THE Cootamundra Tricolours had the opportunity to sing their team song twice on Saturday in Leeton winning both first and second grade.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Firsts notched up their first win of the season with a convincing 43-5 win over Leeton on Saturday.
It was a game Cootamundra was meant to win, going into the match favourites, but given their season to date there were no guarantees. From the first whistle though the boys stepped up to the challenge and performed strongly.
Coach Jeff White couldn’t be happier with the win saying it was well deserved for the players who have come off second best on the scoreboard in some close games this year.
“They worked hard for it creating a lot of opportunities,” White said.
Up 15-5 at halftime, White said he simply encouraged his players to go on with the job and that is exactly what they did.
“They had the ball in their own half 75 per cent of the time or more and were able to convert possession into points,” White said.
Tries came thick and fast and were shared around with each of the players pulling his weight.
Crossing the line were Richard Biggin, Phil Carter, Jacob Leak, Alex Hardie, Dafydd Pritchard and Josh Carter.
Leak slotted five of his six conversion attempts and also landed one penalty goal.
Filling the role of number 10, Englishman Dom Georgiou has been a revelation for the Tricolours since arriving in town a couple of weeks ago providing good direction on the paddock.
He was amongst the best players on the field on Saturday, according to White, who also spoke highly of Josh Carter who filled in at halfback.
“He has some serious wheels and knows how to run angles,” White said of Carter.
The knowledge and teamwork of Phil Carter and Alex Hardie, both of whom have spent time out injured this season, was a bonus for the Tricolours on Saturday.
“You can’t beat that experience,” White said.
Another player with plenty of experience to offer, Josh Hudson is settling into the role of captain well leading by example on the field.
Carter started the game at number six before moving into the front row when Craig Friend was injured.
Suffering a neck injury, it is thought Friend will be back next week and the extent of the injury is not too serious.
Another player lost to injury on Saturday, and a blow to the side given the amount of work this bloke does, was Isaac Mitchell.
Isaac was concussed during the game and as well as sitting out the remainder of Saturday, he will be on the sideline for a mandatory one match break following a concussion to any player this weekend in Illabo.
An overall strong, solid performance in Leeton, White said the boys can take plenty of confidence out of the weekend’s win heading into Saturday’s round against Griffith at the Illabo Sports Stadium.
xxx
Meanwhile second grade started the season with back-to-back wins, however have not managed a win since.
Victory on Saturday was hard-fought for the boys but well deserved.
Down 21-15 at halftime, they dug deep to cross the line twice in the second half and keep Leeton out resulting in a full-time score of 26-21 Coota’s way.
Their final try, which sealed the win, came just minutes from the whistle creating an exciting finish.
In the district for uni holidays, Tom Kent stood up in second grade earning himself best on ground points as well as players’ player.
He scored one of the side’s four tries with the others coming courtesy of Dafydd Pritchard, Mick Purtell and Alex Jones.
Scott Friend was accurate with the boot, making three of his four conversion attempts.
Joining Kent in the top player rankings for the game were Corey Nicholson and Alex Hill.
Keeping an eye on the ladder, captain/coach of second grade Anthony Kennedy said the win sees them jump from ninth to sixth.
“We were all pretty happy to be back in a winning side,” Kennedy said.
“The boys played really well and we’ve had some close games which we’ve lost so it was good to win one,” he added.
Looking forward to this weekend’s Illabo round, Kennedy said anything can happen and he will be looking for his players, of which he is one, to put in another strong performance giving them the best chance at victory.
xxx
The Tricolours under 17s had to forfeit due to a lack of player numbers on Saturday. All under 17s players are encouraged to get to training this week and give themselves a chance of joining their senior counterparts in the winners’ circle.