The Dubbo Rhinos had shown tremendous improvement in the Blowes Clothing Cup in recent times but on Saturday they came crashing back to earth following a 75-12 shellacking at the hands of Orange City.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the Dubbo side can take some comfort from the fact they are not the only side to bear the full brunt of the Lions’ attack in the last few weeks.
Combined with the side’s 85-10 win over Parkes and 43-12 victory over CSU Bathurst, Saturday’s thumping was the Lions’ third straight win by 31 points or more.
“To be fair, they all came against teams in the bottom part of the ladder,” assistant coach Josh Maley said.
“But it is a really good foundation for us to build from going into the last month or so of the season, when we’ll face some pretty tough sides.
“It was really good to see our attacking structures come together again.”
The match at Pride Park was basically over at half time as the hosts led 35-0.
All the Rhinos managed was two late consolation tries.
City had to much speed and skill and it was always a big ask for the Lions, particularly becuase of the fact a number of players were backing up after second grade.
Despite his side scoring such a dominant win, Maley credited the Rhinos.
“They never gave up, you've got the give them that,” Maley said.
“They had a few guys who had backed up from second grade though, I think that had plenty to do with it.”
The Rhinos face the Forbes Platypi next weekend.
