The Gunnedah Bulldogs have vowed to redeem themselves in the eyes of the community after one of the worst defeats in recent memory.
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First grade was flogged 90-nil by a merciless North Tamworth pack in last weekend’s round five, Group 4 clash at Jack Woolaston Oval.
Gunnedah co-coach Wayne Griffiths on Wednesday asked local supporters to keep faith.
“We need everybody, both in the club and the community, to stick with us,” Griffiths said.
“Don’t abandon us, we will come back.
“We can’t change what happened last Sunday but we can control what we do in the future.”
He said a number of factors influenced last weekend’s embarrassing result.
The club was already desperately short on playing numbers but the problem was compounded when five reserve grade players didn’t even show up on game day.
At no fault of their own, the few players remaining were either too inexperienced for first grade football, dog-tired because they had already played full games in lower grades, or both.
Add to that a mountain of injuries and an opposition still in peak form after last year’s Clayton Cup win.
In many ways, it was the perfect storm.
“They were always going to be a formidable outfit," Griffiths said.
“They’ve had the same side for the last three or four years.
“But we’ve learnt from it.”
So bad is the Bulldogs player-strain, in the last two home games, first grade had just one reserve on the bench – the rest were depleted through injury.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the club which last year contested its first, top grade grand final in 16 years.
Among the carnage, individual performances like that of Brandon Gillham stood out.
The Gunnedah junior rolled out for his under-18 side against Norths on Saturday, then again for reserve grade and scooped player’s player honours in first grade.
Also having a strong game in a defeated side was co-coach and Bulldogs front-rower, Trent Hilton, who was awarded the referee’s two points.
Griffiths praised the club’s league tag side which lost 12-4 in a tough encounter and reserve grade which went down 50-10.
“Reserves were down on a heap of numbers,” he said.
“But they were still in the game after the first 15 minutes.”
This weekend first grade has the bye while league tag and reserve grade travel north to face Wee Waa.
The Bulldogs will be making do as best they can, just like every week, Griffiths said.
He also is hopeful a few mid-season signings will prove fruitful and help to replenish playing stocks so urgently needed.