The undefeated Guyra Super Spuds ran over the top of the Moree Boomerangs 38-34 on Saturday, to hand the home side its third consecutive rugby league loss.
The Boomerangs may have been willing on the day, but with only one try separating the two teams, their poor preparation and limited fitness proved costly.
Fate also conspired against the Boomerangs; having started the game with four players on the bench, they finished with one, exacerbating their lack of conditioning.
The Super Spuds, who scored seven tries to six, were slightly superior, but if the Boomerangs had been better in their handling, they would have become the first team to defeat Guyra.
Or that was the feeling within the Boomerangs camp.
“The game was there to be won,” said publicity officer Lloyd Munro.
“We just made too many mistakes - too many wrong decisions.”
He praised the players, who “played with their heart”, but bemoaned the toll taken by injuries.
“The game was physical and hard, and we ran out of steam.”
Captain-coach Jeremy Smith agreed, singling out winger Shannon Swan, reserve back Brandon Johnson and reserve second rower Neil Cutmore, and saying that he was “proud of the boys - they really stood up”.
However, fellow captain-coach Chris Swan was less charitable, saying that a committed performance on the day was more than outweighed by lack of commitment during the week.
“There was no training at all - no preparation,” he said, with poor turnouts on Tuesday and Thursday nights meaning that tactics and team selection had had to be left until an hour before kickoff.
“Our ability has always been there - it’s just our fitness and dedication,” he said.
“We bombed a few tries due to lack of training. We can’t rely on natural ability always.”
Shannon Swan also said that “our preparation wasn’t too good”, resulting in defensive lapses, “too many silly mistakes” and “too much dropped ball at [Guyra’s] end”.
The home side trailed 22-16 at the break, after tries from Shannon Swan, fullback Lloyd Munro Jr. and centre Warren Cain had been trumped by four from the visitors.
Three minutes into the second half, Smith levelled the scores.
With their first possession, the Boomerangs used a series of hit-ups to advance to within 5m of the line. Receiving the ball at pace, the big prop was able to barge his way over, despite the attention of three defenders.
In the 56th minute, the Boomerangs made it 28-22.
Forty metres out, halfback Kialu Brown, whose footwork and guile and acceleration were a constant threat, created a gap, before finding Rick Roberts. The lock ran 20m, and with Shannon Swan on the left and Munro on the right to choose from, he passed inside, Munro using his speed to cross under the posts.
But from there, the Boomerangs unravelled, with injuries and fatigue clearly taking their toll.
In the 62nd minute, second rower Rod Ball strolled over, after a Moree defender had rushed out from defence, creating a hole in the line.
In the 69th minute, winger Ethan Kennedy took advantage of an overlap to dive over in the right corner.
And in the 76th minute, a gap materialised too, too easily in the centre of an exhausted defence, allowing dangerous fullback Corey Torrens to give his team a 38-28 lead.
Fernando then scored a consolation try on fulltime, diving over in the left corner after receiving a sharp cutout pass from Brown.
Following three consecutive losses, Saturday’s match away to Inverell takes on added significance.
“If we don’t get our mind set,” said Shannon Swan, “we could see the finals slip away.
“It all depends on our training. If we get a good Tuesday and Thursday, we’ll go good.”
Chris Swan explained that the team had “a lot of improvement to do”, but with a proper preparation, “can beat any team in the group”.
According to Smith, it is essential that the Boomerangs end their losing streak at Inverell.
“We’ve got to aim up and be ready - if we lose there, we’re in the doldrums.”
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