The Bogan Bulls slipped to fourth place on the Western Plains ladder following a shock loss to lower-ranked Bourke Rams on Saturday.
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The Bourke team arrived at Larkin Oval boasting a flashy back line combination which had success exploiting the more traditional forwards who had dominated play in recent weeks.
The opening minutes of the Bulls match proved that to be true as the Bourke back line ran in three tries in quick succession for an early lead of 19-0.
The Bulls were shocked but soon adapted their gameplay to draw in Rams’ defenders, opening up a hole for Declan Hoare to score a try under the posts - bringing the Bulls into the game at 19-7.
Play restarted with the Rams seizing possession and making their way down the field, but their flashy (and silly) passing gave Dom Kennedy a beautiful intercept with a 60-metre sprint down the field and a text book unload to Declan Hoare to finish the play with his second try of the match - narrowing the gap 19-12.
A third try to the Bulls just before half-time by new recruit James Hackney saw the teams go to the sheds with the score at 19-17.
The Bourke back line was in disarray having narrowly missed a try when a typically silly pass was fumbled as they passed under the posts giving the Bulls a psychological advantage in the knowledge that they just needed to maintain possession and shut down the Bourke back line.
The second half started with the Bulls wanting payback. Dom Kennedy scored a try in the corner to put the Bulls in the lead 19-22, but it was quickly answered by the Bourke fullback scoring a try - putting Bourke back in the lead 26-22.
A penalty soon after the re-start gave Bourke a field goal opportunity which they didn’t miss to extend the lead 29-22.
Having regained their confidence the Bourke back line ran in two more tries to stretch out the score 43-22, answered by three Nyngan tries to Brett Moody, Declan Hoare and Dom Kennedy. With the score at 43-41 it was anyone’s game.
The Bourke fullback romped in yet another try for a 50-41 score with minutes to go.
The Nyngan forward pack won possession and started to grind. They drove their way up the field and camped inches from the try line as the Bourke Rams started to panic.
The clock ticked past the final whistle as Zack Watson pushed over the line, only to be held up by a desperate defence giving victory to the visitors at 50-41.
It was apparent that the speed of the Bourke fullback allowed him to ground the ball between the posts nearly every time whereas Nyngan repeatedly scored in the corner.
The easy conversions gave Bourke a handy advantage with five successful conversions to Nyngan’s three.
The Bogan Bulls are still in position to make the finals but they cannot afford any more losses against lower-ranked teams. This weekend the Bulls host the Cobar Camels at Larkin Oval.
The Camels are currently bottom of the table but they gave the Bulls a run for their money in the first half of the season with only a penalty goal giving the win to the Bulls.
The Camels will be coming into this weekend’s game with the knowledge that the Bulls have had a run of unexpected losses against weaker teams.
Injury and outside commitments have hurt the Bulls this year. This weekend’s game should see some players back on the paddock after an extended break.
The most damaging ambo in the west Mick Charlton will be returning from an overseas holiday to bolster the depleted forward pack.
Nyngan’s hottest cop Mick Cobcroft should be cleared to return from a hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the last six weeks and newcomer fullback James Hackney will be one to watch having recently moved to the Bogan Shire after a stellar run at Gordon Rugby Club.
Look for the Bogan Bulls on facebook for more photos of the game and pages 6 and 7 of today’s paper and get to Larkin Oval this Saturday at 2pm to lift the Bogan Bulls back to winning form.
