THE Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters have claimed the Pepperell Shield in a two-point victory over local rivals the Dungowan Cowboys.
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The Cowboys had the better of a high-scoring first half, taking a lead into the break.
However, a spirited 25 minutes from Chris Vidler helped drag the Roosters back into the contest and set up the 28-26 victory.
Roosters coach Geoff Sharpe said while his team's "effort was there" they lacked polish.
"I actually gave my boys a little bit of a spray at half-time," Sharpe told the Leader.
"It was not the prettiest game by any means and I think both sides took a while to settle.
"Chris Vidler was massive for us in the second half, the rest of the boys got behind him and got the job done."
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Sharpe said Dungowan would be "a team to beat this season".
"They have some really great players like Matty Wilson, Brett Jarrett and Shaun Ferguson," he said.
"They have certainly improved from last year and it was really handy for us to get the win from this game."
The Roosters will now turn their attention to next weekend's clash against the Gunnedah Bulldogs.
"I actually think we are still a few weeks away from really clicking as a side," Sharpe said.
"It's important that while we are trying to get it to click, that we don't drop too many games.
"However, our effort is there so I'm sure we will be in games."
Sharpe said the Roosters would likely be without Kyle Cochrane for their clash with Gunnedah due to an ankle injury.
"Given our match against Gunnedah is next Sunday, we will train on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoon to get ready for it," he said.
"I'd say Kyle is likely to be out for a couple of weeks with a bad ankle strain.
"He is a big loss for us, but that is the reason we pushed to form a reserve grade side as we now have several people who can step up and fill that void."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
