SHANE Wadwell is making up for lost time.
The North Tamworth lock, who missed the first month of the Group 4 competition through suspension, has earned the referee's points in the last two Group 4 matches.
Wadwell polled the three points in the Northern Daily Leader Best and Fairest in the past two weeks at Narrabri and then at home against Gunnedah in Saturday's 66-12 belting.
His captain-coach, Shaun Ferguson, said the agile ball-playing lock had talked his way into the Narrabri points, Wadwell's first B&F points of the season.
"Yeah, he went over to the ref after the game and said "I had a good game today eh"," Ferguson joked.
The utility skipper then said Wadwell would receive more "bagging" from his team-mates for winning the three points on Saturday when the backrower also crossed for three tries in the comprehensive win.
It was a dominant performance by Wadwell and his teammates and keeps the Bears three points behind West Lions on the premiership table while Wadwell has zoomed up to six points, just six behind new leader, Narrabri skipper Sean Russ, who picked up the three points in Sunday's 46-24 win over Moree in Moree.
Russ crossed for two tries in that win where young backrower Jake Rumsby picked up his first points of the season.
Out at Wee Waa, West Lions' Chris Hunt mirrored Wadwell's effort.
He picked up his second successive three points in the 60-34 win over the Panthers.
They have also been his first B&F points of the season.
While Hunt was moving to six points as well North Tamworth pivot, Mick Watton, also climbed the NDL B&F table with two points against Gunnedah.
Gunnedah coach Geoff Sharpe thought Watton's all-round game was one of the reasons for his side's demise.
"His kicking game is so good," Sharpe said after the belting.
"As soon as you let them over half way he can put in an attacking kick. And he has pinpoint accuracy as well as putting so much pressure on your back three."
Indeed Watton's attacking kicks produced a number of try-scoring chances as well as a couple of four-pointers.
Watton's range of short and long passes are also deadly and will be at hand again this weekend when the bears host a Wee Waa side hurting after Sunday's big home loss to the unbeaten Lions.
In other games Gunnedah Bulldogs head out to Moree in what could be a battle for semi final survival as well as a wooden spoon contest.