GUNNEDAH Bulldogs won the first half, Manilla Tigers the second but it was the Bulldogs who celebrated a narrow six-point WEG Group 4 first grade win at Manilla Showground on Saturday.
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"I know it's an old cliché but it was a game of two halves," Gunnedah coach Mick Schmiedel told G4 Media after the game.
"We won the first half 26-4 and they won the second half 22-6.
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The disappointing thing for me was that we got away from doing the things that got us that lead in the first half in the second half.
"That was a little bit annoying but considering who we had out."
Schmiedel said the side lost prop Lincon Smith before the game (work) as well as Ben Gardner (Covid).
It meant Rory Harding came in as a late replacement and he soldiered away well at short notice.
"Ethan Kelly was making his debut for us today and he won our players player award," Schmiedel said of the Under 18 backrower.
"He played well but found adjusting to the intensity of first grade a struggle. He found the pace of the game tough to what he was used to but did well.
"Jordy Ford also played well, played the full 80 minutes in the middle. Will Patterson was great at five-eighth and Aidan Davis had another good game.
"And you have got to give credit to Manilla, they nearly stole it from us."
Manilla captain-coach Mitch Doring agreed.
"Yeah another five minutes and it might have been a different story," Doring said.
"It was a good, tough game. Mick and his boys were missing a few stars but having a fresh 17 was good for us," he said in reference to his players backing up for two games in the past few weeks.
"The crowd was unbelievable too.
"We heard them every second in that second half."
He thought prop Beau Harry was outstanding again and he was a deserving recipient of the Tiger players player award.
"He puts his hand up every week," Doring added.
"Dustin Prince was great on the wing too, he's very talented."
Doring believes the Tigers can finish their season with strong performances against Dungowan and then Moree (at home).
"That was a massive effort today, we'll be better next year, I'm looking forward to that and I'm looking forward to finishing the season well too."
First Grade: GUNNEDAH 32 (Cameron Maxwell 2, Jared Heinrich, Will Patterson, Aidan Davis, Jim Muller tries, Dylan O'Brien 4gls) d MANILLA 26 (Dylan Walker, Jamarley Jerrard, Dustin Prince, Billy Nean, Timmy Gordon tries, Liam Allan 3gls).
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