THE Bathurst Bulldogs have scored 39 second half points to complete one of the best Blowes Clothing Cup comebacks in history, knocking Orange City out of the 2016 title race.
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Down 27-0 at half-time and then 34-12 during the second period at Ashwood Park, the hosts clawed their way back to 34-all, Kurt Weekes’ penalty goal right on full-time sending the elimination semi-final into extra-time.
The first five minutes went scoreless, before Izaac Breen left his mark on the match with a barnstorming run, line-break and then offload to old All Saints schoolmate Adam Plummer, the flying Bulldogs winger icing the memorable win for the Bathurst club.
It was a fitting end to a pulsating elimination affair.
“It’s probably the best feeling I’ve ever had on the footy field … it’s what footy is all about,” Plummer said.
“Breeny is an old school mate … he’s one of the best ball runners in the competition, so you’ve got to be on his inside. He was good enough to get it off, all I had to do was put it down – what an amazing feeling to win.”
That feeling would have been the furthest thing from Plummer’s mind at the half-time break.
Orange City looked every bit the side good enough to win the whole competition, let alone their elimination semi-final clash with Bathurst.
Five-pointers to Logan Brockmann, Kurt McNamara, Joe Lasagavibau and a try of the year contender to Tom Nell – an 85-metre corker – shot the Lions out to a 27-0 lead.
The Bulldogs started the second half full of steam – they had to – and tries to Jack Roberson and a penalty try gifted the Bathurst boys some hope at 27-12 with 33 minutes left.
Sam Dwyer scored soon after for the visitors, with Davis’ conversion giving Steve Hamson’s side what you’d normally consider a winable advantage at 34-12 with 30 minutes left.
But, incredibly, the Dogs piled on tries to Phil Tonkin and Kurt Weekes – his a brilliant effort after a cross-field kick from Scott Johnson – to land within 12 points, before three successful penalty goals off the right boot of Weekes took the score to 34-31 with 14 minutes left.
With an avalanche of possession in their favour, the Dogs marched up field, Weekes nabbing his final penalty to draw level right on full-time.
From there, the rest of the game belongs to Breen and Plummer.
“Never in my life,” was Plummer’s reaction when asked if he’d been part of a game of rugby like this before.
“This is my favourite game of footy.”
Incredibly, despite tallying 19 points individually Weekes actually left several points on the field, missing a penalty goal attempt in injury time which would’ve won the game for his side without the need for extra-time, and also having a couple of conversion attempts waved away.
The victory also broke Bulldogs’ stunning drought at Ashwood Park against the Lions, which stretched back to the 2010 preliminary final.
The Bulldogs will travel to Dubbo to take on the Kangaroos in next weekend’s minor semi-final.
BATHURST BULLDOGS 39 (Jack Roberson, Phil Tonkin, Kurt Weekes, Adam Plummer tries; penalty try; Kurt Weekes conversion, 4 penalty goals) def ORANGE CITY LIONS 34 (Tom Nell, Kurt McNamara, Joe Lasagavibau, Logan Brockmann, Sam Dwyer tries; Jake Davis 3 conversions, penalty goal)
