PEEL High paid the price for a slow start when a visiting Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College side beat the Tamworth school 10-6 in the State Touch Football Knockout at Gipps St yesterday.
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Captain Scott Berry scored three tries and set a couple up but it wasn’t enough as the Central Coast school hit the ground running.
Tuggerah quickly set the pace of the game, with runners consistently going straight through the ruck area from very quick play the balls.
It didn’t take long for them to break the line and open up a 3-nil lead.
Peel coach Matt Wilson said his side was just too slow around the ruck.
“Tuggerah really showed us how to do it,” Wilson said.
“We need to improve our play of the ball.”
Peel finally got its defence set and started getting some ball.
In the right areas the home side looked dangerous with ball in hand, and had Tuggerah scrambling at times.
“We scored almost every time we got to the attacking zone,” Wilson said.
“We just didn’t get the ball there often enough.”
Tuggerah led into the break 6-2 but a Berry special after the break had Peel on the attack.
Peel scored again but Tuggerah replied as both sides scored four tries in the second half.
Leroy O’Leary scored a try in each half and was one of Peel’s best alongside Berry.
Nathan Godley was also a stand-out for his commitment in defence.
It was Peel’s seventh game in the competition after it had made it to the round of 16, beating Farrer and Narrabri High along the way.
“It is the best result ever for the school and one game further than last year,” Wilson said.
“I am very proud of how far they have come.”