THE Bathurst Bulldogs maintained bragging rights over CSU and gave themselves a good springboard into the Central West Rugby Union semi-finals with a 40-24 win over the students on Saturday.

The game was a lot closer than the 18-point margin indicates, with CSU having chances in the final 15 minutes to cut the margin to three points at University Oval.

A try near the siren to Hayden Tidswell, who was yet again one of his side’s best, sealed it for the Bulldogs. However, their co-coach Shane Cantrill wasn’t as happy after full-time as he was at the break.

“The first half was probably the best we’ve played all season,” he said.

“In the second, I thought we were a little bit ill-disciplined but I thought we were probably on the end of some fairly puzzling decisions as well.

“We basically had no ball for the whole half, made some errors here and there ... but I was a bit perplexed by some of the calls that came our way.”

At half-time it looked like the Bulldogs were going to rack up a big score as they were simply too clinical for their opposition whenever they got within reach of the try-line.

They opened the scoring early on through five-eighth Steve Locke, who marshalled his back line expertly in the opening 40 minutes.

His conversion made it 7-0, before James Tooth opened CSU’s account and Tom Pegler added the extra to lock things up.

However, parity didn’t last long for the home team, as Phil Tonkin scored Bulldogs’ second. 

When Izaak Breen crashed through, Locke’s conversion made it 21-7 with 10 minutes remaining until half-time.

Tom Joseph scored his team’s fourth then, in a sign that it could have been a long day for the students, a break from Tooth that could have resulted in a try to Sam Robertson ended with Robertson knocking on a tough pass.

To rub salt into the wound, Josh Lees went straight up the other end to score Bulldogs’ fifth, with Locke’s sideline goal making it 33-7 at the break.

After half-time, CSU were a different side.

On the back of a succession of towering spiral punts from Nick Rutherford which made life for Tonkin, Joseph and Lees almost impossible, the students began to assert some territorial dominance.

With the ball permanently locked in Bulldogs’ defensive half, Robertson burst into a gap and put Tooth in for his second early on, though the try-scorer picked up an injury in getting the ball down that forced him from the field.

Another bad pass cost them CSU a try on the left edge not long after, but Rutherford sent yet a bomb to the heavens from the halfway line to set up the students’ third.

Tonkin had next to no chance of catching it and the freak bounce landed square in the lap of the chasing Tom Keft. Pegler somehow missed the kick from straight in front, but the try meant result wasn’t so certain.

The students continued to press but butchered a certain try when fullback Tennyson Vance attempted an unnecessary pass with the line open.

While time began to run out, Robertson kept his team’s hopes alive with a good try after a well-worked line-out move. At 33-24 the feeling was starting to build with Jack Roberson sin-binned for a lifting tackle.

However, a couple of poor decisions from CSU saw them cough up the ball and having finally secured some possession in the opposition half, Bulldogs sealed the win when Locke’s attempted grubber ended up with Tidswell.

He scored a well-deserved try to send Bulldogs into their eliminator against Forbes on a winning note.

For the victors, Tidswell, Locke, halfback Tom Hollis and Tonkin were all clinical when it mattered, while Robertson, Rutherford, Keft and Hugh Medway were the stand-outs for CSU.

Strangely enough given that the first half was possibly Bulldogs’ best of the season, the same could be said of CSU in the second aside from their finishing.

They matched the larger Bulldogs pack and it took 32 minutes for the visitors to carry the ball past halfway.

That CSU only played at that level for 40 minutes was a reflection of their year.

“There were still bits and pieces we could have improved on but the effort was just fantastic,” their coach James McLaren said.

“Some aspects were pretty frustrating, I’m lucky I’ve already got grey hair. 

“The frustrating thing is that they really have it in them to play at that level but don’t do it for long enough.”

BATHURST BULLDOGS 40 (Hayden Tidswell, Steve Locke, Tom Joseph, Josh Lees, Izaak Breen, Phil Tonkin tries; Steve Locke 6 conversions) defeated CSU 24 (James Tooth 2, Sam Robertson, Tom Keft tries; Tom Pegler 2 conversions)