BATHURST Bulldogs and Orange City have been fierce rivals in recent times, but following their first meeting of the 2017 Blowes Clothing Cup season, the feeling was one of mutual respect.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bulldogs posted just its second win over the Lions since 2010 when downing City 27-14 at Ashwood Park last Saturday.
The win was Bulldogs’ third from as many outings, while City’s record now stands at one victory and two losses.
While the Lions did get within one point of the lead 12 minutes into the second half as the boot of Kegan Harding punished Bulldogs’ infringements, coach Steve Hamson admitted he was unsure if his men could go on to win.
“They are a side that never give up, they’ll battle you to the end,” Hamson said of Bulldogs.
“We hadn’t really troubled them all day .. all the energy we had to use against them in the set piece probably told in the end.
“We’ve got a lot of new guys, a lot of young guys. They’ve got to decide what they want to be known for, whether they want to battle to the end or be like other teams in the comp that when the game starts to get away, they run the white flag up.
“I’d like to think they’ll develop a bit of character.”
Certainly Bulldogs coach Nathan Pearce expects the Lions to improve as the season goes on.
“It was good to get a quality game for the guys to see what we need to do this season. I think City will be there again this year,” he said.
“They are the toughest side we’ve played so far, absolutely. I think some of the penalties against us were because they put a bit of pressure on us.”
Both Bulldogs and City will sit out this Saturday with a competition general bye.
