Although the Queanbeyan Roos came away winners from their First Grade clash against the Goulburn Bulldogs on Saturday, it was a performance that coach Aaron Gorrell described as “poor”.
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This was largely due to the lapses in concentration and skill errors shown by the Kangaroos, who put themselves up 12-0 shortly after the match began at the Goulburn Workers Arena.
After half time, the Bulldogs had rebounded and managed to claim the lead, and it was only courtesy of a belligerent effort in the last ten minutes that Queanbeyan managed to steal a slim two point lead, which they held until the final buzzer to win 16-18.
“That was probably the worst we’ve played all year,” Gorrell said.
Part of the reason for the Kangaroos’ sub-standard performance, he added, was the absence of regular five-eighth and leader of the attack, Brent Crisp.
“He runs the show normally,” Gorrell said.
“In saying that, all well and good to get the two points, but a few blokes were found out a little bit.”
The win pushed the Kangaroos up to third place on the ladder, while it saw the Bulldogs drop to seventh and effectively ended their finals campaign.
However, Gorrell was at a loss to explain why Goulburn are so low on the ladder considering the skill of their side.
“They’ve got the best line speed in the competition, so I’m not sure why they’re so low in the comp,” he said.
“We had no time at all. Credit to them, their line speed’s amazing, they must be unlucky not to be higher on the table.”
While Gorrell joked that the main positive to come from the win was “two points”, he said the fight shown by Queanbeyan to up the ante when it mattered most was a pleasing sign as coach.
“Credit to the boys, they hung in there,” he said.
“A lesser side coulda gave in and lost that. We got an early lead and went to sleep, fell behind, and found a way to win.
“It’s good to find ways to win. Winning becomes habit, and so does losing.”
Finding ways to win despite adversity will be crucial ahead of Queanbeyan’s next match, which will take place this Saturday against the Yass Magpies.
Despite a recent three match losing streak, the Magpies have proven to be one of the most talented sides in the league this year, as upset wins over the Queanbeyan Blues and the West Belconnen Warriors have shown.
“[Yass are] fighting to keep a semis spot too,” Gorrell said.
“It’s never going to be easy against them, but I’m sure if we keep building, we’ll be alright.”
The match against the Yass Magpies will take place Saturday July 14 from 3:00pm, at Seears Workwear Oval.
