JINDABYNE’S Snowy River Bears rugby league team have walked away with a victory thanks to last minute heroics for the second week in a row.
In an extremely tight finish the bears narrowly beat the Pambula Merimbula Bulldogs 34-32, with the winning conversion by Brendon Taueki hitting the post and barely falling over the crossbar with one minute on the clock.
With the local crowd’s cheering still echoing in the background, and the bench players on their feet, the game was over soon after the Bulldogs resumed play. In the aftermath as players were shaking hands, it seemed the visiting team were not entirely happy with the result and some push and shove occurred as tempers flared.
It was a brave effort from the Bears, as it looked for all money they were gone as the Bulldogs gained the supremacy in the second half. The Bears trailed 18-32 with ten minutes on the clock before the exciting comeback.
Ethan Peters scored in the 70th minute in the righthand corner but a horror conversion attempt left the score at 22-32. Brendon Taueki would score adjacent to the post in the 73rd minute and convert his own try. Bears trail 28-32 setting up a thrilling finish.
Showing great strength and with the game on the line, winger Will Moore received a pass 5 metres from the line and barged over carrying two Bulldogs players along for the ride. The crowd were now well and truly voicing their approval and awaited what would be the match winning kick from the sideline by Brendon Taueki.
A raucous cheer could have been heard throughout town when the ball bounced off the post and barely scraped over the crossbar, the touch judges raising their flags after the ball bouncing act. The Bears in front 34-32 with only enough time for the kick off.
When asked how they escaped in the later part of the second half, hooker Tristan Hamilton said they “just cut out the sillies”.
“It was one of those things we just couldn’t stay in the grind, we were giving away dumb penalties, too much dropped ball. Hitcho was giving us a bit of a spray, it’s just one of those things where we just switch it on, calm things down a little bit and started rolling through them. The game plan was to stay calm and hold the ball, we didn’t do it for do 60 minutes but that last 20, we sort of turned it around and started rolling through them and the points started to flow.”
When referring to the excitement at the end and the score on the bell finish, Hamilton said, “It is (exciting), as a player I wish it wasn't that close but, those grindy wins are how you win comps, its only early in the year and we can build a lot from that. We are only going to get better.”
It was never plain sailing for the home team as they went behind from the 4th minute when the Bulldogs scored first points. But they rallied with a try to fullback Dean Wilson in the 23rd minute, who again had another strong game.
When the Bulldogs scored in the 27 minute it seemed like a close game was unfolding, the visitors leading 10-12 at half time.
To start the second half the Bears’ Rowland Mateyawa scored with a bullocking run from close to the line before the Bulldogs again matched their opponents with another try. With an ounce of luck after an initial Bears kick went wrong, Adam Walters toe kicked the ball towards the try line and in the scramble ended up emerging with an unlikely four pointer. The try was not converted which was proving costly on the scoreboard, as the Bulldogs had converted each of their tries.
The Bulldogs scored two quick tries to have the struggling Bears now firmly on the back foot before the drama of the final ten minutes led to a great come from behind win to have the Bears now two from two.
The Bears are away to Tathra next week.
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