AN intercept try to Taree City front rower Josh Northam midway through the second half was the turning point in the Group Three Rugby League clash against Port Macquarie at Port Macquarie.
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The Bulls won the game 36-8 to extend their winning streak to four matches.
While the final score indicates a comfortable win, in reality it was anything but. The Bulls weren’t looking particularly convincing despite holding a 16-8 advantage. Then Northam latched onto a loose pass near halfway and bolted clear of the pack. He showed surprising speed to clear away from the chasers and elude a despairing dive from fullback Harley Gore to score under the posts. When Dean Mills added the conversion the Bulls were ahead 22-8 and it was game, set and match to Taree.
The best was yet to come from the Bulls, with interchange forward Michael Peachey brilliantly timing a pass to send prop Matt Taupe careering through a gap to score Taree’s next converted try. Just before fulltime Matt Everitt worked his way over to post the last try of the game.
But it was a patchy effort from Taree, particularly in the first half. Taree defenders were struggling to put the Port ball carriers to the ground. However, the 2017 Sharks don’t have enough quality to make the opposition pay for any latitude. The Bulls dominated field position in both halves but their attack tended to be one-out. Taree’s kicking game wasn’t particularly clever. Too often Gore – the most dangerous Shark in attack, was given plenty of time to return the football after fielding wayward kicks. Halfback Todd Bridge scored two tries for the Bulls in a tidy performance. He opened the scoring when he followed through a kick from Everitt to dive over. Mills added the extras. The Sharks responded when halfback Jake Flanagan finished off a movement that started down on Taree’s line when the Sharks gathered in a Taree-cross kick. The conversion missed. Taree edge further in front when Bridge held up a pass for Peachey to reach over and score. The conversion made it 12-4 but just on halftime the Sharks made Taree pay for some insipid defence when Charley Faatsia crashed over out wide and it was 12-8 at the turnaround.
The Bulls weren’t looking too enthusiastic when play resumed. However, Tim Alliston managed to slip a pass to Bridge and he squeezed over in the corner to push Taree to a 16-8 advantage. Northam’s try then ended Port's hopes. The Bulls meet Old Bar at Taree on Saturday.
