WEST Lions and Gunnedah Bulldogs played a game of shooting yourself in the foot at Scully Park yesterday and West won out because they weren’t as frivolous with the ball and finishing with more toes than their opponents to register a 30-20 win.
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Both sides were guilty of a range of errors and mistakes in a first half where West led 6-nil, 6-4 and then 12-4 just before the break.
However Gunnedah was able to hold onto the ball after a West turnover at halfway for Callum Hayne to set big replacement Josh Howarth on a wrecking crew course for the line. The monster replacement swivelled to plant the ball and make it 12-10.
A few minutes later and Hayne was again flying upfield after a clean break and sent fullback Aaron Donnelly on his way to the line and what was a 16-12 halftime lead.
Just a minute into the second half and the Bulldogs seemed set for a win when Lachlan King finished off a sweeping backline move to cross in the corner and a 20-12 lead.
However, West five-eighth Sam Taylor then took over.
He mesmerised the Bulldogs with some of the biggest, snappiest and best dummies seen for a long while.
While the Bulldogs were looking, Taylor was playing, and off and running to finish with three tries for the day.
He had set up the Lions’ first try for Chris Hunt and crossed for their second from a popped Hunt pass in the first half and sealed the game with a piece of brilliance just a few minutes out from a scrum win on the Bulldogs’ 20.
While he failed to register on the referee radar for best and fairest points, Hunt claiming the three after some incisive running in the middle and on the edge of the ruck, Taylor received his club’s players’ player award.
“Sam stepped up today,” West coach Shane Rampling said.
“He was outstanding, our best. Tyler Fleming had a huge defensive game too.”
However the error rate was his major concern.
“We got the two points at the end of the day,” he said.
“But we dropped too much ball, gave away too many penalties and made too many mistakes.
“We need to be a lot more patient.
“We gave the ball away way too much – we must love tackling!”
Gunnedah captain-coach Trent Hilton, recovering from an elbow injury, was disappointed his side couldn’t prosper from the finish to the first half and start of the second half that took his side from eight points down to eight points up.
“It was a real sloppy game,” he said.
“We shot ourselves in the foot, big time.”
He said his young Bulldogs showed glimpses of great promise, especially when it took control around the ruck.
Bulldog five-eighth Hayden Smith picked up a couple of points in the Best & Fairest while hooker Dylan Smith continues to excel, Jordan Mulherin made some great defensive hits and lock Tyrel Kruse worked hard.
Young wingers Nic Altmann and Lachlan King showed they have promise while West’s Cameron McDonald, David Smith (playing against old club) Andrew Taputoro and Phil Beaton all worked hard in support of chief playmakers Taylor and Hunt.
