Cody Bell breaks the line vs the Queanbeyan Blues.
The Yass Magpies struggled to follow up their great win a couple of weeks ago against the Goulburn City Bulldogs, last weekend against the Tuggeranong Bushrangers.
From the opening whistle, the intensity was evident. Both teams traded early blows, with strong defensive sets and probing kicks. The forwards for both the Magpies and the Bushrangers dug deep, vying for dominance through the middle. The initial exchanges were tight, a testament to the competitive nature of this rivalry.
Tuggeranong found their form much quicker than Yass, opening up an early lead.
Their attack, precise and patient, started to find gaps in the Magpies’ de-fensive line. They capitalised on opportunities, converting pressure into points, and gradually built a lead that put the home side on the back foot. The Bushrangers’ halves orchestrated plays effectively, allowing their outside backs to make inroads.
Despite falling behind, the Magpies refused to yield. Spurred on by the home crowd, they mounted several spirited comebacks. Their efforts were rewarded with tries, as they showed flashes of brilliant attacking play, pushing the ball wide and challenging the Tuggeranong defence. The Magpies fought tooth and nail to stay in the contest, narrowing the margin and keeping the tension high.
However, the Bushrangers demonstrated resilience. Each time Yass threatened to swing the momentum decisively, Tuggeranong found a way to respond, whether through a crucial defensive stop or flipping the field with a masterful kick. Their ability to absorb pressure and then counter-attack proved to be a key factor in the match.
As the final whistle blew, it was the Tuggeranong Bushrangers who emerged victorious, defeating the Yass Magpies 24-16. It was a hard-fought battle, showcasing the grit and determination of both teams in what was a significant Round 11 fixture. The Bushrangers celebrated a valuable away win, while the Magpies, though disappointed with the result, could take pride in their unwavering effort at Walker Park.
Coach Luke Berkrey was disappointed with the result, “We blew the game at the start, we let them get out to 24-0 after 20 minutes, which was a real shame and it was just a little bit too much to pull back.
“They (slow starts) have been a problem for us all season. It’s disappointing because towards the end, we gave ourselves a chance to win the game, but you have to be perfect after giving away that much of a start and we made a few too many errors trying to create a few more points.
“I wasn’t worried at all about the mistakes made towards the end, we were chasing points. We are going to have to be a lot better this week, especially in how we start the game.
“It’s such a shame for the boys, the last 60 minutes that we played was about as good as we’ve played all season. I thought it was a game we really could have won but it’s one to forget and on to next weekend now.
“We’ve got Queanbeyan Roos this week who are certainly a good side, so it’ll be a good challenge for us. There’s a lot of things we can improve on. I’m sure if we can keep that defensive line that we have for the second half it will hold us in good stead, and then it is just about us coming up with the points at the right time.
“Lane (Davis) and Rana (Baker) did a good job in the middle for us. Coop (O’Connor) did a great job as well bringing the ball out of our half.
“All our problems start and finish with our defence. Every week we play, we score enough points to win games, we just need to get our house in order. Against Queanbeyan we can’t afford to have those lapses, they are a team that can hurt you if you have lapses so we are going to have to be better in our defensive line.
“I find it hard to believe that we’ve had such struggles defensively. It’s not our fitness, we came home the strongest in the last couple of games we’ve played. So I believe it’s just a mental thing.
“Jacob Lucas is a big loss for us this week missing through a head knock. The lone positive from that it will probably give someone else a nice opportunity. He is usually the halfback.
“Kaidan Bell will move into 7 and I think we might give Coop a crack in the halves and see how he goes there.
“Kaidan has always been a halfback coming through, so that should give him a good transition and give him a bit more responsibility and we should see the best coming out of him.”
The Magpies will host the Roos at Walker Oval this Saturday at 3:00 pm.
-Tully Potts
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