MOREE Boomerangs coach Chris Binge was predicting Ashford to ruffle a few feathers after they gave his side a fright in their Group 19 clash at Burt Jovanovich Oval on Sunday.
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The Roosters took it right up to the two-times defending champions.
They led by four at half-time and were locked at 28-all with them at one stage in the second half, before the Boomies pulled away to get home 44-36 and remain equal top with Inverell.
“They made us work harder than we thought they would,” Binge said.
“They’re going to be competitive. They’ll trouble the top sides.”
“They play a nice brand of footy.
“We had to knuckle down and grind it out.”
He attributed the win to their starch and the way they stuck together when things weren’t going their way.
“We didn’t play our greatest footy but we did what we needed to do when we needed to do it,” he said.
It was a real test of their discipline and, more than the result, Binge was happy with the way they held themselves together.
“We were on the end of a pretty lopsided penalty count,” Binge said.
He said it was a credit to them the way they handled the situation.
A couple of years ago they probably would have ended up with players in the bin or sent off.
Five-eighth Stewart Porter was the only multiple tryscorer for them, bagging three, and was among their best, along with halves partner Jaram Haines.
Binge was very impressed with his showing for a 19-year- old.
“He’s starting to really stand up,” he said.
“He’s only getting better.”
They were well led up front by Warren Cain.
He was sensational, Binge said.
Roosters coach Mick Lewis couldn’t have asked for anything more from his side.
“Our side played very well, considering we went out there with only 13 fresh players,” he said.
The Boomerangs are the benchmark, he said, and to go out to their home ground, undermanned, and get within eight was a huge effort.
“We were in the game all the way and frightened the life out of them,” he said.
“We showed flair that they probably didn’t expect.”
It was only in the last 10 minutes they got away from them.
“We probably ran out of legs,” Lewis said.
“That was the main difference in the end.
“We were a spent force late in the game.”
As well as being without a fresh bench, they were without their two starting front rowers from the previous game and had to drop players who don’t usually play there in to cover.
Tony Taleofa was one of those.
He’s usually a centre but played very well.
Kialu Brown at half-back was also good.
“But to be truthful, it was just a good team effort,” Lewis said.
