PREMIERS Dungowan had to shake off some early season rust before finishing like the Cowboys of last season, winning the battle in the middle and stinging with both edges as they toppled Uralla 42-12 at Dungowan on Saturday.
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The Cowboys looked dangerous with the ball in hand from the whistle but couldn’t get across the stripe as the Tigers scramble and some dropped ball left them with nothing to show for it, despite gaining the ascendancy up front.
What the New England side lacked in size they made up for with commitment, holding the Cowboys to only two first- half tries and scoring one themselves.
A kick off the outside of Cowboy captain Matt Wilson’s boot was allowed to bounce near the Tigers’ line and a flying Dylan O’Brien latched on to it and beat fullback Jordan Press to the right corner to open the scoring.
Led by Marcus Doran and Scott Swain, the Tigers fought back, matching the Cowboys in the middle and getting some good ball to the nippy backs.
Jack Doran put on some good footwork to dance over ten minutes before the break to even the scores, the conversion by Press handing them the lead, but only briefly.
With under three minutes to go, tryscoring machine Zander Smith went over in the corner for his first of a double and the conversion by O’Brien took Dungowan into the sheds leading 10-6.
Ten minutes after the break the Cowboys had the game wrapped up, with tries to Lochie Collins, Mitch Brown and Smith’s second stretching the gap to 24-6 and then 30-6 as 44-year-old debutant Jason O’Brien matched his son on the other wing with a four- pointer before the Tigers got their only other points for the match.
Doran again slidthrough to score before the premiers really turned it on for three quick tries to finish proceedings.
The second half was dominated by the Dungowan pack who were led by Justin Fox, the front-rower playing one of his best games for a few years to pick up the points, as well as slotting a conversion in the closing stages.
Halves Matt Wilson and Shaun Ferguson turned on the attack in the second half with great direction and plenty of support outside them with centres Smith and Brown constant threas, bagging three tries between them.
“We had a bit of a slow start today but pulled it together,” Wilson said.
“We still have a lot of improvement to do and are getting better each week.
“Our defence was really good but we just couldn’t hold the ball early on.
“It’s early-season rust and a bit of ill-discipline.”
“But we can play good football in patches.”
The win has Dungowan sitting in equal second and was the first of four home games on the trot, with Quirindi making the trip next week.
Kootingal stay on top of the ladder after they beat Werris Creek 34-22 in a top-of-the- table clash.
They came from 12-nil down after the Magpies had scored the first three (unconverted) tries, two of them to enthusiastic lean winger Brock Beresford.
However the Roosters fought back to lead 18-12 at half time and then dominated the final 20 minutes to post three tries, from Brendon Austin, Jeremy York and Jordan Fisher.
At Boggabri’s Jubilee Oval the hometown Roos beat Barraba 38-28 after leading 24-nil early on, Walcha smashed the Quirindi Grasshoppers 64-16 at Quirindi Sportsground and Bendemeer gave Manilla a 104-12 point pasting at home.
