Gunnedah coach Jason Waerea would have loved to have had a time machine on Saturday as the Red Devils slumped to a second straight loss and dropped to sixth.
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The Red Devils were left to rue a slow start as Narrabri claimed a 38-29 win.
It was dejavu to last years semi final, only the roles were reversed with the Blue Boars blowing the Red Devils away early.
Luke Tuckey opened the scoring for the visitors five minutes in and sparked a flurry of points that saw the Red Devils trailing 19-nil after just 10 minutes.
“You can’t afford to do that,” Waerea said.
It was a lesson they learnt against Moree back in the first round. Then they were down 33-7 before fighting back to just fall short 40-33.
Waerea noted that they hadn’t started like that since.
It proved costly.
After that initial burst the game turned into a bit of an arm-wrestle and battle between the power and strength of the Red Devils forwards and the youth and flair of the Blue Boars backs.
The Blue Boars tactics early did, Waerea conceded, catch them by surprise.
“The boys were not expecting the fast ball at that second ruck, they were expecting another ruck,” he said.
Subsequently they stood off the breakdown a bit readying for a pick and drive, which allowed the Blue Boars to recycle the ball quickly and unleash their quick men outwide.
Pretty well pinned in their half for much of the first 10 minutes, the Red Devils eventually got some possession in good territory, and they made the most of it.
Turning to their pick and drive game they rumbled forward for a handful of phases before number eight Sanimo Navatu crashed over from about 10m out.
He thought he had his second not long after, after the Red Devils made a mess of the Blue Boars’ scrum, but it was called back for - from Waerea’s understanding - having gone through the 90.
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It was one of a few instances they were a bit unlucky with the call, with the Red Devils scrum dominant most of the game.
Navatu did get his second about 10 minutes before half-time after a brilliant run from fullback Joe Hinchey had put the Blue Boars defence on the backfoot, but a late try to Tuckey made it 29-12 at the break.
Feeling like they were still right in the game, Waerea’s message to them at half-time was not to panic.
He also wanted them to carry the ball more.
“They were shoveling the ball on too early,” he said.
“That started to get them to that fourth, fifth ruck stage.”
And put the Blue Boars under pressure, although as Waerea acknowledged they defended well. Spurred on by a big Ladies Day crowd, the Red Devils threw a lot at them late in the game.
“That last 20 minutes of our game was great. But it was all about that start,” Waerea said.
“I’d like to take that 12 minutes back.”
He again found it hard to go past Brown brothers – Jeremy and Dan – as their best.
“They tackled the house down. And Red (Matt Roseby) had a good game at lineout time,” he said.
They did also pick up a couple of injuries with Joe Norman forced off in the first half with an ankle injury and Zac Newcombe picking up a shoulder injury.
