TAREE City coach Gary Bridge has further injury problems to confront with confirmation that prop Josh Northam will miss Saturday’s Group Three Rugby League minor semi-final against Wingham at Wingham.
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Northam is on crutches after damaging his ankle in Taree’s meritorious 32-28 win over Forster-Tuncurry in the elimination semi played at the Jack Neal Oval.
Bridge expects hooker Luke Murray to be right and he hopes utility forward Dane Cordner will also be available. Cordner missed the clash against the Hawks because of work commitments.
“I’ll be ringing Dane through the week and hopefully he’ll be able to get off,’’ Bridge said.
Cordner lives in Newcastle.
Bridge was full of praise for his charges after the win over the Hawks after he spent the morning trying to get a team together because of injuries and unavailability.
“I was still struggling for players right up to the kick off,’’ Bridge said.
“Doug (Ferguson) got here just before the start to play off the bench for us.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the players. We’ve been trying to instill a bit of pride into the club and I thought they all showed plenty of commitment today.
“We’re into the second week of the semis – it’s great.’’
He agreed that five-eighth Nathan Maher provided the Bulls with the X-Factor required to win semi-finals.
“Nathan’s got that it in him, he can be a match winner,’’ he said.
“I was tickled pink with him and I thought both our wingers and our fullback were outstanding. They aren't big blokes but they showed a lot of character.’’
Five-eighth Maher turned in a match winning performance for the Bulls, with his two tries among the highlights of what was an entertaining fixture. In the first half Maher pushed away from two tackles before straightening up and powering through further attempts. He showed some skill to notch the second try when he cleverly kicked into open spaces and regathered.
Slightly built fullback Dean Mills provided some of the energy lacking from Taree’s game in the last month with a lively performance. This was his first game back from a lengthy break caused by a rib injury.
Ageless fullback Chris Simon was by far the pick for the Hawks. He constantly broke the defensive line and was particularly effective on the edges. Five-eighth Ben Murray also had a strong game, with his goal kicking a highlight.
It was a good weekend for the Bulls with wins by the under 18s and women’s league tag. Both will now play in the major semi-final on Sunday at Port Macquarie – the 18s against Macleay Valley and the league tag against Port City.
(Read the full match report on wwww.manningrivertimes.com,au)
