Yass pushed their opposition in wet and windy conditions, with scores locked at half-time. Goulburn were made to work hard for the win, only safely securing the competition points in final minutes of the match.

The first half of the match was a real arm wrestle, with both outfits giving their all in an attempt to gain the upper hand. Goulburn were the first to post points with a converted try at the 12 minute mark.

Once in front, the Bulldogs continued to mount solid attack on the Magpies. Yass were not backward in coming forward and returned the favour with heavy defence. For the full duration the Magpies defence was first rate, particularly from the forward pack. In my opinion it was by far the best defensive half of football Yass have played this season.

A barnstorming run by winger Brett Waters finished off a great passage of attack in the 30th minute, resulting in the Magpies opening points. Goal kicker Matt Lawrence calmly converted and the visitors went to the oranges with their tails up and the scoreboard reading 6-6.

The second half was shaping up to be a tough contest, and based on the side’s effort in the first 35 minutes one felt the Magpies had a strong chance of coming away with the points.

Goulburn had other ideas. They were first to score in the second half and moved out to a 12-6 lead after five minutes.

Yass regathered, holding their opposition at bay for the next 20 minutes with committed tackling.

With around 10 minutes remaining the Bulldogs put the result beyond doubt with a converted try extending their lead to 18-6. Goulburn added further woes with a try in the dying stages to stretch the full-time score to 24-6.

In conclusion, the second half of the match was a tight encounter and Yass were not far away from scoring on a number of occasions. Lack of ball control early on the tackle count had Yass on the back foot on too many occasions.

Had just one of those opportunities come off, I’m sure the Magpies could have dug deep and given themselves a strong chance of victory.

In my opinion we need to make better use of the interchange. I’m sure some of the forwards would have benefited with an extra breather, as they worked hard all day. The Bulldogs, I noted, had made four changes in the first 15 minutes of the second half and we had not made one up to that stage. It may have been enough to give the opposition that little extra they needed to go on with the match.

Best on the day I thought were Cody Timoti, Adam Alchin and Brett Waters.

The Slippery Eel