THREE tries in quick succession was what put the Nambucca Roosters first grade side over the line in Saturday’s Group 2 local derby.
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The always-entertaining encounter against Macksville wasn’t without its moments however, with both sides missing opportunities and succumbing to their heated emotions.
But the Roosters were too good emerging victorious, taking the 32-22 win over their cross-town rivals.
First grade player/coach Cameron Blair said it was always good to get a win over Macksville, especially after the thrashing in round one.
“We’re starting to gel a bit more,” he told the Guardian. “I thought it was going to be a repeat of last time, but everyone was switched on and we finished this one off.
“We’re always ready for the local derbies – it’s the game we look forward to the most every year, but everyone was a step above on Saturday.”
Despite the win, Blair said there were still things they needed to work on and there was always room for improvement.
“We need to finish our games and remember it runs for 80 minutes,” he said. “A lot of teams have lapses, but ours comes towards the 60-minute mark, which can be crucial.
“We’ll just take it week by week from here – had a few good wins in a row now, I think that was all it took to boost confidence.
“Teams will be looking over their shoulder when they face up against us from now on I think – the way we are playing at the moment, anything could happen.”
* The under 18s side recorded the second and final win of the day – a feat coach Jason Sheppard was most impressed with.
“It was a really good, hard-fought game,” he said. “Combinations are starting to develop, and they’re looking like the group from the other year.
“They’re starting to play as a team, they’re on the try line when defending and now they are fighting to not let a try in.
“It’s really pleasing and promising.”
* Unfortunately it wasn’t a clean sweep for the red, white and blue with reserve grade going down 16-6.
“For 35 minutes, we only had 12 players,” player/coach Brad Field said. “We had two sent for 10, and then one sent for the game.
“It was a typical Nambucca v Macksville game – with not too many points scored.
“Discipline, straight up, and errors at crucial times messed us up a lot – we got sucked into their game. But everyone is positive still, we’re not letting this loss crush our focus and momentum, and we’ll be back stronger this weekend.”
The Roosters take on Orara on Saturday at Coronation Park in two grades.
Kick off is at 1pm.
