It was emotional, it was gritty and at times it was ugly but Macquarie began the Group 11 season with a win on Saturday evening.
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The Raiders defeated Nyngan 26-20 at Caltex Park during Perry Meredith Memorial Day.
Prior to the match the club retired the number 13 jersey worn by one of it’s favourite sons after Meredith’s passing late last year.
The Raiders came back from a two-point halftime deficit and overcame a lopsided penalty count and while it wasn’t a perfect performance it was one which left captain and co-coach Zac Rennick delighted.
“It was a day for my good mate ‘Pez’ (Meredith) and we had a good crowd and that means the most,” he said.
“And to be embraced by ‘Mero’ and Liz (Perry’s parents) before the game and after the game just speaks volumes.
“I’m an emotional guy since I’ve become a dad and I know the pain Liz and Mark have gone through and it just means so much to everyone at the club to get off to this start.”
For Nyngan captain-coach Stewart Mills, who produced a number of bone-rattling hits during the loss, it was a frustrating showing but he was adamant his side would improve as the season goes on.
“I thought we were on top most of the game and obviously in the first half we were winning by two points and we defended the whole half so that shows the kind of defence we’ve got but the second half, it didn’t work for us,” he said.
“I thought we showed some good signs for the rest of the season but it just wasn’t good enough to get the two points.”
After a minute’s silence and the releasing of blue and white balloons in Meredith’s honour it was the home side who began the best.
Willie Wright, an off-season recruit from Walgett, starred all match and he opened the scoring but the Tigers took the lead less than 10 minutes later when Benny Cokanasgia darted over from dummyhalf.
A pinpoint Wright chip was gathered in by flying winger Ash Widders to put Macquarie back in front but following Blaize Fuller’s sin-binning the Tigers hit back right on half time through Mills to lead 12-8 at the break.
The Raiders again started in style and raced out to a 20-12 lead after tries to the the impressive Chris Daley and Wade Peachey but Nyngan wouldn’t go away and fullback Sam Simmonds eased through a yawning gap to get his side back in the contest.
The match turned into a gruelling arm wrestle, with the Raiders muscling up against the Tigers’ beefy pack, and with 11 minutes remaining the home side produced a slick attacking move which was finished by Brad Spencer.
The Tigers struck with four minutes to go through Jone Yacadrau but the it wasn’t enough as Macquarie got one back on the side which defeated them during last season’s semi-finals.
“I thought we started well in the first half and I think we had the first three or four sets but then lost our way, let in a try and gave away three or four penalties,” Rennick said.
“We’d worked hard on that (discipline) during the off-season so I gave the boys a bit of a rev-up to just get on the same page because we can’t do that every week.”
DUBBO MACQUARIE 26 (Willie Wright, Ash Widders, Wade Peachey, Chris Daley, Brad Spencer tries; Wright 3 goals) defeated NYNGAN TIGERS 20 (Benny Cokanasgia, Stewart Mills, Sam Simmonds, Jone Yacadrau tries; Simmonds 2 goals)