GUNNEDAH captain coach Trent Hilton thought that putting the Oxley Diggers to the sword at Scully Park last weekend was the perfect way to bounce back from a tough loss to Narrabri the week before.
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The skipper will be doing more coaching than playing for the remainder of the year after suffering a season-ending knee injury in that 26-18 loss to Gunnedah.
"We shot ourselves in the foot with errors and our completions in that game," Hilton said. "And that is where we won it today."
The Bulldogs and Diggers locked horns early, but the visitors put on a flurry of tries just before the break to head into the sheds up 28-10, from where they never looked back to run out 46-16 winners.
While the attack is starting to gel, the Bulldogs want to rely on their defence to reach the finals, as they sit just one point behind second placed Wests, with all teams chasing the unbeaten North Tamworth who already have one hand on the minor title.
The Bulldogs have a chance to hone their attacking skills when they host Armidale Rams at Kitchener Park on Sunday while Narrabri Blues have to bounce back quickly from an 80-4 mauling by the North Tamworth Bears to tackle the West Lions at Collins Park, Narrabri on Sunday.
The Lions are coming off an 80-point win at Armidale while the Bears are at home to Oxley Diggers. It is an OD home game but they have been booted off Scully in preparation for an A-League trial game. G4 FIRST GRADE: North Tamworth 21, West Lions 15, Gunnedah 14, Narrabri 10, Oxley Diggers 7, Armidale Rams 0.
