It was going to be a battle of the big boys, with the Baldies aiming to put their biggest pack on the field to be a dominant force in the scrum.
Two quick tries to start the match saw Jindabyne take the lead in an unfortunate start to the game, however the boys kept their heads up knowing there were plenty of minutes and points still to be had. A try saving effort from Jacob Bamford in the 10th minute ensured the Baldies remained in the game and inspired a strong defensive effort from the team. The boys held a strong defensive effort on their try line, as Jindabyne repeatedly attempted to break through and extend their lead.
This strong defensive effort was backed up with some inspired attack which saw the ball quickly switched from one side of the field to another catching Jindabyne off guard. Backing up the efforts of the week before Joe Loeschnaur gained strong metres once again, and an offload to Jay Bartholomew saw points to the Baldies in the corner. Sam Richards once again had his kicking boots, seamlessly slotting the ball between the sticks to keep the game alive. Despite a crushing tackle by Jay Bartholomew to deny a destined try to Jindabyne, unfortunate injuries and the toll this defence had taken out on the boys saw a breakaway try by Jindabyne on the stroke of half time.
The second half was ignited when the Baldies won a short lineout near the Jindabyne try line. A timely offload by Greg Newham saw the unstoppable Joe Loeschnaur once again break through the Jindabyne defence line to score and ignite the Baldies comeback. A rolling maul saw Greg Newham score an all-important try, and with a conversion from Sam Richards, the Baldies were down 22-21 mid-way through the second half.
Unfortunately some easy tries towards the end of the game saw the fulltime score in favour of the Bushpigs 41-21. The contest was more even than the scored reflected, however Jindabyne turned unfortunate errors into points through runaway tries. A massive effort by the boys putting their bodies on the line saw the team depleted by fulltime but we can certainly hold our heads high for playing until the final whistle.
Next week the Baldies head out to Taralga.
Points
3 – Ben Stuart
2 – Joe Loeschnaur
1 – Braden Kenny
Players’ player – Sam Richards
Chick pick – Ollie Kwong